1615.1 The Downtown East/Judiciary Square Focus Area is a major gateway to the District, lying at the foot of the historic front entrance to Union Station, and is roughly bounded by Massachusetts Avenue NW on the north, North Capitol Street and Louisiana Avenue NW on the east, Pennsylvania Avenue NW on the south, and 5th Street NW on the west. The area has been anchored by government and institutional uses for several decades, including offices for the U.S. Department of Labor, General Accountability Office, and U.S. District Court; the District Municipal Building and Superior Court; Georgetown University Law Center; and the National Building Museum. More recently, however, Downtown East has experienced considerable investment in the form of new private office space, largely due to demand from law firms and other knowledge-based professions that prioritize proximity to the U.S. Capitol and federal courts. The most significant of these new developments, Capitol Crossing, is an expansive 2.2-million-square-foot project that reconstructs three new city blocks atop the existing I-395 interstate. The area has a small but vibrant cluster of hotels, many of which are located between Union Station and the Capitol and largely cater to business travelers seeking proximity to the U.S. Capitol.

1615.2 The challenge for the Downtown East/Judiciary Square area is a weak sense of identity, as there are few residents and limited or un-activated public spaces. East-west circulation between Union Station and the broader downtown area is interrupted by I-395, which effectively carves a wide channel through the area between 2nd and 3rd Streets NW. While the Capitol Crossing development reconnects F and G Streets, NW over the freeway, some other buildings in the area inhibit circulation and obstruct historic sight lines. Many of the existing federal office buildings and courthouses are devoid of ground-level retail uses and present block-long street walls, making for an inactive street life outside of the typical 9-to-5 business hours.

1615.3 As an employment hub and gateway to downtown, Downtown East has the potential to be an iconic neighborhood. To flourish, the area needs well-designed, interesting, and human-scaled public spaces to better serve users, as well as improved connections to surrounding neighborhoods. As federal offices and other major single-tenant users move to locations outside the downtown core, new development opportunities may arise at sites like the U.S. Department of Labor and the Metro headquarters to create new, vibrant, mixed-use developments that are active past 5 pm and that include the needed residential component that is a requirement to create a more active downtown.

1615.4 The District should encourage place-based design goals at these sites that promote mixed-use development with active building frontages, high-quality architecture, and more varied facades.

1615.5 Up to 10 percent of residents in Downtown East live in some form of group quarters, including older adults in assisted living housing, student dormitories, and shelters. This is in contrast to the six percent of District residents who share a similar type of housing. The Federal City Shelter, also known as the Community for Creative Non-violence (CCNV), in Downtown East is the biggest temporary home for many people experiencing homelessness in the District and links them with nearby supportive services and nonprofits, such as DC Central Kitchen. The shelter houses up to 150 long-term guests and provides an additional 1,000 beds each evening. There is an active proposal to redevelop the site to smaller-scale supportive housing of approximately 300 beds within a larger mixed-use redevelopment project.

1615.6 Policy CW-2.5.1: Judiciary Square Improvements Maintain the primary function of the Judiciary Square area as a judicial center, and enhance the area's appearance as a great pedestrian-oriented civic space with a strong sense of identity. Consistent with the 2005 Master Plan for the site, buildings in the area should be better related to one another and to the square itself.

1615.7 Policy CW-2.5.2: Connecting Judiciary Square to Gallery Place/Penn Quarter Improve pedestrian connections between Judiciary Square and the Gallery Place/Penn Quarter area by encouraging active ground floor uses along E and F Streets NW, improving signage, upgrading surface transit, and supporting compatible infill development.

1615.8 Policy CW-2.5.3: Connecting Union Station to Downtown and Gallery Place/Penn Quarter Improve pedestrian and transit connections between the historic front entrance of Union Station to the greater downtown area, where access is currently blocked and the grid could be reestablished, including at C Street NW. Encourage active ground floor uses along streets that provide east-west routes to and from Union Station, with improved signage and support for compatible infill development.

1615.9 Policy CW-2.5.4: Establish Louisiana Avenue NW as the Primary Route Between Union Station and the National Mall Louisiana Avenue NW provides the most direct and visible route between Union Station and the National Mall, and its design should be encouraged to reflect its importance to tourists and other users. Improved sidewalks, pedestrian street crossings, bicycle facilities, and wayfinding should be installed to enhance this corridor. Alternative locations for vehicle parking for congressional staff should be explored to eliminate the need for angled parking on Louisiana Avenue.

1615.10 Policy CW-2.5.5: Enhancing the Identity of Downtown East

Strengthen Downtown East as a geographically distinct mixed-use area of hotel, commercial, retail, and residential development, taking advantage of its strategic location as a crossroads community between Capitol Hill, downtown, and Union Station. New buildings and redevelopment sites should incorporate well-designed architecture and provide high-quality streetscape improvements that provide amenity spaces for the public to reduce the canyon-like feel that many large-scale developments impose on the sidewalk. Sites such as the Labor Department building and the Federal City Shelter should be designed to enhance the beauty of the neighborhood and provide spaces for an active street life to flourish. Branding and marketing strategies, particularly around new or renovated public parks, should be pursued to give the area a stronger identity and sense of place.

1615.11 Policy CW-2.5.6: Designate Downtown East as a Placemaking Pilot Zone Create a Downtown East placemaking pilot zone where property owners, the BIDs, and other area stakeholders can conduct innovative, creative, and tactical placemaking interventions within the public right-of-way and in publicly accessible private spaces, such as office lobbies. Encourage uses that are open to the public, create visual interest from the street, provide pedestrian or neighborhood amenity space, and promote local retailers.

1615.12 Policy CW-2.5.7: Increase Affordability and Services for People Experiencing Homelessness in Downtown East The District shall prioritize additional public housing and services for people experiencing homelessness throughout the Downtown East area. Emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness should be accessible 24 hours a day, year-round, and contain high-quality services co-located on-site. New shelters should also include short-term housing designed for the needs of youth under age 24 and permanent supportive housing.

1615.13 Policy CW-2.5.8: Using the Avenues as a Design Framework Take advantage of L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the City of Washington avenues that cross Downtown East—including New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Louisiana Avenues NW, and North Capitol Street—to create a framework for the area's future development. The avenues should be enhanced as pedestrian-friendly streets, with streetscape designs that are consistent from block to block and buildings designed to frame important views and landmarks.

1615.14 Action CW-2.5.A: Link and Expand a Network of Neighborhood Parks and Gathering Spaces Identify space for new public parks or other gathering spaces and renovate existing open spaces to form a broader network of small parks across Downtown East and the surrounding neighborhoods. The parks network should provide a variety of open space amenities that are equitably dispersed so that no one park is required to serve the needs of all user groups in the area. A wide range of open

space features, programming, and landscapes should activate currently underused spaces; maximize comfort with shade and seating; encourage site features that accommodate social interactions, gathering, and lingering; provide choices for active and passive recreation and play for all ages; and maximize the use of durable and easily maintainable materials and plantings.

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)).