D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1718
1718.1 The upper reaches of the Anacostia River’s eastern shore include the communities of Kenilworth-Parkside, Mayfair Mansions, and Eastland Gardens. This area also includes Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Park, the Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Area, and wetlands and open spaces managed by NPS. The Pepco Benning Service Center and the Benning Road Waste Transfer Station are located adjacent to this area on the north side of Benning Road NE.
1718.2 Kenilworth-Parkside was initially developed as low-income housing in the 1940s. During the 1980s, the 464-unit public housing complex was touted by the federal government as a success story after property management responsibilities were transferred to the local tenant organization. Crime dropped dramatically, and the quality of life visibly improved. The area’s reputation for innovative housing policy continued through the 1990s. The public housing was sold and renovated and a neotraditional town was conceived on a 26-acre vacant site between Kenilworth and the Pepco Benning Service Center. In addition to the Grove at Parkside, which yielded 186 residential units, about 226 affordable townhomes were constructed between 2010 and 2017. More development is expected to include up to 1,500 mixed-income multi-family units, 750,000 square feet of office space, and 50,000 square feet of retail.
1718.3 Over the next decade, build-out of the remaining areas in Kenilworth- Parkside is expected. Master plans call for some 1,500 units of new medium- to high-density housing, 250,000 to 500,000 square feet of office space, and 30,000 square feet of retail space in Parkside. Kenilworth Courts, as a planned community, is expected to yield 530 residential units of affordable housing, including 110 replacement units and approximately 4,500 square feet of commercial space. A reconstructed pedestrian bridge will connect this area to the Minnesota Avenue Metro station, making the area transit accessible for new residents and employees. The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail serves as the backbone of the Anacostia waterfront, connecting residents, visitors, and communities to the river. The trail provides scenic travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, and 16 communities, including Kenilworth, Eastland Gardens, Mayfair, and Parkside, providing much-needed access to the waterfront. Currently, just over 17 miles of the trail have been completed, providing access from Bladensburg, Maryland, to historic Navy Yard, RFK Stadium, Anacostia, and the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Once completed, the 20-mile trail will traverse multiple jurisdictions, linking Colmar Manor in Maryland to the north, through Washington, DC to its southern terminus at Mount Vernon in Virginia.
1718.4 In addition to the Kenilworth-Parkside pedestrian bridge, the creation of the two-mile-long Marvin Gaye Park along Watts Branch, development of the Minnesota Avenue government center, and designation of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue
as a Great Street should all help to unite the community on both sides of the I-295 freeway. The meadows and woodland garden of Marvin Gaye Park advance resilience by providing for natural water filters and mitigating runoff, and dozens of youths are trained through the Summer Youth Employment Program in upkeep and beautification. To further improve the connectivity between the Kenilworth-Parkside communities, DDOT is finalizing a Livability Study, which will provide recommendations for improvements to public space, safety, and access for all users of the transportation system.
1718.5
Support federal efforts to improve and restore the Kenilworth Park and the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Engage with federal efforts to remediate contamination in Kenilworth Park and coordinate with federal agencies to guide the construction of future District-managed park amenities in Kenilworth Park. Additionally, implement Resilient DC strategies here that will strengthen the infrastructure and educate the community on the effects of climate change. Design improvements to Kenilworth Park that enhance ecology and increase walking and biking access to Kenilworth Park from adjacent neighborhoods. Connect Kenilworth Park to nearby parkland, including the U.S. National Arboretum, through riverfront trail and bridge projects. Establish state-of-the-art recreation facilities that promote both land-based and water-based recreation.
1718.6
Support mixed-use, mixed-income residential, retail, and office development on the remaining vacant properties in the Kenilworth-Parkside neighborhood. Take advantage of this area’s proximity to the Minnesota Avenue Metro station and its relative distance from the low-density, single-family neighborhoods to the east to accommodate medium to high-density housing that is well connected to transit and the adjacent waterfront open space.
1718.7
Provide appropriate height and scale transitions between new higher-density development in the Kenilworth-Parkside neighborhood and the established moderate-density townhomes and apartments in the vicinity. Buildings with greater heights should generally be sited along Kenilworth Avenue and Foote Street and step down in intensity moving west toward the river.
1718.8
Maintain sufficient buffering, screening, and separation between new development at Kenilworth-Parkside and the adjacent Pepco Benning Service Center and waste transfer station.
1718.9
Full bidirectional, multimodal connectivity should be established between
Kenilworth-Parkside and Benning Road. Multimodal access, both pedestrian and vehicular, should be provided to the Parkside neighborhood from Benning Road, especially in case of evacuation and for emergency vehicles. A Livability Study is being conducted by DDOT to assess issues related to multimodal connectivity, directional signage, vehicular circulation, and pedestrian safety.
The District, through its membership in a worldwide initiative has identified Kenilworth Park as one of two pilot locations in Washington, DC, for a place-based effort to showcase an interdisciplinary approach designed to mitigate the challenging effects of climate change and growth. Kenilworth Park and its surrounding neighborhoods are some of the most at-risk areas for flooding in the District. Designation as a pilot location will create a community-centered strategy, resulting in lowering the risk and negative effects of flooding.
Buffer the effect of the I-295 Freeway/rail corridor upon adjacent residential uses, especially in the Deanwood, Eastland Gardens, Fairlawn, Kenilworth, Greenway, Parkside, River Terrace, and Twining neighborhoods. These improvements should buffer the neighborhoods from noise, odor, vibration, and other freeway impacts while also providing a more positive visual impression of the community from the highway itself.
This should include improved horizontal clearance at the railroad crossings, safer pedestrian access ways, better signage, and enhancements to the Kenilworth Avenue interchanges. Full bidirectional, multimodal connectivity should be established between Kenilworth-Parkside and Benning Road.
Implement the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan recommendations for Kenilworth-Parkside, including new gateways and or access points at the intersection of Benning Road and Kenilworth Avenue and at Watts Branch.
Explore a Small Area Plan for the neighborhood between Kenilworth Avenue and the Anacostia River. The Small Area Plan would address key issues, such as economic development opportunities, community access, and anticipated resilience challenges.
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 Comprehensive Plan
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)).