D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 2308
2308.1 The following general policies and actions should guide growth and neighborhood conservation decisions in Rock Creek West. These policies and actions should be considered in tandem with those in the Citywide Elements of the Comprehensive Plan.
2308.2 Policy RCW-1.1.1: Neighborhood Conservation Preserve the low-density residential neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park . Future development in both residential and commercial areas should be carefully managed to address the existing scale, function, and character of these neighborhoods. Updates to zoning regulations offer the opportunity to create more accessory dwelling units for this area to help absorb a share of the District's growth and provide a more proportional portion of affordable and moderate-income housing sensitive to existing neighborhood context.
2308.3 Policy RCW-1.1.2: Economic Development Given the strength of the private market within Rock Creek West, carefully consider public-private partnerships that provide public space and community amenities and support additional mixed-use development in the area.
2308.4 Policy RCW-1.1.3: Conserving Neighborhood Commercial Centers Support and sustain local retail uses and small businesses in the area's neighborhood commercial centers as outlined in the Generalized Policy Map. Compatible new uses such as multi-family housing or neighborhood-serving office space (above local-serving ground-floor retail uses) should be considered within the area's commercial centers to meet affordable and moderate-income housing needs, provide transit-oriented development, and sustain existing and new neighborhood-serving retail and small businesses.
2308.5 Policy RCW-1.1.4: Infill Development Recognize the opportunity for infill development within the areas designated for commercial land use on the Future Land Use Map. When such development is proposed, work with ANCs, residents, and community organizations to encourage mixed-use projects that combine housing, including affordable housing, neighborhood-serving retail, and commercial uses. s. Design transitions between large- and small-scale development to ameliorate the appearance of overwhelming scale and to relate to context of lower-scale surrounding neighborhoods.
2308.6 Policy RCW-1.1.5: Preference for Local-Serving Retail Support new commercial development in the Planning Area that provides the range of goods and services necessary to meet the needs of local residents. Such uses are preferable to the development of new larger-scale or bigbox retail uses
that serve a regional market. Destination retail uses are not appropriate in smaller-scale commercial areas, especially those without Metro access. Regardless of scale, retail development should be planned and designed to mitigate traffic, parking, and other impacts on adjacent residential areas.
2308.7
Recognize the importance of the area’s five Metro stations to the land use pattern and transportation network of Northwest Washington and Washington, DC as a whole. Each station should be treated as a unique place and an integral part of the neighborhood around it. Mixed-use redevelopment at the area’s Metro stations should prioritize the production of affordable and moderate-income housing and retail uses in a manner consistent with the Future Land Use Map, the Generalized Policy Map, and the policies of the Comprehensive Plan. Design context-specific transitions to be more aesthetically pleasing from development along the avenues to nearby low-scale neighborhoods.
2308.8
Maintain and increase housing for older adults and persons with disabilities, especially along the major transportation and commercial corridors of Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues NW.
2308.9
Institutional land uses in the Rock Creek West Planning Area should be harmonious with surrounding uses, and potential adverse effects on neighboring properties should be minimized when institutions seek expansion. Redevelopment of institutional land should be compatible with the physical character of the community, the changing nature of the District, and not inconsistent with provisions of the Comprehensive Plan and the underlying zoning rules and regulations. Densities and intensities of any future development on such sites should reflect input from the local community, accommodating student housing on campuses and future infrastructure needs.
See the Land Use Element for policies on the expansion of institutional uses and the neighborhood impacts of private schools and other institutional uses.
2308.10
Conserve the large areas of green space and interior open spaces that are common in and around the community’s institutional uses and its older apartment buildings. Where these open spaces are recognized to contribute to the integrity of the site or structure, consideration should be given to reconcile infill with these open spaces.
2308.11
Conserve the historic estates in the neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park,
including those that are formally landmarked and those that may be eligible for landmark status. Encourage the future use of these sites to be compatible with their landmark status and protect the integrity of their architectural and landscape design. As development and repurposing of these sites does occur, it should be sensitive to surrounding natural areas and not harm historic resources on the site. The use of conservation easements to conserve open spaces on these properties should be considered.
2308.12 Policy RCW-1.1.11: Managing Transportation Demand Support the implementation of transportation demand management programs and other measures to more efficiently use the area's road network by reducing the volume of vehicle trips generated by new developments. Encourage new developments to provide multimodal transportation options and implement traffic calming to reduce development impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
2308.13 Policy RCW-1.1.12: Reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle Trips Encourage land use decisions that support multimodal transportation options including walking, biking, and transit use in areas such as the Friendship Heights, Tenleytown, and Connecticut/Van Ness Metro stations to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips. When planned unit developments (PUDs) are proposed in these areas, site design and mitigation measures should prioritize non-automobile modes. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities, enhanced transit stops, and carsharing services should be integrated into site designs, in addition to measures addressing passenger, delivery, and service vehicles.
Please consult the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan for policies on traffic levels of service and transportation demand management programs.
2308.14 Policy RCW-1.1.13: Parking Support parking management strategies to encourage multimodal options for accessing the area's residential and commercial districts.
2308.15 Policy RCW-1.1.14: Bicycle Facilities Implement moveDC and livability studies to improve facilities for bicyclists, including adding bike lanes and bikeshare stations, where feasible, along Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts Avenues, along MacArthur Boulevard, along Calvert and Abermarle Streets, Broad Branch Road NW (to Rock Creek Park), and at each of the Metro stations.
2308.16 Policy RCW-1.1.15: Metrorail Access Prioritize pedestrian, bicycle, and bus access to the five Metro station areas, and improve their visual and urban design qualities. Space for carshare and rideshare vehicles should be provided near the stations where feasible to reduce parking congestion in neighborhoods and to encourage alternatives to vehicle ownership.
Conduct an evaluation of commercial zoning designations throughout the Rock Creek West Planning Area. Consider the creation of additional neighborhood commercial zones at the Van Ness-UDC, Tenleytown, and Friendship Heights Metro stations, and at neighborhood commercial centers and Main Streets throughout the area. Such zones should promote pedestrian-oriented development and be responsive to community concerns about building height, buffers, and transitions between uses, while promoting locally owned businesses and mixed-use development.
Conduct and implement transportation and livability studies for the area’s major corridors to identify possible traffic flow and safety improvements. These studies should also identify improvements to diminish cut-through traffic, reduce speeding, and promote pedestrian and bicycle safety on local streets, especially in residential areas adjacent to Wisconsin Avenue, Connecticut Avenue, Western Avenue, River Road and Military Road NW.
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)).