D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 306
306.1 During the next 20 years, about 15 percent of Washington, DC's housing growth and 10 percent of its job growth will take place on 11 large sites outside of the CEA. The large sites include properties in federal ownership, District ownership, and private ownership. The status of each site varies; redevelopment on a few is imminent, but others may be over a decade away. Some still contain vital, active uses. Others have been dormant for years.
306.2 Four of the 11 sites are owned (at least in part) by the federal government. Consequently, policies in the District Elements for these lands are intended only to express the District's vision for these properties should they be transferred out of federal ownership or use. In collaboration with the federal government and the community, Washington, DC will make its planning and development decisions regarding these sites to be compatible with adjacent neighborhoods and to further the goals and policies of the District Elements.
306.3 Some large recreational sites owned by the federal government are not intended to be transferred out of federal ownership and are not included in this list. However, the District continues to work with and advocate for community-friendly management of these lands. The golf courses at East Potomac Park, Rock Creek, and the historic Langston Golf Course have the potential to become assets and positive defining features for their neighborhoods.
306.4 The large sites are shown in Map 3.5 and listed in Figure 3.2. The Area Elements should be consulted for a profile of each site and specific policies for its future use. The policies in this section focus on broader issues that apply to all sites. As shown on Map 3.5, several of the sites fall within the boundaries of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI), an economic revitalization and environmental protection program now being implemented by the District government.
306.5 Figure 3.2: Large Sites
| Sites | Acres | Consult the following Plan Area Element for more detail: |
|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | 272 | Rock Creek East |
| DC Village | 167 | Far SE/SW |
| Fort Lincoln (remainder) | 80 | Upper Northeast |
| Kenilworth-Parkside | 60 | Far NE/SE |
| McMillan Sand Filtration Site | 25 | Mid-City |
| Poplar Point | 60 | Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest |
| Reservation 13 | 67 | Capitol Hill |
| St. Elizabeths Hospital | 336 | Far SE/SW |
| Southwest Waterfront | 45 | Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest |
| Walter Reed Army Medical Center | 113 | Rock Creek East |
| RFK Stadium | 80 | Capitol Hill |
Recognize the potential for and encourage the reuse of large, government-owned properties to supply needed community services and facilities; provide significant affordable housing and desired housing types such as family housing; create education and employment opportunities; remove barriers between neighborhoods; enhance equity, including racial equity, and inclusion; provide large and significant new parks, including wildlife habitats; enhance waterfront access; improve resilience; and enhance Washington, DC’s neighborhoods.
306.7
Map 3.5: Large Sites
306.8 Policy LU-1.3.2: Mix of Uses on Large Sites Ensure that the mix of new uses on large, redeveloped sites is compatible with adjacent uses and provide benefits to surrounding neighborhoods and to Washington, DC as a whole. The particular mix of uses on any given site should be generally indicated on the Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map and more fully described in the Comprehensive Plan Area Elements. Zoning should be compatible with adjacent uses but need not be identical.306.9 Policy LU-1.3.3: Federal Sites Work closely with the federal government and the community on reuse planning for those federal lands where a change of use may take place. Even where such properties will remain in federal use, the impacts of new activities on adjacent neighborhoods should be acknowledged and proactively addressed by federal parties.306.10 Policy LU-1.3.4: New Methods of Land Regulation Recognize the opportunity afforded by large sites for innovative land regulation and the application of sustainable design and resilience principles (green building, biophilic design, and low-impact development) on a large scale.306.11 Policy LU-1.3.5: Public Benefit Uses on Large Sites Given the significant leverage the District has in redeveloping properties that it owns, include appropriate public benefit uses on such sites if and when they are reused, and involve the public in identifying benefits. Examples of such uses are housing, especially affordable housing, and housing serving families, older adults, and vulnerable populations; new parks and open spaces; health care and civic facilities; public educational facilities and other public facilities; and uses providing employment opportunities for District residents.306.12 Policy LU-1.3.6: New Neighborhoods and the Urban Fabric On those large sites that are redeveloped as new neighborhoods (such as Reservation 13), integrate new development into the fabric of the District to the greatest extent feasible. Incorporate extensions of the street grid, public access and circulation improvements, and new public open spaces. Establish a compatible relationship between new structures and uses and the existing neighborhood fabric. Such sites should not be developed as self-contained communities, isolated or gated from their surroundings, and they should enhance community resilience, equitable development, and promote inclusion.306.13 Policy LU-1.3.7: Protecting Existing Assets on Large Sites Identify and protect existing assets, such as historic buildings, historic site plan elements, important vistas, and major landscape elements as large sites are redeveloped.
Use the redevelopment of large sites to achieve related urban design, open space, environmental, resilience, equity, accessibility, and economic development objectives along the Anacostia Waterfront, as well as other shoreline areas. Large waterfront sites should be used for water-focused recreation, housing including affordable housing, commercial, and cultural development, with activities that are accessible to both sides of the river. Create opportunities for adjacent communities to benefit from site redevelopment. Large sites should further be used to enhance the physical and environmental quality of the rivers.
Continue to work with the federal government to transfer federally owned sites to local control, long-term leases, or ownership to capitalize more fully on unrealized development and parkland opportunities.
Policies and actions for large sites are also contained in the Comprehensive Plan Area Elements.
When land is identified to shift from federal to private or local use, develop planning and zoning approaches that provide for, as appropriate, the reconstruction of historic rights-of-way and reservations, integration of the sites into the adjoining neighborhoods, and the enhancement of special characteristics or opportunities of the sites. Foster uses that create jobs. Encourage cultural, residential, open space, recreational, and retail uses to advance mixed-use, and as appropriate, mixed income neighborhoods, even if the site is designated as high-density commercial on the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map. Coordinate with the NCPC as appropriate.
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)).