D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1300
1300.1 The Infrastructure Element provides policies and actions on the District's water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, solid waste management, energy, information and communications technology, and enhanced coordination among these sectors. Investments in these systems are essential to Washington, DC's future, specifically in meeting the demands of existing users, accommodating future change and development, and enhancing the District's resiliency and sustainability. These policies are complemented by those in the Land Use, Urban Design, Environmental Protection, Transportation, Community Services and Facilities, and other elements, all of which recognize the interplay between infrastructure and related topics.
1300.2 Since the 2006 update to the Comprehensive Plan, billions of dollars have been invested in the energy, water, digital, and solid waste systems that are intrinsic to the District's daily life and functions for its residents and visitors. Collectively, these investments have made the District a better place to live, work, and visit through the replacement of aging infrastructure, modernization of existing infrastructure, as well as environmental mitigations that are improving Washington, DC's natural environment. However, most of these investments were not directed toward expanding capacity because existing systems had spare capacity. With the level of forecasted growth in population and jobs, Washington, DC will need to think innovatively about how to build on the substantial infrastructure investments made in the last decade.
1300.3 To meet future demands effectively, the District should take a cross-system approach to infrastructure, identify ways to use existing infrastructure more innovatively, apply new and emerging technologies to make infrastructure more efficient, and expand capacity where needed. This approach should focus on improving quality of life. The District will also need to plan for a future where infrastructure is forced to contend with increased pressures from climate change. Infrastructure should be designed in a resilient way to withstand chronic stressors and system shocks. Safe, reliable, and available infrastructure provision must be considered through an equity lens to address and eliminate gaps for underserved communities and to meet the needs of low-income residents, vulnerable populations, and communities of color.
1300.4 Infrastructure is critical to the continued success and growth of Washington, DC; infrastructure capacity and effectiveness directly impact quality of life. Infrastructure systems provide vital services to residents, workers, and visitors; shape and enhance the public realm; underlie and contribute to health, wellness, safety, security, and quality of life; are fundamental to promoting economic growth; and form a backbone that allows the District to function as a home to hundreds of thousands of persons and as the nation's capital. In these ways,
infrastructure fundamentally contributes to Washington, DC's ability to fulfill the Comprehensive Plan's vision of an equitable, inclusive, and resilient District.
1300.5 The District's current infrastructure includes:
1300.6 The planning, management, and oversight of the District's energy, water and sewer, solid waste, and information and communications technology systems are distributed among several entities, including DC Water (formerly DC Water and Sewer Authority), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO), Washington Gas, the District's Department of Public Works (DPW), the District's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), commercial telecommunications providers, and others. In addition, the General Services Administration (GSA) contracts with Washington Gas and PEPCO to supply federal agencies with natural gas and electricity, respectively, and many federal agencies, as well as some hospitals, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations that avail themselves of DC-Net. This element incorporates planning and policy guidance from the short- and long-term plans of these service providers.
1300.7 The critical infrastructure issues facing Washington, DC are addressed in this element. They include:
1300.8 Since 2006, when the Comprehensive Plan was last revised, Washington, DC has experienced rapid population and job growth, which has made the District one of the fastest growing large cities in the country. In 2018, the District’s population grew to 700,000, a figure not seen since the 1970s. Washington, DC has grown by 121,000 people, or 20.8 percent, since the 2006 update of the Comprehensive Plan. This trend puts the District on track to bypass its previous peak population of 802,000 within the next decade. Washington, DC experienced the largest share of this growth (79,000 residents) in the six years since the 2010 decennial census. Even if projected growth takes longer to achieve, addressing long-term capacity needs and investing in infrastructure is critical to meet current and future needs.
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)).