Marcel Acosta is the Executive Director of the National Capital Planning Commission and an alternate member of the WMATA Board of Directors, appointed by the federal government.

Greater Greater Washington live chat: Marcel Acosta(02/23/2010)
11:48
David Alpert:
Welcome to our live chat with Marcel Acosta of NCPC and the WMATA Board.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 11:48 David Alpert
11:48
David Alpert:
Mr. Acosta will be joining us around 12:00. In the meantime, feel free to enter your questions in the text box at the bottom of the chat window. We’ll queue up as many as we can to ask Mr. Acosta during our chat.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 11:48 David Alpert
12:00
David Alpert:
Marcel Acosta is now here with us. Welcome!
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:00 David Alpert
12:01
Marcel Acosta:
Thanks, David. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:01 Marcel Acosta
12:02
David Alpert:
You asked some very thoughtful questions to readers yesterday. (/post/4997). Let’s start by turning a few of them around and hearing what you would say to them. First off, what do you like best about the Metro system, and what do you like the least?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:02 David Alpert
12:03
Marcel Acosta:
That’s a great question!

The best part about the Metro system is convenience and the freedom from a car. As some of you might know, I do not own a car and take Metro as my primary means of transportation.

Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:03 Marcel Acosta
12:05
David Alpert:
And the worst part?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:05 David Alpert
12:06
Marcel Acosta:
The least favorite aspect of the Metro system, from my own experience, is overcrowding that many of us experience during rush hour. Also, I don’t enjoy the wider intervals between trains and buses during the weekends or late evenings.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:06 Marcel Acosta
12:07
David Alpert:
The overcrowding might get even worse based on some of the service cut proposals in the General Manager’s proposed budget to close the $189 million shortfall. What do you think is the best way to handle that budget gap? Can we do it without getting into a dangerous “death spiral”?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:07 David Alpert
12:10
Marcel Acosta:
A great majority of the public who we heard from at recent public hearings and from the comments posted in advance of this session said their preference was not to cut service, but look at other means, including fare changes. There is no silver bullet when you are dealing with a shortfall of this magnitude, so it’s very important to hear from our customers as the Board grapples with this challenge over the coming months.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:10 Marcel Acosta
12:10
David Alpert:
Reader Charlie has a question that’s actually the flip side of this, on fares surrounding times when ridership is low:
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:10 David Alpert
12:10
[Comment From charliecharlie: ]
Mr. Acosta: I wanted to get your thoughts on decreasing fares during some selected hours to boost demand on metro rail. I understand that wouldn’t work during rush hours when trails are filled, but during the day and on weekends I see many trains that are close to empty. Would lower fares help raise demand?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:10 charlie
12:11
David Alpert:
If you have any questions, submit them at the box at the bottom of the chat window! We’ll try to get to as many as we can.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:11 David Alpert
12:15
Marcel Acosta:
Yes, lower fares would help raise demand. I think that you are correct if lower fares are applied during off-peak periods when there is available capacity and no additional service is necessary. These types of fare changes would have to be evaluated comprehesively to understand the overall revenue impact to the agency.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:15 Marcel Acosta
12:16
David Alpert:
The big news this morning was of course a letter from four Senators who are very unhappy with the safety record at Metro, and even threatened a federal takeover. Do you think greater federal involvement in Metro would be a good idea? How could Senators improve things if they wanted to help make our transit system better?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:16 David Alpert
12:17
David Alpert:
Adam L just posted a similar question:
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:17 David Alpert
12:17
[Comment From Adam LAdam L: ]
In my response to one of your questions yesterday, I replied that I would like to see a greater federal role in Metro, even going as far as a federal takeover modeled after the Financial Control Board in D.C. in the 1990s. And now today, there is news that members of the Senate have brought up the same possibility. Would you be personally willing to exchange some control of the organization for the funds needed to pull the agency out of the aforementioned death spiral?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:17 Adam L
12:20
Marcel Acosta:
As many of you know, there is now federal representation on the WMATA board. Part of our role related to the $1.5B federal investment in capital, is to ensure that these capital investments are targeted for safety improvements. Mort Downey and I are new to the Board as the federal representatives and we eager to work with our fellow Board members and WMATA to ensure a safer system.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:20 Marcel Acosta
12:22
David Alpert:
Are you and Mort Downey talking with the Senators that sent that letter, either beforehand or now that they have?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:22 David Alpert
12:22
Marcel Acosta:
Everyone understands that there are very serious problems that WMATA faces today. Any support and attention to these issues from the federal government, including the U.S. Congress, can be of benefit to the system in the long-term.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:22 Marcel Acosta
12:24
Marcel Acosta:
I have not yet had contact with the Senators who authored the letter and I am not aware if Mr. Downey has either.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:24 Marcel Acosta
12:24
[Comment From Adam LAdam L: ]
I understand that we’re getting a (rather paltry) $150 million over 10 years for capital investment. However, we all know that is simply a drop in the bucket in comparison to the massive need. It seems ridiculous for the Federal government to spend million to expand the system with the Silver Line and then allow the agency to go belly-up as it is unable to cover its own operating expenses.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:24 Adam L
12:25
David Alpert:
Do you think it’s feasible to get even more support from Congress?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:25 David Alpert
12:26
Marcel Acosta:
Just for clarification, the investment is $150 million a year for ten years, or $1.5 billion.

Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:26 Marcel Acosta
12:28
Marcel Acosta:
Obviously, we can’t speak for Congress, but the letter from the Senators and the previous $1.5B federal capital contribution does demonstrate that the challenges facing WMATA are very much on the minds of our Congressional representatives.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:28 Marcel Acosta
12:28
David Alpert:
Let’s get back to fares.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:28 David Alpert
12:28
[Comment From JTSJTS: ]
Thanks for taking some time to be with us today. I remember GM Catoe lamenting the fact, as fares have not kept up with inflation, Metro is perpetually doing more with less. Would indexing fares to inflation or the cost of a basket of goods improve metro’s financial outlook? Thanks!
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:28 JTS
12:30
Marcel Acosta:
I think this is a reasonable suggestion for the Board to consider. However, I should point out that such a measure may result in more frequent fare increases in order to keep up with inflation and this is something that our customers may want to consider.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:30 Marcel Acosta
12:31
David Alpert:
OK, one last question about Metro, which will be another of yours: If you could make a single change at Metro, what would that be?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:31 David Alpert
12:36
Marcel Acosta:
To restore customer confidence in our system and to ensure a high quality, consistent customer experience. Metro is so critical to our region and to the federal government and we have to fix the problems that face us today.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:36 Marcel Acosta
12:36
David Alpert:
I agree!
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:36 David Alpert
12:36
David Alpert:
Let’s move on to NCPC. People had a lot of other regional planning questions and comments that came up yesterday.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:36 David Alpert
12:36
David Alpert:
First, I’ll try to embed a short video that the NCPC folks sent over.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:36 David Alpert
12:37
David Alpert:
It doesn’t seem to let me embed the video unless it’s from YouTube or certain other services. But you can click over to watch it here: http://www.ncpc.gov/Video/10thStreet60sec.html
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:37 David Alpert
12:38
David Alpert:
This video looks at some of NCPC’s planning efforts between the National Mall and the Southwest Waterfront.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:38 David Alpert
12:38
David Alpert:
Speaking of the Mall, people had some thoughts about that:
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:38 David Alpert
12:38
[Comment From MattMatt: ]
Take better care of downtown/national mall. It quite often looks a bit shabby; yet this is supposed to be the symbol of the richest, most powerful country on earth to thousands of tourists from overseas.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:38 Matt
12:38
[Comment From kidincrediblekidincredible: ]
The National Mall is rather embarrassing. It’s easy for us to forget, living in this area, that DC is our nation’s capital and it is a showcase to visitors from across the county and around the world. While DC deserves it’s autonomy for issues regarding it’s citizenry, the National Mall is really a national concern and should be taken care of better than it is.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:38 kidincredible
12:39
David Alpert:
What can NCPC do to help improve the conditions of the Mall?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:39 David Alpert
12:42
Marcel Acosta:
I agree that Americans deserve better for the country’s premiere civic gathering place. At NCPC, we are working with the National Park Service and other stakeholders on the National Mall Plan. The focus of this plan is to protect the important resources on the National Mall while accommodating the growing demand for the many uses of this important space.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:42 Marcel Acosta
12:42
Marcel Acosta:
The Commission will be reviewing the draft National Mall Plan at our meeting on March 4.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:42 Marcel Acosta
12:43
David Alpert:
Some have suggested creating a kind of Mall Commission that brings together all of the agencies that control parts of the Mall - NPS, the Architect of the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the National Gallery, etc. Do you think there’s enough coordination right now?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:43 David Alpert
12:46
What type of uses would you most like to see accommodated within federal buildings for use by the general public?

