Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and WorksRelease 119-110
§8721 Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital
Title 40 › SUBTITLE II — PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WORKS › PART D — PUBLIC BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, AND PARKS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA › CHAPTER 87 — PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION › SUBCHAPTER III — PLANNING PROCESS › § 8721
Summary
The National Capital Planning Commission must make and keep one clear plan for the National Capital area. The plan will include the Commission’s ideas for federal projects and any D.C. plan pieces that the D.C. Council adopts and that the Commission does not find harmful to federal interests. Those D.C. pieces must be added to the Commission’s plan without changes. The Commission may also borrow parts of other local plans and must review, update, or extend its plan so it stays current. The Mayor sends each D.C. plan piece to the Council for public hearings and adoption. After that, the Council sends it to the Commission for review of any effect on federal functions. The Commission has 60 days to say whether it has a negative impact. If the Commission does nothing in 60 days, the item is treated as OK and is put into the plan. If the Commission finds a negative impact, it sends findings and recommendations to the Council. The Council can accept and change the item or reject and send back a revision. For accepted changes, the Commission has 30 days to approve; if it does nothing, the change is treated as approved. For rejected revisions, the Commission has 60 days to decide; if it finds a negative impact it sends detailed objections and the item is not put into effect. A rejected item resubmitted at least one year later is treated as new. The Commission must ask federal and D.C. authorities for comments, may hold public hearings and encourage citizen advisory groups, publish the joint plan with the Mayor, and set up continuing consultation and agency committees as needed.
Full Legal Text
Title 40, §8721
Public Buildings, Property, and Works, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Preparation and Adoption by Commission.—
The National Capital Planning Commission shall prepare and adopt a comprehensive, consistent, and coordinated plan for the National Capital. The plan shall include the Commission’s recommendations or proposals for federal developments or projects in the environs and District elements of the comprehensive plan, or amendments to the elements, adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia and with respect to which the Commission has not determined a negative impact exists. Those elements or amendments shall be incorporated into the comprehensive plan without change. The Commission may include in its plan any part of a plan adopted by any planning agency in the environs and may make recommendations of collateral interest to the agencies. The Commission may adopt any part of an element. The Commission shall review and may amend or extend the plan so that its recommendations may be kept up to date.
(b)Review by District of Columbia.—
The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall submit each District element of the comprehensive plan, and any amendment, to the Council for revision or modification, and adoption, by act, following public hearings. Following adoption and prior to implementation, the Council shall submit each element or amendment to the Commission for review and comment with regard to the impact of the element or amendment on the interests or functions of the federal establishment in the National Capital.
(c)Commission Response to Council Action.—
(1)Period of review.—
Within 60 days after receiving an element or amendment from the Council, the Commission shall certify to the Council whether the element or amendment has a negative impact on the interests or functions of the federal establishment in the National Capital.
(2)No negative impact.—
If the Commission takes no action in the 60-day period, the element or amendment is deemed to have no negative impact and shall be incorporated into the comprehensive plan for the National Capital and implemented.
(3)Negative impact.—
(A)Certification to council.—
If the Commission finds a negative impact, it shall certify its findings and recommendations to the Council.
(B)Response of council.—
On receipt of the Commission’s findings and recommendations, the Council may—
(i)accept the findings and recommendations and modify the element or amendment accordingly; or
(ii)reject the findings and recommendations and resubmit a modified form of the element or amendment to the Commission for reconsideration.
(C)Findings and recommendations accepted.—
If the Council accepts the findings and recommendations and modifies the element or amendment, the Council shall submit the element or amendment to the Commission for the Commission to determine whether the modification has been made in accordance with the Commission’s findings and recommendations. If the Commission does not act on the modified element or amendment within 30 days after receiving it, the element or amendment is deemed to have been modified in accordance with the findings and recommendations and shall be incorporated into the comprehensive plan for the National Capital and implemented. If within the 30-day period the Commission again determines the element or amendment has a negative impact on the functions or interests of the federal establishment in the National Capital, the element or amendment shall not be implemented.
