D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 2415
2415.1 This focus area includes the Metro station vicinity and the 2.7-mile corridor extending from North Capitol Street east to the Maryland line. The Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metro station opened in 1976 and was one of the first stations in the system. Despite the fact that the station is just one mile from Downtown Washington, DC, its current configuration has a suburban design. The station is adjoined by one of the largest surface parking lots in the District on its southeast and by an aging shopping center on the northwest. Other uses in the vicinity include the big box retail center on Brentwood Road, light industrial uses, and strip commercial uses on Rhode Island Avenue.
2415.2 Land around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station is underused, but there are development plans and infrastructure investments to create a community focal point. The WMATA parking lot was redeveloped into Rhode Island Row, a mixed-use development at the foot of the Metro station, east of the tracks. Over time, additional properties may transition to new uses. Medium- to high-density housing is strongly encouraged in this area, and traffic improvements are recommended to make the station more accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users. Improvements to the Metropolitan Branch Trail have been made through this area, including a pedestrian bridge over the railroad, and there are opportunities for trail-oriented development at the Rhode Island Shopping Center west of the tracks. The Rhode Island Shopping Center offers another opportunity for improved pedestrian connectivity and transit-oriented development.
2415.3 Extending east from the station, Rhode Island Avenue is a wide tree-lined street with maintained homes and apartments, scattered commercial businesses and churches, and public uses like fire stations and parks. A walkable shopping district between 20th and 24th Streets NE serves as the retail heart of the Woodridge community and the home of the Rhode Island Avenue Main Street.
2415.4 The general character of the avenue is expected to change as infill development occurs near the Metro station and in several locations along the corridor. Filling in gaps in the street wall would be desirable in the commercial areas, creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment. While most of the street is zoned for commercial uses, development that includes ground-floor retail uses or maker spaces, including space for artists and creatives, and upper-story housing would be desirable. The surrounding area is underserved by retail uses and would benefit from new restaurants, local-serving stores, and other services.
In consultation with property owners, community groups, and residents, use zoning, incentives, and other tools to facilitate mixed-use projects. Create productive synergies between 12th Street and planned adjacent economic
development projects, assist with connectivity and parking policies, encourage quality project designs, and encourage voluntary preservation of buildings on 12th Street, which is most emblematic of Brookland's history and character.
2415.6 Policy UNE-2.5.2: Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metro Station Encourage the development of additional medium- to high-density mixed-use, pedestrian and multimodal-friendly development around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station, particularly on the surface parking lots in the station vicinity. Review the Rhode Island properties west of and proximate to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station for transit connections and appropriate land use recommendations.
2415.7 Policy UNE-2.5.3: Redevelopment of Older Commercial and Industrial Sites Encourage the long-term reuse of older commercial and industrial sites in the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station vicinity with mixed uses, including housing and PDR uses. Future mixed-use development should be pedestrian-oriented, with design features that encourage walking to the Metro station and nearby shopping.
2415.8 Policy UNE-2.5.4: Pedestrian Improvements Enhance pedestrian connections between the neighborhoods around the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station and the station itself. This should include improvements to the public realm along Rhode Island Avenue, with safer pedestrian crossings, street trees, and other amenities that make the street more attractive.
2415.9 Policy UNE-2.5.5: Rhode Island Avenue Corridor Strengthen the Rhode Island Avenue corridor from 13th to 24th Street NE as a pedestrian-oriented mixed-use district that better meets the needs of residents in the Brentwood, Brookland, Woodridge, and South Central neighborhoods. Infill development that combines ground-floor retail and upper-story office and/or housing should be encouraged, along with retention of historic significant structures and the Main Street character.
2415.10 Action UNE-2.5.A: Rhode Island Avenue Station Area Planning Work with WMATA, the local ANC, local businesses, and the community to encourage plans for the Rhode Island Avenue Metro area to enhance the surrounding neighborhoods and address issues such as traffic, parking, and station access. Acknowledge the site's former use and history as the Colombian Harmony Cemetery in the station area design through art, displays, or other features.
2415.11 Action UNE-2.5.B: Further Density Requests at Brookland Manor Requests for increased zoning and/or density that create residential units and result from the higher FLUM designation at the area bounded by Rhode Island Avenue, Montana Avenue and Saratoga Streets NE (Brookland Manor) shall
include the following: a minimum of 30 percent of all units created through this additional increase in density must be affordable, with all of these units available to households earning no more than 60 percent of the regional MFI and available for vouchers with rent caps. In addition, at least 20 percent of all affordable units shall be family sized units with a mix of three, four and five bedrooms.
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)).