1714.1 In 2008, OP, in conjunction with residents and stakeholders along the Benning Road corridor, completed a Small Area Plan for Benning Road in the form of the Benning Road Corridor Redevelopment Framework. Adopted by the D.C. Council in July 2008, this framework gives a clear and concise outline for how development can and should happen on Benning Road. The Benning Road Metro station is located at the corner of Benning Road and East Capitol Street and was included in this plan. The station, which is served by Metro’s Blue Line, opened in 1980 and is among the least used rail stations based on the volume of passenger traffic in the Metro system. Surrounding land uses include auto-oriented commercial businesses, including the Benco Shopping Center and the newly renovated Shrimp Boat restaurant, single-family homes and duplexes, and small two- and three-story apartment buildings. In 2018, the nonprofit organization So Others Might Eat (SOME) completed construction of a 320,000 square foot, mixed-use building adjacent to the Metro station, which provides housing for 200 low-income families, a medical center, office space for SOME’s after-school programs, and job training.

1714.2 The Benning Road Metro station area should become a much more attractive community hub in the future that consists of pedestrian-oriented housing, retail, and recreational uses. Large-scale office buildings and surface parking lots should be discouraged here; rather, the site is most appropriate as a walkable neighborhood center with low-scale, moderate-density residential buildings containing ground floor retail, service, and similar uses. Amenities, such as plazas, public art, attractive facades, and pocket parks, should be provided as the area develops, and safe street crossings for pedestrians and bicyclists should be ensured. Special care should be taken to preserve the adjacent neighborhoods, improve the hazardous and confusing street intersections in the vicinity, and emphasize land uses and activities that benefit area residents.

1714.3 Policy FNS-2.4.1: Benning Road Station Area Development Support development of the Benning Road Metro station area as a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use area, including moderate-density housing, retail, service uses, and public spaces and amenities that serve adjacent neighborhoods. Future development should recognize and provide appropriate, well-designed transitions to the low-density residential character of the adjacent neighborhoods.

1714.4 Action FNS-2.4.A: Benning Road Reconstruction and Streetcar Extension Coordinate with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) on reconstruction to Benning Road. The Benning Road Reconstruction and Streetcar Project will focus on two miles of Benning Road NE between Oklahoma Avenue NE and East Capitol Street, addressing critical needs for infrastructure improvements, bridge rehabilitation, safety enhancements, and an eastward

extension of DC Streetcar transit service.

1714.5

Action FNS-2.4.B: Supportive Studies Along the Benning Road Corridor

Prepare appropriate planning and development studies to build upon and update the 2008 Small Area Plan for the Benning Road corridor to support enhanced physical connections and improved economic and community development conditions at the Minnesota and Benning Road Metro stations and sites proposed for more intense mixed-use development along Benning Road, including Fletcher Johnson. Conduct a community-based planning study for the redevelopment of Fletcher Johnson that reinforces existing planning efforts by the Fletcher Johnson Task Force.

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)).