D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1611
1611.1 For the purposes of the Comprehensive Plan, the Metro Center/Retail Core area includes the traditional Downtown Retail Core along F and G Streets NW, as well as other District blocks in the area roughly bordered by 15th Street NW on the west, 9th Street NW on the east, New York Avenue NW on the north, and Pennsylvania Avenue NW on the south. (Note: The Retail Core also extends east to 6th Street NW, but the eastern blocks are addressed in the next section on Gallery Place/Penn Quarter.)
1611.2 This area includes the 11-acre site of the former Washington Convention Center, now the location of CityCenterDC, one of the District's premier shopping and dining destinations. The area also includes one of downtown's largest department stores, other major retailers, many large office buildings, hotels, theaters, and restaurants. At the heart of this area, the Metro Center subway station is one of the busiest stations in the Metro system and is a major transfer point between intersecting Metro lines.
1611.3 The Retail Core has enjoyed a comeback since 2000. Many buildings long underused have been modernized and converted to retail spaces, providing a better mix of retail and office space in the downtown core. The retail energy that for many years shifted eastward toward Gallery Place is now equally present in the Metro Center area. Metro Center, once perceived as an office district, rather than a regional shopping destination, has undergone years of renovations and investments. The opening of national retailers has been a positive sign of a reenergized downtown.
1611.4 The Retail Core of the District should continue to be strengthened. Retail strategies should continue building off the success of nearby Gallery Place and the Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center), increasing the synergy between these areas and the historic F Street shopping district. Since the opening of CityCenterDC on the site of the old convention center, connectivity between the two areas has improved to create an expanded Central Washington shopping district for the region. New department stores, major national retailers, and smaller independent specialty shops have opened. These types of retail offerings should be strongly encouraged to continue to promote the continued success of downtown.
1611.5 Future renovations should continue to include ground-level retail space within new and renovated office space in the Metro Center area to create the critical mass necessary to make Central Washington a vibrant shopping hub. Strategies to address parking needs, improve public transit links, and create a more comfortable and attractive street environment can support the goal of increasing the area's prominence as a retail center.
1611.6 Policy CW-2.1.1: Strengthening the Retail Core Strengthen the traditional Retail Core along F and G Streets between 9th and 15th Streets NW. Encourage the extension of the Retail Core eastward to 6th Street NW to create greater synergy between this area and Gallery Place. Large-scale retail and entertainment uses should continue to be strongly encouraged as buildings in the Downtown Retail Core are adaptively reused, and as new infill development takes place.1611.7 Policy CW-2.1.2: Promoting Central Washington Shopping Facilitate District and private sector efforts to market the Central Washington Retail Core as a shopping destination for District residents, as well as for visitors and suburban residents, and to promote Central Washington as a preferred alternative to suburban shopping malls. Retail strategies for this area should be structured to avoid damaging the vibrant and strong regional retail economies in Georgetown and Friendship Heights.1611.8 Policy CW-2.1.3: Creating a Critical Mass of Retail Choices Improve downtown's viability as a shopping destination by encouraging additional small retailers to locate around existing retail anchors, adding new major retail anchors, and requiring continuous ground floor retail space wherever appropriate. Encourage the greatest possible variety of goods, services, and pricing so that the Retail Core meets the needs of a diverse range of residents, employees, and visitors.1611.9 Policy CW-2.1.4: Establishing a Unique Identity for Downtown Shopping Enhance the identity of the downtown Retail Core as a unique shopping area. Design attention should be focused on the lower levels of buildings, with at-grade retail frontages and frequent street-level store entrances. Special features such as canopies, signs, and lighting should be used to create a vibrant shopping environment. Streetscape and landscape design, street lighting, and signage should contribute to the area's unique sense of place.1611.10 Policy CW-2.1.5: Pedestrian Movement in the Retail Core Emphasize and encourage pedestrian movement in the Downtown Retail Core, particularly along F, G, and H Streets NW. Future development in this area should create and support street-level activity. Interior or underground pedestrian arcades, cafeterias, or passageways should be discouraged.1611.11 Policy CW-2.1.6: Connections to Adjacent Areas Improve pedestrian connections within the downtown Retail Core, with a particular emphasis on improving the north-south connections along 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Streets NW to better connect the area to Federal Triangle and
the National Mall on the south and the convention center and Franklin Square areas on the north. Use strategies such as improved signage and streetscape design to draw visitors from the National Mall.
Encourage new activities in the Downtown Retail Core that complement and support its function as a regional shopping district, including hotels, restaurants, and entertainment activities.
Encourage the provision of sufficient parking and loading areas in and adjacent to the Downtown Retail Core. Provide short-term parking for shoppers at appropriate levels to meet demand in a transit-oriented downtown. Wherever feasible, access to parking should be from alleys or, if alleys are not available, from E and H Streets NW and from the north-south streets, rather than from F and G Streets NW.
Promote and maintain Pennsylvania Avenue NW between the U.S. Capitol and the White House as a distinguished, high-quality, mixed-use, multimodal boulevard for residents, workers, and visitors. It should contain an actively programmed, pedestrian-oriented, and inviting public realm that enhances the avenue’s symbolic character and function and connects Downtown Washington, DC, and the National Mall. Honor the avenue’s iconic reciprocal views of the U.S. Capitol and White House grounds through a cohesive streetscape design.
Any future redevelopment of Squares 378 and 379 on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, where the FBI’s headquarters at the J. Edgar Hoover Building is currently situated, will be subject to the Square Guidelines adopted unanimously by NCPC in 2017.
Work with federal and local partners to update the 1974 PADC Plan to further strengthen physical and programmatic connections across Penn Quarter, downtown, and the National Mall.
Continue to use retail revitalization programs—such as tax increment financing, grants and loans for façade improvements, and small business development loans—to boost downtown retail development. Periodically assess whether programs are achieving desired outcomes.
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)).