How about a parking garage under the nation's front yard: The National Mall?
The eyebrow-raising, $200 million idea is being proposed as a way to ease the near-constant traffic congestion in the area, and in particular to provide a space for tour buses to park, without those buses having to idle to keep heat or air conditioning on.
The proposed National Mall garage would have enough parking for a thousand buses and cars, and the estimated $200 million cost could be paid for by private investors, not taxpayers. The investment would be repaid with parking fees.
This new space could house a welcome center with restrooms, which are in short supply on the mall. It could have cisterns to collect rainwater for irrigation, and even double as a emergency reservoir if the mall flooded.
"It's very realistic. It's been engineered, costed out, and it solves all these needs that we have," said architect Arthur Cotton Moore of the Coalition to Save Our Mall.
The Coalition, an independent group that aims to be the voice of the public in matters concerning the National Mall, has opened a multimedia exhibit at 1000 Connecticut Ave. that explains its idea. The exhibit illustrates the need for the garage and for stormwater management, and it includes large-scale models of the proposal.
The shape of the mall is ideal for a garage, Moore pointed out. "Basically, it is a box. It's a big box."
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The Coalition proposes the garage would be located under a portion of the Mall’s grass panels, between the Smithsonian Castle and the National Museum of Natural History.
Visitors to the mall had differing opinions on the idea. "I know it has been difficult and very challenging for many people to find parking on the mall, so it is worth consideration," said Patty Rasmussmen, who said she works near the mall.
But Heidi Oshan, from Los Angeles, said she felt a better solution would be additional public transportation. "And I come from the land of cars," she said.
The next step? Getting approval from Congress to move forward.
The exhibit will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
