Articles
Beyer, Bike Advocates Press for Answers on East Potomac Park Overhaul
Washington,
September 24, 2026
Originally published in City Cast DC
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia), leaders from the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and local advocates gathered at Hains Point on Thursday to raise concerns that the Trump administration’s proposed overhaul of East Potomac Park could affect not just golfers but cyclists, pedestrians and other visitors to the park. They also criticized the administration for offering almost no details, saying that months after the overhaul was announced they still have little information about the final design or whether Ohio Drive, the popular loop around Hains Point, will remain intact. “There is no transparency,” said WABA Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker. Added Becky Lambros, deputy race director of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run: “Nobody seems to know what the plans are for our city.” The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment. In May, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum publicly unveiled a Fazio Design rendering for the redevelopment that showed an 18-hole course stretching up to 7,660 yards, a nine-hole par-three course and a revamped driving range. That rendering also appeared to preserve a bike trail around the course. Burgum said the revamped facility would offer local residents “championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates.” But advocates say photos taken during President Donald Trump’s tour of the course in late June appeared to show a different layout, with the golf course extending toward the waterfront and no clear Ohio Drive loop around portions of Hains Point. A July 30 letter from Beyer and 46 other Democratic lawmakers similarly said the photographed rendering appeared significantly more expansive than the design Burgum had previously released and asked the administration whether walking and biking routes would be preserved. Kiker stressed Thursday that advocates have not been told that Ohio Drive will actually disappear. “They haven’t said they’re taking away the road,” Kiker said. “But that’s why we’re here. That’s what we fear.” Beyer told City Cast DC on Thursday that the Interior Department has not responded to the July letter, which also asked the administration to detail the project’s cost, projected golf prices and plans for complying with historic-preservation requirements. The lawmakers noted that East Potomac currently offers greens fees as low as $17 and raised concerns that prices modeled on other championship-level public courses could be higher. Beyer said he isn’t opposed to improving the park or golf course but wants the administration to involve the people who already use it. “The very first thing you do is engage with the community,” he said. “Otherwise, it doesn’t work.” While lawmakers are not currently pursuing legislation targeting the East Potomac project, he said he hopes additional congressional pressure — including from Republicans — could push the administration to provide more information and work with stakeholders. The broader project remains the subject of a lawsuit brought by the D.C. Preservation League and D.C. residents Dave Roberts and Alex Dickson. Lawyers for the administration said in court earlier this month that no new design was being implemented and that a larger redevelopment would first have to undergo environmental, historic-preservation and federal planning reviews. Thursday’s event came just weeks after the National Park Service confirmed that it had removed 150 trees from East Potomac Park, setting off alarms among activists already concerned about the redevelopment. The administration told a federal judge that 77 of those trees were invasive and 73 were dead, dying or hazardous, and said the removal was routine maintenance unrelated to the larger redesign. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who is overseeing the case, declined to intervene. Meanwhile, WABA is continuing its campaign around Hains Point. Kiker said WABA plans to submit an amicus brief in the lawsuit outlining how the proposed changes could affect cyclists and other park users. WABA is also holding another “Hains Point Hoopla” rally on Oct. 4, calling for the park to remain accessible to a range of recreational users. |