(D)Findings and recommendations rejected.—
If the Council rejects the findings and recommendations and resubmits a modified element or amendment, the Commission, within 60 days after receiving it, shall decide whether the modified element or amendment has a negative impact on the interests or functions of the federal establishment within the National Capital. If the Commission does not act within the 60-day period, the modified element or amendment is deemed to have no negative impact and shall be incorporated into the comprehensive plan and implemented. If the Commission finds a negative impact, it shall certify its findings (in sufficient detail that the Council can understand the basis of the objection of the Commission) and recommendations to the Council and the element or amendment shall not be implemented.
(d)Resubmission Deemed New Element or Amendment.—
Any element or amendment which the Commission has determined has a negative impact on the federal establishment in the National Capital which is submitted again in a modified form not less than one year from the day it was last rejected by the Commission is deemed to be a new element or amendment for purposes of the review procedure specified in this section.
(e)Review, Hearings, and Citizen Advisory Councils.—
(1)Review.—
Before the comprehensive plan, any element of the plan, or any revision is adopted, the Commission shall present the plan, element, or revision to the appropriate federal or District of Columbia authorities for comment and recommendations. The Commission may present the proposed revisions annually in a consolidated form. Recommendations by federal and District of Columbia authorities are not binding on the Commission, but the Commission shall give careful consideration to any views and recommendations submitted prior to final adoption.
(2)Hearings and citizen advisory councils.—
The Commission—
(A)may provide periodic opportunity for review and comments by nongovernmental agencies or groups through public hearings, meetings, or conferences, exhibitions, and publication of its plans; and
(B)in consultation with the Council, may encourage the formation of citizen advisory councils.
(f)Extension of Time Limitations.—
On request of the Commission, the Council may grant an extension of any time limitation contained in this section.
(g)Publishing Comprehensive Plan.—
As appropriate, the Commission and the Mayor jointly shall publish a comprehensive plan for the National Capital, consisting of the elements of the comprehensive plan for the federal activities in the National Capital developed by the Commission and the District elements developed by the Mayor and the Council in accordance with this section.
(h)Procedures for Consultation.—
(1)Commission and mayor.— (2) Government agencies.—
The Commission and the Mayor jointly shall establish procedures for appropriate meaningful continuing consultation throughout the planning process for the National Capital.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 8721(a)40:71c(a), (d).June 6, 1924, ch. 270, § 4(a), (d), (e) (1st par.), as added July 19, 1952, ch. 949, § 1, 66 Stat. 785, 787; Pub. L. 93–198, title II § 203(c)(1), (2), Dec. 24, 1973, 87 Stat. 782. 8721(b)40:71a(a)(3).June 6, 1924, ch. 270, § 2(a)(3), (4), as added July 19, 1952, ch. 949, § 1, 66 Stat. 782; Pub. L. 93–198, title II, § 203(a), Dec. 24, 1973, 87 Stat. 779. 8721(c), (d)40:71a(a)(4)(A)–(C). 8721(e)40:71c(e) (1st par.). 8721(f)40:71a(a)(4)(E). 8721(g)40:71a(a)(4)(D). 8721(h)(1)40:71a(a)(4)(F). 8721(h)(2)40:71a(d).June 6, 1924, ch. 270, § 2(d), as added July 19, 1952, ch. 949, § 1, 66 Stat. 783. In subsection (a), the text of 40:71c(a) (2d, 3d sentences) and reference to the National Capital Regional Planning Council are omitted as obsolete because the Council was abolished by section 1 of Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1966 (eff. Sept. 8, 1966, 40:71b note). The words “from time to time” are omitted as unnecessary. In subsection (e)(2), before clause (A), the words “in addition and at its discretion” are omitted as unnecessary. In subsection (g), the words “from time to time” are omitted as unnecessary.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Termination of Advisory CommitteesAdvisory committees established after Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not later than the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of their establishment, unless, in the case of a committee established by the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such committee is renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in the case of a committee established by the Congress, its duration is otherwise provided by law. See section 1013 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
40 U.S.C. § 8721
Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110