Community Liaison Council Meeting Minutes — Thursday, May 11, 2023,

Opening Remarks

Amy Blackburn, Office of Communications & Public Liaison (OCPL), Office of the Director (OD), NIH

Ms. Blackburn opened the meeting at 4:04 p.m.

Minutes Review

Ms. Blackburn presented the minutes from the previous meeting for approval. CLC members had no objections or changes to the minutes.

Surgery, Radiology, and Laboratory Medicine Wing Groundbreaking

Ms. Blackburn said that the groundbreaking for the new hospital wing for surgery, radiology, and laboratory medicine is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16, at 11:00 a.m. This project was discussed at the NIH CLC meeting in September 2022. Construction will begin in late May or early June. The estimated completion date for the project is in 2029.

Staff Changes

Ms. Blackburn reviewed senior staff changes at NIH:

• Nina Schor was named acting deputy director for intramural research in November 2022 following the retirement of Michael Gottesman.
• Anthony Fauci departed his role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the end of December 2022.
• Andrea Norris retired from her roles as NIH’s chief information officer (CIO) and director of the Center for Information Technology (CIT) on December 31, 2022.
• Roger Glass stepped down as director of the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and NIH associate director for international research on January 14, 2022. He will continue to serve as senior scientist emeritus at FIC.
• Adrienne Hallett departed her role as the associate director of the NIH Office of Legislative Policy and Analysis (OLPA) on February 25, 2023.
• John Gallin retired from his role as the NIH associate director for clinical research and chief scientific officer of the NIH Clinical Center on March 25, 2023.
• Karina Walters began her role as director of the NIH Tribal Health Research Office (THRO) on April 24, 2023.
• Carrie Wolinetz departed her role as senior advisor in the NIH Office of the Director on May 6, 2023.

Ms. Blackburn introduced two new members of the CLC.

• Kevin Mack is the new representative of the office of Senator Benjamin L. Cardin. Ken Reichard previously served in this role.
• Connor Price is the new NIH campus landscape architect. Mr. Price previously worked at a private firm in Washington, D.C., doing commercial and residential work.

Multi-Level Parking Garage 12 (MLP-12) Design

Susan Roberts, Office of Research Facilities (ORF), OD, NIH

Ms. Roberts presented the plan for MLP-12.

• According to the current timeline, the design will be finalized by January 2024, construction of the garage will begin in July of 2024, and the garage will be open for occupancy in July 2026.
• MLP-12 was in the NIH 2013 Master Plan. MLP-12 will be built on Lot 42, which is currently a surface parking lot next to NIH’s industrial water storage tank. MLP-12 will accommodate 1,400 cars, the majority of which will be employee vehicles.
• MLP-12 aligns with NIH’s campus parking ratio reduction plan to have one parking space per three employees. NIH is also moving toward this goal by opening a parking garage to the west of Building 10 and decommissioning spaces below Building 10 and in surface parking throughout the campus.

Ms. Roberts presented maps of NIH’s campus to demonstrate the pedestrian and shuttle route from Lot 42 to Building 10.

Ms. Roberts showed photographs of Lot 42 in the autumn of 2022.

• The industrial water storage tank and storm water management, such as with rainwater gardens and a retaining wall, were built in anticipation of MLP-12.
• The retaining wall will allow MLP-12 to be built below grade, which will limit the visual impact on residential areas nearby.
• Ivy is climbing the screen wall around the industrial water storage tank, as planned. The ivy will cover the wall and obscure the view of the tank and parking structure.

Ms. Roberts presented design concepts for the MLP-12 building site plan and its traffic patterns.

• Vehicle entries and exits will be on the east and west sides of the garage. NIH Blue coloring will make these entries visually identifiable. Unlike a previous concept, this plan will not include a vehicle bridge for car entry on the southern side of the garage.
• The pedestrian entryways and staircases will be located at the corners of MLP-12. The northwest corner will be the primary entry and exit point for pedestrians, and the northwest staircase will be enclosed in glass.
• A shuttle stop will be located at the northwest corner of MLP-12. It will be accessible via ramps and sidewalks.
• There will be a landscaped area north of MLP-12. The garage will also be surrounded by sidewalks with landscaping.

Ms. Roberts said that NIH is investigating the addition of solar panels to the roof and south-facing side of the parking garage. Ms. Roberts presented concept illustrations of MLP-12 with solar panels.

• Solar panels are not funded as part of the redesign and construction of MLP-12. However, funding may be found elsewhere.

Ms. Roberts presented illustrations that use known topography to approximate the view of MLP-12 from residential areas south of the NIH campus, including views from Maple Ridge Road and North Brook Lane.

• From most perspectives, MLP-12 will be obscured by the hill and foliage.
• From some perspectives, the top of MLP-12 may be visible.

Ms. Roberts presented the materials included in this design for MLP-12. These materials include concrete, bird-friendly glazing on glass, railings with colored stainless steel, metal paneling, aluminum mullions and louvers, stone wall, dry stack wall, precast arch, formliners with architectural polymers, and Fitzgerald formliners. Interiors will use a textured acrylic finish to provide color and number indicators for wayfinding in the garage.

Community Discussion

Andrea Witt asked how bright MLP-12 will be at night, in particular the glass-enclosed staircase, and asked whether it might disrupt neighboring communities.

• Josh Olson said MLP-12 would be lit in a way comparable to other parts of the NIH campus at night unless a code requirement indicates otherwise.
• Ms. Roberts said that the glass-enclosed stairwell would not be visible from most perspectives because it is on the northwest side of campus and points away from neighboring communities. The solar panels on the south side of the structure may also assist with blocking light from the garage at night.

Ms. Blackburn thanked Ms. Roberts for the presentation.

Adjournment

Ms. Blackburn adjourned the meeting at 4:33 p.m.

Next Meeting: September 2023

Participants

CLC Members

Andrea Witt, Huntington Parkway Citizens Association