Book Hill Park Community Meeting

There will be a community meeting at Georgetown Neighborhood Library (3260 R Street NW) on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

The purpose of the meeting is to update the public on the status of the planning for the Book Hill renovation project. Please RSVP here.

The Department of Parks and Recreation hosted a community meeting in October to discuss the next steps in the project to improve Book Hill Park. The meeting was attended by about twenty members of the public, most of whom are either involved with the Friends of Book Hill Park or live nearby. The presentation, included below, described some of the elements that the planners are considering for the project. 

The project as proposed includes both repairs to the existing infrastructure and the addition of new features. The most eye-catching of the proposed additions was the idea of a new terrace. The proposed new terrace would be in one of three locations:

At the top of the hill:

In the middle of the hill:

Or at the bottom of the hill:

The idea was generally to create a new space for people to enter into the park and enjoy the hillside view without having to tramp across a steep grassy lawn. The audience in the room was not terribly enthusiastic for this idea, especially the middle of the hill option. Option C, the plaza right above the bottom plaza, received the most support of the three. But the audience was much more interested in other additions instead.

Most of all, the Friends of Book Hill Park wants a new water spigot towards the bottom of the hill. The city reps explained that that could end up being hugely costly, which might require some sort of a public-private partnership to accomplish. But they will prioritize it and evaluate its feasibiiity.

A final element that many in the room felt strongly about was the addition of lighting to the stairs. The planners had suggested it, but stated that the lights would likely turn off around 9 pm daily. Some in the community requested that they be on all night. Curious, I took a walk down the (currently unlit) stairs after the meeting, and I have to agree. They are basically unusable at night without lights. I could hardly make each step out, even with plenty of nearby streetlights.

As for the timeline, this is what the DPR reps estimate:

If you have any comments on the proposal, email Christopher Dyer at Christopher.Dyer@dc.gov