D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1800
1800.1 The Far Southeast/Southwest Planning Area encompasses 10.1 square miles east of the Anacostia Freeway and south of Good Hope Road SE/Naylor Road SE. The Planning Area includes neighborhoods such as Historic Anacostia, Congress Heights, Hillsdale, Woodland, Fort Stanton, Barry Farm, Bellevue, Washington Highlands, Douglas/Shipley Terrace, Garfield Heights, and Knox Hill/Buena Vista. Most of this area has historically been in Ward 8, but, prior to redistricting in 2002, the northern portion was in Ward 6. Planning Area boundaries are shown in the map to the left.
1800.2 Far Southeast/Southwest is a diverse community. It includes the 19th century row houses of Historic Anacostia and brand new communities like Henson Ridge and Wheeler Creek. Its housing ranges from single-family homes in neighborhoods like Congress Heights, to garden apartments in neighborhoods like Washington Highlands and Fort Stanton, to high-rise apartments such as the Vista at Wingate and Capitol Plaza II.
1800.3 The Far Southeast/Southwest Planning Area is home to seven designated historic landmarks and districts. A designated landmark means the property is listed on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and on the National Register of Historic Places. The Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) is the mayoral-appointed commission that designates District landmarks and historic districts, while the National Register is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and lends a federal level of protection to historic sites. A couple of the historic landmarks in this Planning Area are the Frederick Douglass House at Cedar Hill, which was the residence of abolitionist champion Frederick Douglass, and the St. Elizabeths Hospital Campus, which is one of the country's most renowned institutions for its treatment of behavioral health issues for more than 150 years. The Planning Area's commercial areas range from a shopping center at Camp Simms to more traditional neighborhood centers along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE, Good Hope Road SE, and South Capitol Street SE. The Planning Area also includes open spaces and natural areas like Oxon Run and Oxon Cove.
1800.4 Anacostia and the Far Southeast/Southwest neighborhoods that surround it have stayed strong through difficult times. Many moderate-income residents left the area in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, affecting the stability of the area's neighborhoods. Between the 2000 Census and the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS), population in this Planning Area increased by 16.3 percent, and the poverty rate declined from 38 percent to 37 percent. The crime and unemployment rates remain chronically high and are well above the District and regional averages. Residents must go outside their neighborhood to shop, enjoy a restaurant, and even find basic services like groceries.
1800.5 Today, the priorities laid out in 2006 are still relevant: safer streets, better schools, more jobs, and improved housing choices. The Comprehensive Plan reflects these priorities in its policies and maps. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, crime, and other issues must be addressed to improve the quality of life for residents in the Far Southeast/Southwest neighborhoods. While the Planning Area has experienced a significant amount of public and private investment over the last decade, social equity gaps in the District still need to be addressed to ensure that the benefits of the District's economic and population resurgence are broadly shared. For revitalization to truly succeed, all residents must be given opportunities to advance.
1800.6 Additional planning efforts, such as the CHASE Action Agenda, have reinforced these priorities. The Congress Heights, Anacostia, and St. Elizabeths area—collectively called CHASE—is expected to see new housing, major redevelopment projects, and jobs and transportation infrastructure investments in the next five to 10 years. The CHASE Action Agenda takes steps to ensure that these changes bring meaningful economic opportunity to Ward 8 and its residents and businesses. It builds on unique assets in the area, such as historic neighborhood districts, new jobs at St. Elizabeths (East and West Campuses), and increased transportation options, and it prioritizes ways to develop community resources.
1800.7 The area's social and economic needs affect its physical environment in many ways. They translate to a need for more facilities for workforce development and job placement like the American Job Center located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE and the Infrastructure Academy on Pomeroy Road SE. Many government and nonprofit efforts have focused on employment, including workforce programs to prepare residents for opportunities that come with new development, such as construction jobs at St. Elizabeths Campus or jobs with new commercial and institutional tenants. New opportunities for local entrepreneurs are also needed – providing a chance to start a business, hire local residents, and provide needed services to the community.
1800.8 The strength of the District's real estate market is already bringing a wave of change to Far Southeast/Southwest. Thousands of affordable housing units have been constructed or rehabilitated since 2000. The HOPE VI projects have created many first-time homeowners, including former public housing residents. Developments such as Monterrey Park, Livingston Apartments, Danbury Station, Royal Court, and Congress Park are just a few examples of the improved housing choices in the area.
1800.9 Investment in public facilities has been a catalyst for housing development in the area. To highlight just a sampling:
1800.10 Additionally, portions of the Planning Area have also been identified as a priority area for resilience planning because of their vulnerabilities to climate change and flood risk as identified in the Climate Ready DC Plan published in 2016. In particular, the areas near the Potomac River are at increased risk and contain some significant public infrastructure facilities, like Blue Plains. Both flooding and precautionary efforts to advance resilience would also affect nearby communities.
1800.11 The future of Far Southeast/Southwest depends on active community engagement. The continued involvement of groups such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Anacostia Economic Development Corporation, Far SW/SE Community Development Corporation, the United Planning Organization, and the Far SE Family Strengthening Collaborative can help revitalize the community. Moreover, groups such as the Congress Heights and Fort Stanton Civic Associations, the Frederick Douglass Community Improvement Council, the Anacostia Coordinating Council, the Ward 8 Business Council, along with emerging groups, such as the Anacostia Business Improvement District (BID) and Building Bridges Across the River, provide a community resource and are important voices in neighborhood and District-wide affairs.
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)).