Pursuant to 36 CFR 1.5(a), Rock Creek Park, a unit of the National Park Service, is temporarily closing a portion of park land south of Quackenbos Street NW between Georgia Avenue NW and 9th Street NW to protect public safety and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employee safety during the removal of an existing 700 foot communications tower located at the 4th District Metropolitan Police Station at 6001 Georgia Avenue NW. Specifically, from 7:00 am Monday November 17, 2025 through 5:00 pm Friday June 30, 2027, the grass area south of Quackenbos Street NW between Georgia Avenue NW and 9th Street NW will be fully closed to all public use. The closed area will be more particularly identified by fencing and signage. The closed areas will be accessible only to National Park Service employees, MPD employees, DC Office of Unified Communications (OUC) employees, and approved OUC contractors. The temporary closure of this grass area is necessary to protect public safety and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employee safety. Less restrictive measures are not possible given the need to close the area to protect public safety and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employee safety during work to remove the communications tower. Accordingly, the National Park Service has determined publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 CFR 1.5(c). The partial and temporary park closure and public use limitation is consistent with hundreds of other temporary park closures, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. ANSWER coalition v. Norton, No. 05-0071, (D.D.C. January 18, 2005, Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 22, 2002), plaintiffs’ emergency motion for appeal for injunction pending appeared denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-5275 (D.C.Cir. September 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. August 6, 1999); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. December 7, 1987); Speigel v. Babbitt, 855 F Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), affd in parr wlo op. 56F. 3d 1531(D.C.Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 US App. Lexis 15200 (D.C.Cir. May 31,1995). Pursuant to 36 CFR 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure will be made through public outreach and by the posting of signs at conspicuous locations in the affected park area. Finally, pursuant to 36 CFR l.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request. Brian Joyner Superintendent |
Last updated: November 2, 2026