Photo by NCinDC

Franklin Square is the largest federal park in downtown D.C., but it’s not really much to look at. Fortunately, the federal government and D.C. want to work together to make it a more inviting place—the Washington Business Journal reported yesterday that they’re seeking someone to spruce it up a bit:

The request for proposals issued Wednesday seeks a landscape architect, or team, to develop “innovative and bold improvements and programming recommendations to attract and serve park users.”

Franklin, per the RFP, has the potential to be “one of our nation’s premier urban parks,” along the lines of Madison and Union Square in New York City. It should provide multiple active and passive recreational opportunities, amenities such as restrooms, food and flexible seating, and it should be framed by an enhanced streetscape. The RFP doesn’t suggest how much this work will cost.

It’s been decades since any work was done on the 4.79-acre park bounded by K and I Streets and 13th and 14th Streets NW, and is mostly used as a place where homeless residents congregate.