District of Columbia Administrative Code

1718 FNS-2.8 KENILWORTH-PARKSIDE 1718.1 The upper reaches of the Anacostia River’s eastern shore include the communities of Kenilworth-Parkside, Mayfair Mansions, and Eastland Gardens. This area also includes Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Park, the Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Are…

1800 OVERVIEW 1800.1 The Far Southeast/Southwest Planning Area encompasses 10.1 square miles east of the Anacostia Freeway and south of Good Hope Road SE/Naylor Road SE. The Planning Area includes neighborhoods such as Historic Anacostia, Congress Heights, Hillsdale, Woodland, Fo…

1801 HISTORY 1801.1 In 1662, the first land grant in the Washington area was made to George Thompson on land along the east bank of the Potomac River, extending from Blue Plains to what is now the St. Elizabeths Campus. The land was farmed as a tobacco plantation until 1862. In 1…

1802 LAND USE 1802.1 Statistics on existing land use are estimated from current lot-by-lot property tax data together with additional information on housing units, employment, District and federal land ownership, parks, roads, and water bodies. They are not comparable to the stat…

1803 DEMOGRAPHICS 1803.1 Figure 18.2 shows basic demographic data for Far Southeast/Southwest. According to the U.S. Census ACS data from 2017, the Planning Area had a population of 76,047, or 11 percent of the District-wide total. The area lost five to 10 percent of its populati…

1804 HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS 1804.1 As of 2017, Far Southeast/Southwest had about 30,266 housing units. About 14 percent of these units were vacant, which is higher than the District-wide total of 9.9 percent. Compared to the rest of Washington, DC, the Planning Area has an abund…

1805 INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT 1805.1 Information provided by the District Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the Office of Planning (OP) shows that there were 19,819 jobs in Far Southeast/Southwest in 2017. Most are in the educational services and health care fields. As of…

1806 PROJECTIONS 1806.1 Based on land availability, recent development activity, planning policies, and regional growth trends, significant growth is expected during the next 20 years. The Planning Area is expected to grow from about 26,616 households in 2015 to 36,774 households…

1807 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES. 1807.1 This section summarizes the opportunities and challenges residents and stakeholders prioritized during the 2006 Comprehensive Plan revision. During large community workshops, residents shared their feedback on District-wide and nei…

1808 FSS-1.1 GUIDING GROWTH AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION 1808.1 The following general policies and actions should guide growth and neighborhood conservation decisions in Far Southeast/Southwest. These policies and actions should be considered in tandem with those in the Citywide…

1809 FSS-1.2 CONSERVING AND ENHANCING COMMUNITY RESOURCES 1809.1 Policy FSS-1.2.1: Health Care Facilities Sustain and support capacity and equity in existing health care facilities in Far Southeast/Southwest and develop additional health care and social service facilities to resp…

1810 FSS-2 POLICY FOCUS AREAS 1810.1 The Comprehensive Plan has identified seven areas in Far Southeast/Southwest as Policy Focus Areas, indicating that they require a level of direction and guidance above that in the prior section of this Area Element and in the Citywide Element…

1811 FSS-2.1 HISTORIC ANACOSTIA 1811.1 Since the 1980s, much of the planning activity in Wards 7 and 8 has focused on Historic Anacostia. The area always has had symbolic importance because it is the oldest area of continuous settlement east of the river and the gateway to neighb…

1812 FSS-2.2 ST. ELIZABETHS CAMPUS 1812.1 The St. Elizabeths East Campus contains 336 acres and is one of the most historically significant and strategically located properties in all of Washington, DC. It is divided into a 154-acre East Campus, which is under District control, a…

1813 FSS-2.3 BARRY FARM, HILLSDALE, AND FORT STANTON 1813.1 The neighborhoods of Barry Farm, Hillsdale, and Fort Stanton are sandwiched between Historic Anacostia on the north and the St. Elizabeths Campus and Suitland Parkway on the south. While these three neighborhoods are cur…

1814 FSS-2.4 CONGRESS HEIGHTS METRO STATION 1814.1 The Congress Heights Metro station is the last station on the Metro Green Line before leaving Washington, DC. The station is about five acres in size and consists of a surface parking lot and subway entrance. Its location on the …

