D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 403
403
403.1 As laid out in the Framework Element of the Comprehensive Plan, the District and region are expected to continue to gain jobs and households over the next 20 years. Coordination of transportation and land use decisions is critical to making the best use of the infrastructure and finite land resources as these gains occur. The balance between housing and jobs plays a clear role in travel patterns. In general, the demands on the transportation system are reduced when homes are located close to places of employment, shopping, and leisure. People spend less time traveling, and overall quality of life may be improved. The transportation system as a whole benefits when more mixed-use residential and employment areas are situated along major transit routes. Travel times are reduced, and there is better use of public transportation investments. Future efforts should account for differences in transportation options and access available to households with varying incomes and to communities of color, and seek to improve affordability and access to services for underserved areas of the District.
403.2 Although the District has already developed walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods, future opportunities will arise to strengthen the linkage between land use and transportation as new development takes place. Design features play an important role in this equation. Residential communities should be developed so that services, such as shopping, are accessible by walking, taking transit, or riding a bicycle—not just by driving a car. The design of transportation infrastructure can also have a major impact on travel behavior and system performance. For example, the redesigns of the Anacostia River crossings that are planned, under construction, and implemented provide for pedestrian and bicycle access across the river, improving the historical bridge crossings, which discouraged or prohibited access. There are also opportunities to enhance bike and pedestrian connectivity with the redesign of the Long Bridge across the Potomac River.
403.3 The space needs of transportation support facilities, including space for bus garages, service yards, and motor vehicle inspection facilities, also call for stronger coordination of land use and transportation planning. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) already has a critical need for additional and improved bus storage and service yards and anticipates a need for greater rail yard space when the Metrorail fleet adds more eight-car trains. The lack of modern bus garages in the District severely impedes better bus service. As new transit lines are developed for the Circulator and DC Streetcar, additional land will be needed for new support facilities. Just as corridor preservation efforts anticipate the future need for transportation facilities, there is a need for land use planning to preserve opportunities for transportation support facilities, such as vehicle maintenance and storage. Failure to preserve areas for this use forces the location of facilities at great distances from service areas, increasing costs and
limiting vehicle availability in emergencies. In some cases, as with rail facilities, location of vehicle maintenance and storage with operation service is essential. As service needs grow, transportation support facilities are needed to support existing services and future growth across the District.
403.4 Closer coordination of transportation and land use planning can result in better congestion management, more efficient use of transit and parking, and transportation infrastructure that is sensitive and complementary to its surrounding context.
403.5 Assessing and measuring the transportation impacts of land use decisions are also important steps in integrated land use and transportation planning. New development generates new trips—be they auto trips, transit trips, pedestrian trips, or bicycle trips. Major land use changes, such as the development of large housing complexes or office buildings, should be evaluated for their impacts on existing and planned transportation infrastructure to ensure that the network can function adequately when the projects are completed. New methods of managing transportation impacts—such as TDM (additional information can be found in Section T-3.1 of this chapter)—should be pursued in lieu of simply building more roads. Additionally, as new technologies—such as transportation network companies (TNCs) and connected and autonomous vehicles (AVs)—emerge, the District will evaluate potential land use impacts and continue to encourage mixed-use and accessible development patterns.
403.6 In the past, the traditional way of measuring traffic impacts was to use a series of lettered grades (A through F) based on factors such as vehicle speed, the volume of cars that pass along a street compared to the street’s capacity, and the length of time for a car to pass through an intersection. These level of service (LOS) standards continue to be widely used in the suburbs, where most trips are made by car. But traditional LOS measures are not appropriate in a built out District, where widening streets to increase capacity is rarely an option (or a desired outcome). In the District, LOS measures should integrate vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit travel. The benchmark should be the number of people who can pass along a corridor or through an intersection rather than just the number of cars.
Require appropriate environmental analysis for major transportation projects, including new roadways, bridges, transit systems, road design changes, and rerouting of traffic from roads classified as principal arterials or higher onto minor arterials or neighborhood streets with lesser volumes.
