Development, for the most part, has been kind to Brookland. The Monroe Street Market project is bringing two bookstores, restaurants, a bar, a gym, and artist studios to a neighborhood that’s lacked in these things. Home prices have jumped in anticipation of these amenities.

But development threatened to claim a beloved victim in the neighborhood: green space. The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority planned a development adjacent to the Brookland Metro station that would have taken over the Brookland Green, a small field with mature trees. Neighbors launched a “Save the Brookland Green” petition, which received 377 signatures. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie came out against the plan to redevelop the minipark.

And now the city’s come up with a solution. Mayor Vince Gray and McDuffie just announced a plan to preserve the green space by trading unused parcels of city-owned land for the Brookland Green. The Green would become city land and would be preserved, and WMATA would develop the remaining land around the Metro station.

According to the mayor’s office, the city has reached an agreement in principle with WMATA but has not yet finalized which parcel or parcels will be traded for the Brookland Green.

“I welcome additional commercial amenities in the Brookland neighborhood; however, it is important that projects achieve an appropriate balance between development, and the preservation of a neighborhood’s character and historic features,” McDuffie said in a statement.

This post has been updated to include information from the mayor’s office.

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