The currently-unused Addison Elementary School building, on P Street right off Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown, is returning to use as a Differentiated Learning Lab. The open space next to the building is now under construction.

A new playground, perhaps? Unfortunately, no—it’s a new parking lot. According to the owner of the salon next door, the area is getting 13 new parking spaces and some bus loading zones. I can’t find concrete information on who will be using the parking (probably teachers) or how many teachers the new building will hold.

Bus loading is important, of course, but building more parking in the center of Georgetown is foolish. The high-ridership, newly-revised 30s buses run a block away, as does the Circulator. One day there may be a Metro stop three blocks away. And surely outdoor recreation space, always at a premium in urban schools, would serve kids better.

What about the argument that teachers need to drive and free parking is a job perk? Let’s start by asking teachers if they’d rather have the approximately $24,000 cost of a parking space in additional salary and free Metro passes instead.

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Tagged: dc, excessive parking, georgetown, parking

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.