Assess the transportation impacts of development projects using multimodal standards rather than traditional vehicle standards to more accurately measure and
more effectively mitigate development impacts on the transportation network. Environmental and climate change impacts, including that of carbon dioxide, should be included in the assessment of land use impacts.
Design transportation infrastructure to support current land uses as well as land use goals for mixed-use, accessible neighborhoods. Make the design and scale of transportation facilities compatible with planned land uses. Facilities should comply with the District’s Complete Streets policy, adopted in October 2010, with an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle-friendly design.
Support transit-oriented development by investing in pedestrian-oriented transportation improvements at or around transit stations, major bus corridors, and transfer points. Encourage development projects to build or upgrade the pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure leading to the nearest transit stop to create last-mile connections. Pedestrian movements and safety should be prioritized around transit stations.
See also Section LU-1.4 of the Land Use Element for transit-oriented development policies.
Maximize ridership potential, housing including affordable housing, and economic development opportunities by fostering transit-supportive commercial and residential joint development projects on WMATA-owned or -controlled land, public land, and private properties adjacent to Metrorail stations.
Prioritize in place preservation and rehabilitation for mass transit facilities and prioritize new, efficient support facility locations for storage and/or maintenance for Metrobus, DC Circulator, commuter bus, motor coach, Metrorail, streetcar, commuter rail, and intercity rail to serve residential and commercial areas throughout the District to equitably distribute access to these services throughout all wards. Recognize bus service and its support facilities as critical components of the District’s public transportation system. Agencies should work to integrate mass transit facilities in the urban form and development program.
Transportation within the District shall be accessible and serve all users. Residents, workers and visitors should have access to safe, affordable and reliable transportation options regardless of age, race, income, geography or physical ability. Transportation should not be a barrier to economic, educational, or health opportunity for District residents. Transportation planning and development
should be framed by a racial equity lens, to identify and address historic and current barriers and additional transportation burdens experienced by communities of color.
403.14 Policy T-1.1.8: Minimize Off-Street Parking An increase in vehicle parking has been shown to add vehicle trips to the transportation network. In light of this, excessive off-street vehicle parking should be discouraged.403.15 Action T-1.1.A: Transportation Measures of Effectiveness Implement moveDC performance measures and the District Mobility Project to quantify transportation service and assess land use impacts on the transportation system. Priority performance measures include mode share, access to transportation options, person-carrying capacity or throughput, travel time reliability, and accessibility and equity for potentially vulnerable populations.403.16 Action T-1.1.B: Transportation Improvements Require TDM measures and transportation support facilities—such as crosswalks, bus shelters, transit resource and information kiosks, Capital Bikeshare stations, and bicycle facilities—with large development projects and major trip generators, including projects that go through the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process. Consider improvements to transit stations—such as additional stairs, escalators, and in some cases new entrances—with large developments.403.17 Action T-1.1.C: Create Regional Network of Transportation Support Facilities Work with WMATA and regional jurisdictions and partners to strategically locate new transportation infrastructure support facilities for the greater Washington metropolitan area where they best serve the transportation network and complement nearby land uses.403.18 Action T-1.1.D: Land Use—Transportation Coordination Establish regular meetings with neighboring jurisdictions to discuss planned transportation projects and transportation needs. Encourage all jurisdictions to engage in planning and project coordination so that projects that occur near borders are considered by all those impacted.403.19 Action T-1.1.E Update Zoning Regulations Regarding Mass Transit Include Metrobus service and its support facilities (i.e., parking, refueling, routine cleaning and maintenance, cosmetic repairs, employee breakrooms and lockers, offices and training facilities) in the definition of “mass transit facilities” in the Zoning Regulations to ensure that bus service is recognized as a critical component of the District’s public transportation system.
Please consult the Land Use and Economic Development Elements for additional
policies and actions on transit-oriented development. Policies on parking are included in Section T3.2 of this element and in the Land Use Element. Please see Section T-3.1 for additional policies on transportation demand management.
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)).