§616. Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Bicentennial Civic Center
(a) Development, construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities for conventions, exhibitions, meetings, and other social, cultural, and business activities; location
In order to provide for the District of Columbia facilities for the holding of conventions, exhibitions, meetings, and other social, cultural, and business activities, the Mayor of the District of Columbia (hereinafter, "Mayor") is authorized to provide for the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of the civic center to be designated as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Bicentennial Civic Center on a site in the Northwest section of the District of Columbia within an area bounded by Eighth Street, H Street, Tenth Street, New York Avenue, and K Street.
(b) Plan, design, and costs of civic center; administrative approval and review; filing plats showing opening, extension, widening, or closing of streets, roads, highways, and alleys
(1) Such civic center shall be in accordance with a plan, indicating the design and estimated costs, approved by the Mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia, and approved by the National Capital Planning Commission pursuant to section 71d of this title and section 16 of the Act approved June 20, 1938, and reviewed by the Commissioner of Fine Arts to the extent required by section 121 of this title.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 12 of the District of Columbia Redevelopment Act of 1945, as amended, the urban renewal plan, approved pursuant to section 6(b)(2) of such Act, for an urban renewal area in which the civic center is located shall be deemed to be modified by the plan approved pursuant to this subsection and the National Capital Planning Commission shall certify such urban renewal plan, as modified, to the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency.
(3) In the development of the civic center in accordance with the plan approved pursuant to this subsection, the Mayor, notwithstanding any other provision of law, may open, extend, widen, or close any street, road, highway, or alley, or part thereof, by the filing of a plat or plats in the Office of the Surveyor of the District of Columbia showing such opening, extension, widening, or closing.
(c) Land acquisition
The Mayor shall acquire by purchase, gift, condemnation, or otherwise, all real property necessary to provide for the civic center.
(d) Contract authority; leases: term, nominal rental; purchase contracts: payment term, vesting of title in the District of Columbia, application of installment payments to purchase price, provisions securing performance of obligations, amortization, interest rate, reimbursement of contractors for certain costs, and Congressional committee approval of design, plans, and specifications
(1) The Mayor is authorized to enter into purchase contracts, including negotiated contracts, for the financing, design, construction, and maintenance of the civic center. The Mayor is further authorized to lease the site described in subsection (a) of this section at a nominal rental for a period of not more than thirty-five years. The payment term of said purchase contracts shall not be more than thirty years from the date of acceptance of the civic center and such purchase contracts shall provide that title to the civic center shall vest in the District of Columbia at or before the expiration of the contract term and upon fulfillment of the terms and conditions stipulated in the purchase contracts. Such terms and conditions shall include provision for the application to the purchase price agreed upon therein of installment payments made thereunder.
(2) Such purchase contracts shall include such provisions as the Mayor, in his discretion, shall deem to be in the best interest of the District of Columbia and appropriate to secure the performance of the obligations imposed upon the party or parties that shall enter into such agreement with the Mayor. The purchase contracts shall provide for payments to be made to-
(A) amortize the cost of site acquisition, including relocation payments required by the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 [42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.], and such other moneys as may be advanced by the contractors to the District of Columbia;
(B) amortize the cost of construction of improvements to be constructed;
(C) provide a reasonable rate of interest on the outstanding principal as determined under subparagraphs (A) and (B) above; and
(D) reimburse the contractors for the cost of any other obligations required of them under the contract, including (but not limited to) payment of taxes, costs of carrying appropriate insurance, and costs of repair and maintenance if so required of the contractors.
(3) For the purpose of the purchase contracts provided by this subsection for the erection of the civic center, the Mayor is authorized to enter into agreements with any person, copartnership, corporation, or other public or private entity to effectuate any of the purposes of this subsection.
(4) No purchase contract for the construction of such civic center shall be entered into, pursuant to the authority of this section, until thirty legislative days following submittal to and approval by the Senate and House Committees for the District of Columbia, and the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations, of the design, plans, and specifications, including detailed cost estimates, of such civic center.
(e) Full faith and credit of the District of Columbia
The full faith and credit of the Government of the District of Columbia is hereby committed to guarantee, upon such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Mayor, the fulfillment of all obligations imposed by the provision of this section.
(f) Gifts, services, securities, and other property: acceptance and administration; operation of civic center: District of Columbia or other entity; contractual operation: terms and conditions, employment of Federal, District of Columbia, and voluntary personnel
(1) The Mayor is authorized to accept and administer gifts, personal services, securities, or other property of whatever character to aid in carrying out the purposes of this section.
(2) The Mayor is further authorized to provide for the operation of any or all aspects of the civic center by any department or agency of the Government of the District of Columbia, or may provide for the performance of such operations, including the use or rental of the civic center or its equipment, motor vehicle parking facilities, concessions, and other activities, by contract entered into with any person, copartnership, corporation, or other public or private entity, upon such terms and conditions as may be stipulated in the agreements, and for such purposes may utilize or employ the services of personnel of any agency or instrumentality of the United States or the District of Columbia, with the consent of such agency or instrumentality, upon a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, and may utilize voluntary or uncompensated personnel.
(
References in Text
The Act approved June 20, 1938, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is act June 20, 1938, ch. 534,
The District of Columbia Redevelopment Act of 1945, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is act Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 736,
The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, referred to in subsec. (d)(2)(A), is
Effective Date
Section 41(a) of
Transfer of Functions
Office of Commissioner of District of Columbia, as established by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1967, abolished as of noon Jan. 2, 1975, by
"Council of the District of Columbia" substituted in text for "District of Columbia Council" pursuant to section 401 of
Abolition of Committees on the District of Columbia
Committee on the District of Columbia of Senate abolished and its jurisdiction given to Committee on Governmental Affairs of Senate, effective Feb. 11, 1977. See Rules XXV of Standing Rules of Senate, as amended by Senate Resolution 4 (popularly cited as the "Committee System Reorganization Amendments of 1977"), approved Feb. 4, 1977.
Committee on the District of Columbia of House of Representatives abolished by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Jan. 4, 1995. References to Committee on the District of Columbia treated as referring to Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of House of Representatives, see section 1(b) of
Congressional Findings and Declaration
Section 2 of
"(1) it is essential to the social and economic development of the District of Columbia to establish major centers of commercial and economic activity within the city;
"(2) such a center of activity would result from the development of a civic center located in the downtown area of the District of Columbia;
"(3) a civic center would (A) attract large numbers of visitors to the downtown area and result in increased business activity in the area surrounding the center; (B) enable national organizations to hold their conventions and other meetings in the District of Columbia and thereby encourage citizens from the entire Nation to visit their Capital City; (C) provide a new source of revenue for the District of Columbia as a consequence of its operations and the expanded commercial activities resulting therefrom; and (D) provide expanded employment opportunities for residents of the District of Columbia;
"(4) it is fitting that said civic center be established as a memorial to the late President, Dwight D. Eisenhower;
"(5) the prompt provision of major convention facilities in the District of Columbia will significantly contribute to the commemoration of the Nation's bicentennial year; and
"(6) the powers conferred by this Act [