District of Columbia Administrative Code

2500 OVERVIEW 2500.1 The Implementation Element describes how the policies and actions in the Comprehensive Plan should be carried out. The element provides recommendations on improving the long-range planning process, enhancing links between the Comprehensive Plan and the Capita…

2501 IM-1 ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLANNING PROCESS 2501.1 This section of the Implementation Element addresses the manner in which land use planning policies are interpreted and applied on a day-to-day basis. This includes the development review, small area planning, zoning, long-r…

2502 IM-1.1 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 2502.1 The development review process provides one of the most effective means of carrying out Comprehensive Plan policies. Projects requiring review by the Office of Planning or Zoning staff, the Board of Zoning Adjustment, and the Zoning Commissio…

2503 IM-1.2 SMALL AREA PLANNING 2503.1 Small Area Plans cover defined geographic areas that require more focused direction than can be provided by the Comprehensive Plan. The intent of such plans is to guide long-range development, improve neighborhoods, achieve District-wide goa…

2504 IM-1.3 ZONING REGULATIONS AND CONSISTENCY 2504.1 The importance of zoning as a tool for implementing the Comprehensive Plan, particularly the Future Land Use Map, is discussed in several places in the Comprehensive Plan. The Home Rule Charter requires that zoning “shall not …

2505 IM-1.4 LONG-RANGE PLANNING 2505.1 A long-range planning program is essential to implementing and maintaining the Comprehensive Plan, monitoring its effectiveness, and collecting and analyzing data to guide land use decisions. Other sections of the Comprehensive Plan speak to…

2507 IM-2.1 LINK TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING 2507.1 This section addresses the need to strengthen the links between the Comprehensive Plan and the capital improvement and zoning processes. The CIP is a multi-year plan identifying capital projects to be funded during the plann…

2508 IM-2.2 RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO ZONING REGULATIONS 2508.1 As noted in Section IM-1.3, zoning regulations are a primary vehicle for implementing the Comprehensive Plan. The responsibility for zoning in Washington, DC rests with the Zoning Commission. The Commission must give gr…

2509 IM-3 MONITORING, EVALUATING, AND AMENDING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2509.1 This section describes how and when monitoring and evaluation of the Comprehensive Plan should occur and how regular reporting can foster more accountability and openness in the Comprehensive Planning pr…

2510 IM-3.1 MONITORING AND EVALUATING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IMPLEMENTATION 2510.1 The District needs to be able to measure successes and challenges in Comprehensive Plan implementation. Working with the Office of Budget and Performance Management (OBPM), OP should make available to …

2511 IM-3.2 UPDATING AND AMENDING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 2511.1 District law calls for the Comprehensive Plan to be amended not less frequently than once every four years. That target has not consistently been achieved. In addition, when the amendment process did occur, it has ta…

2512 IM-3.2.1 THE AMENDMENT TIMELINE 2512.1 It is recommended that the Comprehensive Plan be amended at least every four years and that a major revision or update of the Comprehensive Plan be completed every 12 years. The review of the practices of other major cities completed as…

2513 IM-3.3 ACTION PLANNING 2513.1 This section rolls up all the actions included in the text of the Comprehensive Plan into an overall Action Plan (Table 25.1). The Action Plan includes: The District agencies or other bodies that have the responsibilities for carrying out each C…

2514 IM-3.4 COMMERCIAL LINKAGE 2514.1 The housing linkage objective requires applicants who obtain an increase of non-residential square footage -- as a result of providing habitable non-residential penthouse space, of obtaining a discretionary street or alley closing, or of obta…

2515 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

2516 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

2517 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

2518 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

2519 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

2520 [REPEALED] SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (…

300 OVERVIEW 300.1 The Land Use Element is the cornerstone of the Comprehensive Plan. It establishes the basic policies guiding the physical form of the District, and provides direction on a range of development, preservation, and land-use compatibility issues. The element descri…

301 LAND USE PROFILE OF WASHINGTON, DC 301.1 The District of Columbia comprises 69 square miles, including approximately eight square miles of water and 61 square miles of land. Land use patterns, illustrated in Map 3.1, reveal an expansive District core of about four-square mile…

302 LAND USE GOAL 302.1 Ensure the efficient use of land resources to meet long-term neighborhood, District-wide, and regional needs to help foster other District goals; to protect the health, safety, and welfare of District residents, institutions, and businesses; to address pas…

303 LU-1 SHAPING WASHINGTON, DC 303.1 This section of the Land Use Element describes the desired pattern of growth and development in the District. Its focus is on the specific areas or types of areas where change is most likely to take place. The section begins with information …

304 LU-1.1 SUPPORTING GROWTH 304.1 Washington, DC has been experiencing a shift in growth over the past decade. This growth has occurred in a variety of forms: land development, income, economic strength, population, and innovation. Previous planning efforts focused on retaining …

305 LU-1.2 STRENGTHENING THE CORE 305.1 Key to the Comprehensive Plan is the transformation of Washington, DC’s core (generally referred to throughout the Comprehensive Plan as Central Washington) into a lively, connected urban center. The Central Business District and the Centra…

306 LU-1.3 LARGE SITES AND THE DISTRICT FABRIC 306.1 During the next 20 years, about 15 percent of Washington, DC’s housing growth and 10 percent of its job growth will take place on 11 large sites outside of the CEA. The large sites include properties in federal ownership, Distr…

