The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda announced Friday it has selected a master plan that could see the population of its campus grow by about 3,000 employees.
The full decision, referred to as the “Selected Alternative”, was posted on the Federal Register.
The plan guides the future development of the site over the next 20 years, including construction of new buildings and open space, and analyzes the effect on local traffic and neighborhoods.
“The primary growth at the campus would be in intramural research personnel and the administrative and facility staff to support them,” wrote NIH officials in the decision summary. “The majority, if not all, of the employees would be coming from off-site facilities and are already employees, or contractors, of NIH.”
The decision notes the possible impact on local transportation, a particular concern given the already congested nature of the roads surrounding the Bethesda campus, especially during rush hour. NIH estimated that the additional employees would create a 3 percent increase in local traffic.
“Furthermore, by the time the capital improvements contemplated under the Selected Alternative are in place, mass transit development such as the Purple Line and Bus Rapid Transit might well be in place, thereby offsetting the 3 percent congestion,” NIH officials wrote.
Parking at the facility would be increased by one parking spot per three additional staff, NIH said.
