D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 608
608.1 Wooded hillsides and stream valleys provide beauty and visual relief in Washington, DC, particularly in Upper Northwest and in neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8. Many of Washington, DC’s stream valleys have been preserved by NPS, protecting local waterways and providing corridors for wildlife and recreation. But preservation alone has not fully safeguarded these areas. Development and tree removal on private properties can reduce their natural, unspoiled character and cause erosion and water quality problems. Along some stream valleys, illegal dumping remains a problem. In some places, the streams themselves have been buried or diverted into stormwater culverts; streams have been restored to their natural condition at Alger Park, Springhouse Run, and Watts Branch.
608.2 A similar set of challenges is present on steep slopes, generally defined as slopes with a grade of 25 percent or more. As Map 6.4 indicates, such slopes are concentrated in protected areas like Rock Creek Park and the Potomac Palisades. But they are also present in neighborhoods like Forest Hills and Woodland-Normanstone, and on large sites like the St. Elizabeths Campus.
608.3 Policy E-2.4.1: Conservation of Steep Slopes Strongly discourage development on steep slopes (i.e., greater than 25 percent or with highly erodible soil), such as those found along stream valleys in Upper Northwest and Southeast DC. Planning and building regulations should require that any construction on such slopes is sensitively designed and includes slope stabilization measures.
608.4 Policy E-2.4.2: Management of Uplands Along Stream Valleys Protect stream valley parks by limiting construction, requiring sensitive design, and retaining vegetation on adjacent upland properties. Development of land draining to stream valleys shall be managed as needed to protect flora, fauna, and water quality; prevent erosion and siltation of streams; minimize intrusion of views from the parks; and retain a natural gradient green buffer between the built environment and these natural areas.
608.5 Policy E-2.4.3: Open Space Protection Along Stream Valleys Preserve publicly owned land adjacent to streams, ravines, and contiguous tracts of habitat as densely vegetated open space. Natural drainage channels and buffer zones in these areas should be protected from the adverse effects of nearby urban uses.
608.6 Policy E-2.4.4: Channelization of Streams Retain streams and ravines in their natural condition rather than constructing human-made channels. Where possible, restore channelized streams to more natural conditions. Where alteration is necessary, encourage design solutions that
retain or re-create natural ecological values.
608.7
Work with neighborhood and community groups, homeowners and other landowners, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) to identify additional areas to which the Tree and Slope Protection (TSP) should be extended. Such areas should generally abut streams or public open spaces and should have steep slopes, significant natural tree cover, and some potential for future development. Particular attention should be given to extending the TSP to lands in Wards 7 and 8.
608.8
Map 6.4 TSP Areas, Steep Slopes, and Areas with Erodible Soils
(Source: OP, 2018)
Explore land trusts, conservation easements, and other tools for preserving steep slopes and hillside areas.
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)).