D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1011
1011.1 The natural beauty of Washington, DC creates an exceptional setting for the nation’s capital. Nature permeates the District, helping to define its historic character. A long planning legacy has also endowed Washington, DC with a unique cultural landscape. L’Enfant’s urban parks, broad avenues, and wide streets bring openness into the District. In the 19th century, visionaries converted the Potomac mudflats to parkland and reserved Rock Creek valley as open park space. The McMillan Plan shaped the monumental greenswards of the Mall and drew the riverfront and stream valley parks and the open spaces of fort sites, cemeteries, and campuses into a green network for the District.
1011.2 Other significant landscape features of the District are the legacy of 19th-century engineers, planners, and developers who extended the L’Enfant Plan beyond the original borders. Tree-lined streets and landscaped front yards unite many historic neighborhoods, and small green oases are scattered throughout the District. Some are publicly owned, and others are private. Institutional campuses and private estates, many now owned by embassies, also contribute to the preservation of open space. Many provide the setting for historic buildings, creating a balance between the natural and built environment that unifies the District.
Preserve the historic natural setting of Washington, DC and the views it provides. Preserve and enhance the beauty of the Potomac and Anacostia riverfronts and the system of stream valley parks. Protect the topographic bowl around central Washington, DC, and preserve the wooded skyline along its ring of escarpments. Prevent intrusions into the views to and from these escarpments and other major heights throughout the District.
Recognize and preserve the District’s significant landscapes as historic features in their own right or as contributing features of historic landmarks and districts. Preserve the distinguishing qualities of the District’s historic landscapes, both natural and designed. Protect public building and monument grounds, recognized historic vistas, parks and parkway systems, government and institutional campuses, gardens, cemeteries, and other historic landscapes from deterioration and incompatible development.
Recognize the landscape value of government campuses as the setting for public facilities and as open green space for the entire District. Balance any new development on these campuses against the public interest in retaining green space and protect them from incompatible development.
Preserve the continuous and open green quality of landscaped front and side yards in public space and beyond building restriction lines. Take special care at historic landmarks and in historic districts to protect this public environment from intrusions, whether from excess paving, vehicular access and parking, high wall and fencing, or undue disruption of the natural contours or bermed terraces.
Ensure that new public works such as streetlights, street furniture, and sidewalks within historic landscapes and historic districts are compatible with the historic context. Emphasize good design whether contemporary or traditional.
Retain landscaped yards, gardens, estate grounds, and other significant green space associated with historic landmarks whenever possible. If development is permitted, retain sufficient open space to protect the setting of the historic landmark and the integrity of the historic property. In historic districts, strive to maintain shared open space in the interior of blocks while balancing the need to accommodate reasonable expansion of residential buildings.
Increase appreciation of historic landscapes through documentation, recognition in designations, and public education. Work cooperatively with government and landowners to preserve historic landscapes as integral components of historic landmarks and districts and to make new construction compatible with their historic character.
Protect views of and from the natural escarpment around central Washington, DC. Work with government and landholders to encourage new development at St. Elizabeths Hospital, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, McMillan Reservoir, and similar large sites that is harmonious with the natural topography and preserves important vistas over the District.
Preserve original street patterns in historic districts by maintaining public rights of-way and historic building setbacks. Retain and maintain alleys in historic districts where they are significant components of the historic development pattern.
Identify and document historic landscape plans for avenues and major streets in the L’Enfant City and beyond. Encourage the restoration of intended landscape treatments, including the planting of double rows of trees in public space to
restore shaded sidewalk alleles and designed sidewalk views along major avenues.
See the Urban Design and Parks, Recreation and Open Space Elements for additional policies and actions related to historic landscapes and the natural setting of Washington, DC.
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)).