Restaurants

( 38% )
Merchandise retail

( 0% )
Professional services (e.g. dry cleaner)

( 19% )
Cultural venue (e.g. cinema, theater, resource cen

( 25% )
Housing

( 19% )

Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:46
12:46
Marcel Acosta:
Right now, there’s extraordinary coordination between all of the Mall’s stakeholders, including the District of Columbia and the general public. We’ve come a long way in recent years with the Mall Plan, our Monumental Core Framework Plan and most recently our Washington as Commemoration study. We’re working with National Park Service on the Commemoration initiative and actively seeking public participation in the process.

There is excellent collaboration among these agencies and we are committed for the long haul.

Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:46 Marcel Acosta
12:47
David Alpert:
A while back, Michael Perkins wrote a post about how the parking meters around the Mall are really cheap, but it’s also often impossible to find a space. Do you think federal agencies would have any interest in setting more market-rate prices for meters, making it more likely people can find spaces, and using the revenue to improve the Mall?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:47 David Alpert
12:51
Marcel Acosta:
The National Park Service is exploring the meter option as part of the Mall Plan. One idea would be to use that revenue to help fund improved transit services around the National Mall. NCPC has strongly encouraged enhanced transit services, including the Circulator, to and around the Mall and surrounding environs.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:51 Marcel Acosta
12:51
David Alpert:
Thanks. Before we talk about more NCPC stuff, I realize that many people don’t really know what NCPC does:
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:51 David Alpert
12:51
[Comment From Erik WErik W: ]
I am somewhat unfamiliar with the daily responsibilities of the NCPC, so perhaps you can clarify:
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:51 Erik W
12:52
[Comment From Erik WErik W: ]
Do you think that the NCPC is positioned to improve coordination and cooperation between the myriad federal and local entities which share jurisdiction over various portions of the district?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:52 Erik W
12:52
David Alpert:
Can you give a very brief summary of NCPC’s main responsibility for those less familiar?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:52 David Alpert
12:56
Marcel Acosta:
NCPC is the federal planning agency for the National Capital Region. As some of you may know, we review federal development proposals, prepare a federal capital improvements plan and a comprehensive plan for the region.

A significant part of our responsibility is to partner with our local and regional stakeholders on a number of planning initiatives and issues that affect people throughout the region.

Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:56 Marcel Acosta
12:56
David Alpert:
Thanks. OK, here’s the big question that many readers have been asking: Overhead wires.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:56 David Alpert
12:56
[Comment From ErikErik: ]
As part of the NCPC, what are your views on overhead wires for the new streetcars?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:56 Erik
12:57
David Alpert:
Do you feel that it’s going to be possible to work out an arrangement where DC can go ahead with wires on many parts of the L’Enfant City but protect key monumental viewsheds?
Tuesday February 23, 2010 12:57 David Alpert
1:01
David Alpert:
And readers: Don’t forget to vote in the poll before our chat ends, if you haven’t already.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:01 David Alpert
1:01
Marcel Acosta:
First, our Commission has been very supportive of mass transit choices, including the concept of a streetcar. We have been workingd closely with the District Department of Transportation to explore alternative technologies to overhead wires, including third rail power and batteries. DC successfully used streetcars without overhead wires when they were prohibited in the 1890s and we are confident that it can happen again today. This is not a new issue.

It would be great to showcase DC as a model in the U.S. and abroad and we will continue to work with DDOT to make this happen.

Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:01 Marcel Acosta
1:02
David Alpert:
Unfortunately, we are now out of time. Thanks so much for joining us!
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:02 David Alpert
1:02
David Alpert:
And thanks to all the readers who submitted questions! I’m sorry we couldn’t get to all of the interesting topics you brought up.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:02 David Alpert
1:03
David Alpert:
As you all head out, there’s one more video NCPC folks thought you might enjoy, about NCPC’s efforts to catalog all the memorials across DC: http://www.ncpc.gov/Video/Commemoration.html
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:03 David Alpert
1:03
Marcel Acosta:
Thanks for this opportunity. I thank all of the people who posted comments and I look forward to further conversation in the future.
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:03 Marcel Acosta
1:03
David Alpert:
Feel free to discuss your reactions to Mr. Acosta’s responses in the comments on the post. Thanks again!
Tuesday February 23, 2010 1:03 David Alpert
1:03

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Tagged: live chat, marcel acosta, ncpc, transit, wmata

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.