1815 FSS-2.5 CONGRESS HEIGHTS COMMERCIAL DISTRICT 1815.1 This Policy Focus Area extends along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE from the edge of the St. Elizabeths Campus south to the intersection of South Capitol Street SE. Land uses are mostly commercial between St. Elizabeths …

1816 FSS-2.6 BELLEVUE/WASHINGTON HIGHLANDS 1816.1 The Bellevue commercial district includes several blocks around the intersection of South Capitol and Atlantic Streets SE. The area is a traditional neighborhood center, including small retailers, a bank, food and liquor stores, a…

1817 FSS-2.7 DC VILLAGE 1817.1 The 167-acre DC Village tract lies between Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE and I-295, east of the Blue Plains Wastewater Plant, just south of Bellevue. The site houses an eclectic mix of District operations, including training facilities for the p…

1900 OVERVIEW 1900.1 The Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area encompasses three square miles of land located along both sides of the Anacostia River in the southwest and southeast quadrants of Washington, DC. The boundaries include the I-395 Freeway to the nort…

1901 HISTORY 1901.1 The Anacostia watershed contains lush habitat and diverse ecosystems, which in pre- colonial times supported the Nacotchtank Native Americans, whose name, when Anglicized, eventually became Anacostia. In the early years of European settlement, the river was kn…

1902 LAND USE 1902.1 Land use statistics for the Anacostia Waterfront Planning Area appear in Figure 19.1. The area includes 1,884 acres of land and 1,295 acres of water. The Planning Area represents about five percent of the District’s land area. Statistics on existing land use …

1903 DEMOGRAPHICS 1903.1 Basic demographic data for the Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area is shown in Figure 19.2. In 2017, the area had a population of 18,125. Between 2000 and 2017, the population increased by about 3,996. 1903.2 As of 2017, just under 52 …

1904 HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS 1904.1 A majority of the housing stock in the Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area is contained in multi-family buildings. In 2017, about 71 percent of the housing stock was located in buildings with 20 or more units, which is more …

1905 INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT 1905.1 According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2017 data, the median household income in 2017 for the Planning Area was $72,904, a 117 percent increase from $35,516 in 2000. Data from the District Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the Office of P…

1906 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES 1906.1 This section summarizes the opportunities and challenges residents and stakeholders prioritized during the 2006 Comprehensive Plan revision. During large community workshops, residents shared their feedback on District-wide and neig…

1907 AW-1.1 GUIDING GROWTH AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION 1907.1 The following general policies and actions should guide growth and neighborhood conservation decisions in the Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area. These policies and actions should be considered i…

1908 AW-1.2 CONSERVING AND ENHANCING COMMUNITY RESOURCES 1908.1 Policy AW-1.2.1: Historic and Cultural Waterfront Assets Capitalize on the historic and cultural assets located near the Lower Waterfront, such as the Washington Navy Yard and Fort McNair. Public education about thes…

1909 AW-2 POLICY FOCUS AREAS 1909.1 The Comprehensive Plan has identified six areas in the Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area as Policy Focus Areas, meaning that they require a level of direction and guidance above that in the prior section of this Area Eleme…

1910 AW-2.1 SOUTHWEST WATERFRONT 1910.1 The Southwest Waterfront is a 45-acre area along the Washington Channel, stretching three-quarters of a mile along Maine Avenue from the Tidal Basin to Fort McNair. The area includes the Washington Fish Market, portions of East Potomac Park…

1911 AW-2.2 SOUTH CAPITOL STREET 1911.1 South Capitol Street is one of the District’s four principal axes and marks the division between the District’s southeast and southwest quadrants. It is an important part of the regional highway system, with traffic volumes of approximately…

1912 AW-2.3 NEAR SOUTHEAST/CAPITOL RIVERFRONT 1912.1 Near Southeast/Capitol Riverfront includes the triangular area between I-695 and the Southeast Boulevard SE, South Capitol Street, and the Anacostia River. This 350-acre area has played an important role in the history of Washi…

1913 AW-2.4 POPLAR POINT 1913.1 Poplar Point encompasses the area on the east side of the Anacostia River bounded by South Capitol Street SW, I-295, and the 11th Street Bridge. The area contains U.S. Park Police and NPS facilities, the former Architect of the Capitol (AOC) nurser…

