D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 1814
1814.1 The Congress Heights Metro station is the last station on the Metro Green Line before leaving Washington, DC. The station is about five acres in size and consists of a surface parking lot and subway entrance. Its location on the southeastern edge of the St. Elizabeths Campus made it a critical part of the hospital redevelopment and suggests it will become an increasingly important gateway to the area in the coming years. Land uses in the immediate vicinity include Malcolm X Elementary School, a police substation, apartment complexes, single-family homes, and a historic Jewish cemetery. Major projects within a half-mile of the station include the 600-unit Henson Ridge development and the Camp Simms shopping center and housing development.
1814.2 The station is one of the newest in the Metro system, having opened in 2001. Passenger volumes are currently among the lowest in Washington, DC. It presents an important joint development opportunity, with the potential for new housing, retail, public, and open space uses, as well as Metro parking and bus transfer points. Future development will need to establish appropriate transitions to nearby uses, which are generally low- to moderate-density. Additional community-based planning has identified the right mix of uses and has addressed a variety of land use, transportation, and urban design issues in the Congress Heights community.
1814.3 Congress Heights is a Ward 8 neighborhood with abundant community character and historic significance. Located on the hilltops that overlook the Anacostia River, Congress Heights takes its name from its undulating topography, which offers exceptional views of the U.S. Capitol and beyond. The neighborhood is a predominantly residential middle-income community developed primarily with a cohesive grouping of late 19th century through mid-20th century residential, commercial, and institutional buildings.
1814.4 Congress Heights is currently experiencing some of the most exciting redevelopment activity in Ward 8. In May 2014, OP completed the CHASE Action Agenda and the CHASE Pattern Book. The Action Agenda includes two key pieces. The first is the Implementation Blueprint, which helps identify and prioritize actions, such as job training, entrepreneurship and small business development, housing, retail amenities, preservation and redevelopment, arts and culture, and transportation connections. The second piece is the Resource Guides and tools to help connect residents and businesses to District resources.
1814.5 The CHASE Pattern Book provides design guidelines based on buildings in the Anacostia Historic District, but it has broad applicability in all the CHASE neighborhoods. It conforms to local zoning, which sets out the legal requirements for development, and it provides additional design guidance to encourage infill that respects existing neighborhood fabric. The combination of unique
geographical assets and strong community involvement positions Congress Heights for inclusivity and vibrancy.
1814.6
Encourage reuse of the Congress Heights Metro station site and its vicinity with mixed-use, medium-density residential and commercial development using PUDs that promote new economic development. Development on the site should be cognizant of the adjacent lower-density neighborhood to the west and south, and provide a connection to the future development on the St. Elizabeths Campus.
1814.7
Create a stronger sense of identity and a gateway for the Congress Heights neighborhood. Strongly encourage WMATA to make its land available for joint development around the Congress Heights Metro station.
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)).