Update: WMATA Summer Shutdown, Potomac Yard Metro Station

The following is a message from PG’s HOA president, Ron Lafond:

“Dear Potomac Greens Homeowners and Residents —

As you are hopefully aware by now, on Saturday, May 25, the six Blue and Yellow Line WMATA Metrorail Stations south of Reagan National Airport, including Braddock Road and King Street / Old Town Stations, closed for the duration of the summer for full platform reconstruction and station improvement efforts. The current schedule estimates that this shutdown will continue through at least Sunday, September 8, 2019.

We have heard from many of you recommending potential alternate weekday shuttle drop-off and pick-up locations at either DCA, Crystal City, and/or Pentagon City. For a variety of logistical, safety, and permitting reasons, the bottom line is that there does not appear to be any workable location other than continuing our current drop-off and pick-up schedule to / from Braddock Road. Much like during the WMATA SafeTrack maintenance surge work during the summer of 2016, the least disruptive option will be to have the shuttle bus continue to circle between our community and Braddock Road Metrorail Station, where our residents can take WMATA shuttles or buses (including the Yellow Line Shuttle and MetroWay), Alexandria DASH Buses, or other options.

Here are some resources for you to utilize to plan out your commute for the summer while the Yellow and Blue Lines are shut down south of DCA:

For most of you heading north into the City or Arlington in the morning, the least bad options will be to take the blue MetroWay buses from Braddock Road Metro (or from the intersection of N. Fayette and First Streets, next to the Meridian at Braddock Station apartment complex, catty-corner southwest from the parking lot of the McDonald’s at 1000 N. Henry Street; you may ask the shuttle bus driver to depot you at that location) to Crystal City Metro; the Yellow Line Shuttle to Crystal City Metro; the MetroBus 10A and 10E to the Pentagon; or the Alexandria DASH AT3 or AT4 to the Pentagon. Those of you working at L’Enfant Plaza or thereabouts in the District may want to instead consider taking the VRE from King Street to L’Enfant Plaza.

This is going to be an unpleasant experience, the first of many months of transition as this project is underway and the construction of the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station begins. We ask for your patience and understanding as we all try and get through this, that you look out for each other, and make the best of this experience. If after the first week the situation is clearly untenable, we encourage those of you that rely on the shuttle to work with each other, the Board, and the community to identify other potential solutions. Please do remember that we have to make decisions with two other homeowners’ associations, the shuttle vendor, and local government agencies and cannot make unilateral decisions regarding the shuttle route. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t end up being as bad as expected.

WMATA / PG HOA Settlement Update: As previously announced, the PG HOA Board of Directors finalized a settlement with WMATA regarding an easement for the PG traffic circle for duration of the WMATA Potomac Yard Metrorail Station construction. Please see https://potomacgreenshoa.sentrywebsites.com/traffic-circle-settlement-order/ for more info. On Friday, May 17, the US District Court Clerk’s Office cut a check for $73,778.73 to the Association attorneys, and that check was delivered to us last Tuesday, May 21. As discussed at our last Board meeting, on May 16, the Board will soon be announcing a special meeting during the summer to obtain community input on what should be done with these monies. The Board will follow the procedures outlined in the Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions of Potomac Greens to properly dedicate these funds. More details will be forthcoming.

As of today, May 27, 2019, we have not heard any news from WMATA regarding when the Circle will be surveyed nor when they expect to demolish it. We will update you as we hear any news.

I hope you and your families are enjoying a nice Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to those of you in our community who serve, have served, or have family members who serve or have served, especially those that gave the last full measure of devotion for our country and freedoms.

Best —
Ron”