807.1 The addition of thousands of new jobs and households over the next 20 years will increase demand for programmed parks, open space, and recreational activities. Existing parks will accommodate more users, particularly in neighborhoods where high-density infill development is planned. New parks will be needed to serve new and growing communities. Given the developed character of the District, finding land for such parks will be difficult and expensive. The District must seize opportunities for parkland dedication on its largest redevelopment sites and take steps now to promote park provision elsewhere as Washington, DC grows.

807.2 A 2014 DPR study estimated that 180 new acres of parkland will be needed to meet demands associated with increased population over the next 15-20 years. Additional recreation facilities and programs also are needed to close gaps in underserved neighborhoods. Many residents are more than a half-mile from a usable park or open space or live in a neighborhood where park acreage is low. New parks planned at Buzzard Point, Near Southeast, Poplar Point, Hill East, and elsewhere along the Anacostia River will meet some of this demand. Additional parkland will be needed to serve growth and development in the north central, northeastern, and southeastern parts of the District, where a substantial amount of additional housing is planned in an area with a dearth of public parks. Substantial areas for new parks should also be designated in the reuse plans for any large federal sites that are transferred to the District or used for private development in the future.

807.3 Creating new parks in built-up neighborhoods will be more challenging. There is competing pressure to use public land for other purposes, particularly revenue-generating uses like housing and office development, which tend to make potential new park sites more expensive. The District does not have a dedicated funding source for parkland acquisition (such as an impact fee) and capital improvement funds are typically used for new facilities rather than to acquire vacant land. Acquisition may occur through a variety of means, such as donations and grants, payment in lieu of taxes, tax increment financing, and public-private partnerships. Open space may also be set aside within new projects through development agreements and Planned Unit Development (PUD) amenity packages. Such open space should be usable, publicly accessible, and address open space needs of the area, including rooftops and courtyards. Business improvement districts (BIDs) also have a potential role to play. In 2012, the North of Massachusetts Avenue (NoMa) BID formed the NoMa Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to securing additional park space in the neighborhood.

807.4 New and improved parks along the waterfront have contributed to the vitality of the District in three powerful ways: making the waterfront broadly accessible,

adding economic value to new development as a neighborhood amenity through recreation and programming, and providing environmental resilience to mitigate flooding and the impacts of climate change. Canal Park, Yards Park, Diamond Teague Park, and the Wharf Park are linked to new developments and provide neighborhood amenities for existing and new waterfront residents, workers, and visitors. Additionally, long-standing federal park and open space assets—from Langston Golf Course to the National Arboretum, to Anacostia Park—are experiencing reinvestment, including plans for stronger connections to adjacent communities.

807.5 The increase in the District's population means that there is a greater demand for commemorative parks under federal jurisdiction, such as Franklin Park, to serve residents. Additionally, the federal government has struggled to provide adequate funding to plan, develop, and maintain the range of parks and open space that it operates. Federal partnerships with local agencies and organizations—such as DPR, BIDs, and nonprofit groups—are key to developing strategies that improve the character and function of these parks, provide new visitor amenities, and better support their neighborhoods while still preserving commemorative and historic resources within the parks.

807.6 Policy PROS-1.4.1: Park Planning Prioritize the creation of parks and recreation spaces through neighborhood planning and development review processes, particularly in areas where residents are not within a 10-minute walk of sufficient park space.

807.7 Policy PROS-1.4.2: Park Acquisition Acquire and improve additional parkland to meet the recreational needs of existing and future residents. This should occur both through the expansion of existing parks and the development of new parks.

807.8 Policy PROS-1.4.3: Acquisition Methods Use a variety of methods to acquire and improve parkland, including easements, donations, land purchases, strategic property transfers, long-term land leases, and park set-asides on new development sites. Recognize the impacts of new development on the need for additional park and recreational facilities and mitigate impacts through dedication of parkland or in-lieu payments.

807.9 Policy PROS-1.4.4: Parks on Large Sites Include new neighborhood and/or community parks on large sites that are redeveloped for housing and other uses that generate a demand for recreational services. The potential for such parks to enhance the connectivity of parks and open spaces throughout the District should be an important planning and design consideration, particularly where multiple large adjacent sites are being redeveloped.

807.10 Policy PROS-1.4.5: Parks on Surplus Land Acquire and convert abandoned or tax delinquent land, surplus rail or road rights-of-way, and other land not in productive use into recreational use where feasible and appropriate, particularly in parts of Washington, DC, that lack adequate access to parkland. Balance the need for additional open space with other District priorities, such as affordable housing.

807.11 Policy PROS-1.4.6: Park Amenities on NPS Land Where consistent with other policies in the Comprehensive Plan and NPS plans, and supported by nearby neighborhoods and needs assessments, encourage federal government projects that would provide new recreational amenities—such as soccer fields, picnic areas, and trails—that increase equitable District resident access to national parkland.

807.12 Policy PROS-1.4.7: Parks in Employment Growth Areas Provide new parks and open spaces in areas of expected employment growth. Small pocket parks, plazas, and other open spaces should be created in the vicinity of the NoMa-Gallaudet U Metro station, Buzzard Point, the east end of downtown/Mount Vernon Triangle, and the Near Northeast neighborhood to provide visual relief and space for active and passive recreation.

807.13 Action PROS-1.4.A: New Parkland Dedication or Park Impact Fee Study a requirement for a dedication of new parkland—or a park impact fee in lieu of new parkland creation—for new development or redevelopment based on the size, use, and density of the new development.

See also the Educational Facilities Element for polices on the use of school recreational facilities and lands.

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)).