307 LU-1.4 TRANSIT-ORIENTED AND CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT 307.1 Over the last five decades, Washington, DC, the federal government, and neighboring jurisdictions have invested billions of dollars in a mass transit system that effectively connects residents in many parts of the Distric…

308 LU-1.5 NEIGHBORHOOD INFILL DEVELOPMENT 308.1 Hundreds of small vacant lots across Washington, DC are located away from transit stations and off the major boulevards. Analysis conducted through the Comprehensive Plan revision determined that vacant, residentially zoned lots to…

309 LU-2 CREATING AND MAINTAINING INCLUSIVE NEIGHBORHOODS 309.1 This section of the Land Use Element focuses on land use issues within Washington, DC’s neighborhoods. It begins with a set of broad policies, which state the District’s commitment to sustaining neighborhood diversit…

310 LU-2.1 A DISTRICT OF NEIGHBORHOODS 310.1 The same effort given to keep Washington, DC’s monumental core a symbol of national pride must be given to the District’s neighborhoods. After all, Washington, DC’s public image is defined as much by the diversity and vibrancy of its c…

311 LU-2.2 MAINTAINING COMMUNITY STANDARDS 311.1 Community standards encompasses a broad range of topics relating to the physical appearance and quality of neighborhoods. The District maintains planning, building, housing, zoning, environmental, tax, and other regulations and cod…

312 LU-2.3 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE COMPATIBILITY 312.1 Many of Washington, DC’s neighborhoods were developed before 1920 when its first zoning regulations were applied. As a result, the older neighborhoods tend to have a patchwork pattern of land uses, with business and residential …

313 LU-2.4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS AND CENTERS 313.1 Commercial uses and local public facilities are an essential part of the District’s neighborhoods. Many of these uses are clustered in well-defined centers that serve as the heart of the neighborhood. These areas supp…

314 LU-3 BALANCING COMPETING DEMANDS FOR LAND 314.1 This section of the Land Use Element addresses five specific activities that require a greater level of direction than can be covered in the neighborhood policies listed and described in the previous sections. These activities a…

315 LU-3.1 PUBLIC WORKS AND PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND REPAIR (PDR) LAND USES 315.1 Approximately 333 acres of land in Washington, DC are zoned for industrial uses. PDR areas support a variety of uses, many of which are essential to the delivery of municipal services or are pa…

316 LU-3.2 TAKING A HARD LOOK AT THE DISTRICT’S INDUSTRIAL LANDS 316.1 The 2005-2006 Industrial Land Use Study classified DC’s industrially zoned lands into four categories: Areas for retention and reinforcement have healthy PDR uses and have good prospects for hosting such uses …

317 LU-3.3 INSTITUTIONAL USES 317.1 Institutional uses occupy almost 2,300 acres—an area larger than all of Washington, DC’s retail, office, and hotel uses combined. These uses include colleges and universities, private schools, childcare facilities, places of worship and other r…

318 LU-3.4 FOREIGN MISSIONS 318.1 There are more than 170 countries across the globe with foreign missions in Washington, DC. These missions assist the U.S. government in maintaining positive diplomatic relations with the international community. By international treaty, the U.S.…

319 LU-3.5 FEDERAL FACILITIES 319.1 When streets and highways are subtracted out, about one-third of the land area of the District is owned by the federal government. Most of this land is managed by the NPS, but a significant amount—more than 2,700 acres—consists of federal insta…

400 OVERVIEW 400.1 The Transportation Element provides policies and actions to maintain and improve the District’s transportation system and enhance the travel choices of current and future residents, visitors, and workers. These policies are complemented by policies in the Land …

401 TRANSPORTATION GOAL 401.1 The overarching goal for transportation in the District is: Create a safe, sustainable, equitable, efficient, and multimodal transportation system that meets the access and mobility needs of District residents, the regional workforce, and visitors; s…

402 T-1 LINKING LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION 402.1 Transportation and land use are fundamental components of development and are inextricably linked to each other and to the formation of cities. The construction of a new transportation facility, such as a Metrorail station or stre…

403 T-1.1 LAND USE: TRANSPORTATION COORDINATION 403.1 As laid out in the Framework Element of the Comprehensive Plan, the District and region are expected to continue to gain jobs and households over the next 20 years. Coordination of transportation and land use decisions is crit…

404 T-1.2 TRANSFORMING CORRIDORS 404.1 Avenues and boulevards are much more than simple transportation routes. They are a legacy of the 1791 L’Enfant Plan and are still one of Washington, DC’s most distinctive features. They were designed to be beautiful corridors lined with dist…

405 T-1.3 REGIONAL SMART GROWTH SOLUTIONS 405.1 While this Transportation Element is focused on the District, transportation issues do not stop at jurisdictional boundaries. As the core of the Washington metropolitan region, the District has a high level of interest in transporta…

406 T-1.4 PLACEMAKING IN PUBLIC SPACE 406.1 In addition to the transportation function of streets, associated features—such as medians, curbsides, edges, and sidewalks—provide opportunities to make the District more active and livable. Some corridors have more space than is neede…

407 T-2 MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION CHOICES 407.1 As of 2017, the District has one of the most balanced transportation systems in the country. Of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., the District has the highest percentage of residents who walk or bike to work and ranks fourth follow…

408 T-2.1 TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY 408.1 The District and the surrounding region are served by the second largest rail transit system and the sixth largest bus network in the United States. The bus and rail systems are operated by WMATA, which provides service throughout the Washing…