1914 AW-2.5 SOUTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD 1914.1 For nearly 50 years, the Southwest neighborhood has been a quiet, tucked away neighborhood of almost 12,000 residents. The product of urban renewal interventions of the 1950s and 1960s, the predominantly residential enclave is unlike any …

1915 AW-2.6 BUZZARD POINT 1915.1 Buzzard Point is located at the confluence of the Potomac and the Anacostia rivers, roughly one mile south of the U.S. Capitol building. Buzzard Point is bounded by the existing Southwest residential area to the north, the Anacostia River to the s…

200 OVERVIEW 200.1 Framework Element The Framework Element of the Comprehensive Plan serves four purposes. 200.2 First, it provides the context for the rest of the Plan by describing the forces driving change in the city. These forces include demographic shifts, economic change, …

201 THE FORCES DRIVING CHANGE 201.1 The sections below describe the forces driving change in the District of Columbia and outline the implications of these forces for the District's future. The Comprehensive Plan seeks to address these implications for the District to become a mo…

202 THE DISTRICT AND THE REGION 202.1 Since 2006, the District has re-established its position at the center of an economically dynamic metropolitan area. Rapid growth in population and jobs has made the District one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States, follo…

203 DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES 203.1 The District is an attractive place to live and work, as evidenced by recent population growth. Since 2006, the District grew by over 123,000 (21.6 percent) to an estimated population of 693,972 in 2017. This growth sharply contrasts with the loss of…

204 ECONOMIC CHANGES 204.1 On the surface, Washington's economic picture is the envy of most cities. There are more jobs than residents, and nearly three times more jobs than households. Job growth, important for the city's economic vitality, has continued throughout this century…

205 LAND USE CHANGES 205.1 In terms of land area, at 61 square miles Washington is not a large city. It is half the size of Denver or Philadelphia, and one-fifth the size of Dallas or San Diego. It is hemmed in by adjacent cities and states and cannot grow through annexation. In …

206 HOUSING COST CHANGES 206.1 The rising cost of housing is one of the most pressing and critical issues facing the District and the region. To achieve our goal of an inclusive city, we must meet the challenge of providing housing for a variety of household types, including fami…

207 MOBILITY AND ACCESS CHANGES 207.1 The Washington region faces significant transportation challenges. While road congestion remains a top issue for many in the region, District residents, commuters, and visitors also experience issues with transit capacity and reliability, as …

208 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES 208.1 The District of Columbia was sited to take advantage of the unique environment and landscape at the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Urbanization over the last 200 years has compromised almost every aspect of this environment, leavin…

209 TECHNOLOGY CHANGES 209.1 Technology is rapidly changing how we live, work, and travel and it will continue to shape the District in unexpected ways. Since the 1980s, telecommuting has changed travel patterns, on-line purchases have changed retailing, and e-mail has changed th…

210 SECURITY CHANGES 210.1 Security is not a new concern or challenge in the District of Columbia. As a capital city, we are used to a heightened level of risk and the visibility of extra security personnel. The city 's public spaces, such as the National Mall, routinely attract …

211 FISCAL CHANGES 211.1 When the District received limited Home Rule in 1973, it incurred a variety of cost burdens, including the responsibility for providing many services that are typically provided by states. Revenue restrictions also were imposed, including the inability to…

212 GLOBAL CITY, LOCAL CITY 212.1 One of the most obvious forces influencing planning in the District is the city's dual role as a world capital and a residential community. There is the Washington of lore, the city of inaugural parades, museums, and monuments - the place that sc…

213 PLANNING FOR RESILIENCE AND EQUITY 213.1 The second Plan amendment cycle incorporates resilience and equity as new crosscutting themes through which to plan for the District's future, referencing the 2019 Resilient DC plan and other related documents. 213.2 Resilience in the …

214 LOOKING FORWARD: GROWTH FORECASTS 214.1 The forces driving change described in the previous sections suggest a different future for the District of Columbia than was imagined when the 1984 Comprehensive Plan was drafted. The 1984 Plan sought to prepare the city and neighborho…