D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 103
103.1 The Comprehensive Plan can be thought of as the centerpiece of a Family of Plans that guide public policy in the District (See Figure 1.1). In the past, there was a lack of clarity about the relationship between the Comprehensive Plan and the many other plans prepared by District agencies. This has reduced the Comprehensive Plan's effectiveness and even resulted in internal inconsistencies between agency plans.
103.2 Under District Code, the Comprehensive Plan is the one plan that guides the District's development. Thus, it carries special importance in that it provides overall direction and shapes all other physical plans that the District government adopts. In fact, all plans relating to the District's physical development should take their leads from the Comprehensive Plan, building on common goals and shared assumptions about the future. For example, the growth projections contained in the Comprehensive Plan should be incorporated by reference into other plans that rely on such forecasts.
103.3 As the guide for all District planning, the Comprehensive Plan establishes the priorities and key actions that other plans address in greater detail. The broad direction it provides may be implemented through agency strategic plans, operational plans, long-range plans on specific topics (such as parks or housing), and focused plans for small areas of Washington, DC.
103.4 Figure 1.1: The Family of Plans
103.5 The Comprehensive Plan is not intended to be a substitute for more detailed plans, nor dictate precisely what other plans must cover. Rather, it is the one document that bridges all topics and is crosscutting in its focus. It alone is the Comprehensive Plan that looks at the big picture of how change will be managed in the years ahead
103.6 Where appropriate, this Comprehensive Plan includes cross-references and text boxes to highlight other documents in the Family of Plans. Some examples include the federally mandated State Transportation Plan (known as moveDC), the Historic Preservation Plan, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Sustainable DC, and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
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 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land
Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).