The WMATA Board of Directors voted on Thursday to approve the station name change from New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U to NoMa-Gallaudet U. Metro station maps will include New York Ave as a secondary name for one year to assist customers during the transition.
The NoMa community worked diligently to advocate for its identity and for the inclusion of Gallaudet, the world leader in deaf and hard of hearing education in the Metro station name. Letters of support from ANC6C, the DC Office of Planning, Councilmember Tommy Wells, Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, demonstrated the support of the District of Columbia, which has referred to the area as NoMa since the late 1990s. Councilmember Muriel Bowser, in her capacity as a DC members on the WMATA Board, effectively brought the the NoMa-Gallaudet issues to the attention of the WMATA Board and Customer Service Committee.
“Less than 20 years ago, NoMa was just a vision for the city,” said NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper. “Today NoMa is a vibrant and growing center of activity boasting tens of thousands of residents and office workers with more on the way. With increasing demand for shorter commutes and transportation access, the NoMa-Gallaudet U name literally puts NoMa on the map as one of the region’s most connected neighborhoods to live and to work.”
Directly to the east, Gallaudet University has played an integral role in the community for almost 150 years. With over 1,000 students and a 90-acre campus, Gallaudet is an anchor in the neighborhood and deserving of their place on the Metro station name.
The Metro station has been a catalyst for development in the community, attracting over $3 billion dollars in private investment over the past six years. The name change more accurately describes the station’s location, which is neither on New York or Florida Avenues. The new name also adheres to the WMATA guideline of 19-characters or less for station names.
The new station maps will be implemented in June 2012.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, connected neighborhood north of Union Station and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In the last six years, private developers have invested more than $3 billion in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID, and have plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space. In 2011, developers have broken ground on 1,900 residential units; more than 700,000 SF of office space is also under construction. NoMa has 15 modes of transportation, including two Red Line Metro stops, and the best biking facilities in DC, with the only East Coast Bikestation, the 8-mile Met Branch Trail, and six Capital Bikeshare stations. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.wpengine.com and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID; or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nomabid.
For immediate release
News media contact: Rachel Davis
202-289-0111, [email protected]
###