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Happy 2021, OP friends and stakeholders! As we kick off the new year, you will see below that OP and our partners have been busy on various efforts to support the Mayor’s vision for a vibrant and equitable city. We also have a significant year ahead of us, including supporting DC Council approval of the Comprehensive Plan Update, continuing to support COVID-19 response and recovery, and moving forward with planning efforts in every Ward of the District. Through it all, we remain committed to planning for the long-term vibrancy, growth, and values of the District of Columbia.
Stay tuned as future newsletters promise to be full of milestones and planning news. Please feel free to share with others, who can sign up here. In addition, you can follow our work on Twitter under @OPinDC.
Sincerely,
Andrew Trueblood
Director, DC Office of Planning
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In furtherance of the Mayor’s challenge to increase affordable housing in the District, the Zoning Commission accepted the revised Expanded Inclusionary Zoning (IZ+) proposal on January 28, 2021, and advertised it for public comment with final action anticipated on February 25, 2020. IZ+ is an important tool to help get more affordable housing units, especially in high-cost areas. OP hosted a virtual roundtable during the summer to gather public feedback on the proposed concept, which expands existing IZ requirements of the Zoning Regulations to create higher affordable housing set-aside requirements for certain zoning map amendments that increase density. On November 16, the Zoning Commission held a public hearing and took proposed action to approve IZ+. OP has continued to work with residents and stakeholders throughout the process.
The Zoning Commission also set IZ-XL Phase1 down for a public hearing. As OP continues to find new ways to meet Mayor Bowser’s challenge to produce more affordable housing in a more equitable way across the District, the proposed IZ-XL Phase 1 text amendments will:
- Expand the regular IZ program to apply to the following exempt zones:
- R-3 in the Anacostia Historic District;
- RA-5 and RA-10 (Dupont Circle);
- CG-1;
- MU-13 in the Georgetown Historic District;
- MU-27 (Naval Observatory); and
- NC-6 (Eighth Street) in the Capitol Hill Historic District.
- Increase the height threshold from 50 ft to 85 ft as it relates to type of construction and the corresponding regular IZ set-side requirement.
The complete record in the IZ+ case can be viewed online at the Office of Zoning’s Interactive Zoning Information System.
For more information on Inclusionary Zoning, please visit planning.dc.gov/inclusionaryzoning.
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In the Summer and Fall of 2020, OP conducted a Public Life Study at the intersection of 14th and U Streets, NW, to help re-imagine these public spaces as a welcoming, active, and accessible community hub. Earlier this month, OP released Reimagining Reeves Summary of Findings from that study based on input from two public meetings, interviews with stakeholders, and an online survey that garnered nearly 4,500 responses. The summary includes principles used as guidance in DMPED’s solicitation for the redevelopment of the Reeves Center.
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OP invites you to complete a short survey, designed to assess your experiences with outdoor dining and retail establishments, such as streateries, in Washington, DC during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Established in June 2020 through a joint District Department of Transportation, Office of Planning, and Department of Health effort, the outdoor dining and retail pickup program initially aimed to uplift small businesses following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the resulting public health emergency status. Now, OP is evaluating how the effort impacted District residents and businesses to help determine the future of the program. The information you provide in the survey will inform that assessment.
The survey will be available until February 14, 2021.
Click here to complete the survey.
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Summer 2020 prompted a national and District-level dialogue on statues and memorials, which are also defined in District regulations as Commemorative Works. As a result, OP is developing a strategy to support new commemorative works in all eight Wards to memorialize individuals, places, and events important to the District and its residents.
To date, OP has identified an initial, draft list of five potential locations in each Ward for a total of 40 preferred sites throughout the District. We invite residents, advisory neighborhood commissioners, community groups, merchants and other District stakeholders to learn more about the strategy and share your comments on the proposed locations.
Visit our CWC website to:
- Sign up to receive updates on this effort
- Take our 5-minute survey which will be available between January 28th through February 25th.
- RSVP to attend OP’s virtual public meeting on February 18th, 2021, 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
OP will host a virtual public meeting to review the process used to identify the preferred sites and discuss the 40 sites that have been identified.
OP will use public feedback we receive to inform the final location strategy which we anticipate releasing in March 2021.
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On January 15th, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released the Baltimore-Washington Super Conducting Maglev Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public comment with a deadline of April 22, 2021. OP recommends that interested District stakeholders review the DEIS to ensure that the project meets the long-term needs of the District. OP issued a statement highlighting the principles OP will be using in its review of the DEIS, to support stakeholders who intend to review and submit comments.
View the Statement from Director Andrew Trueblood.
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Last week, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), in partnership with OP and Cities of Service, announced the winners of Resilient Together, a creative placemaking grant program designed to support local artist and small business partnerships in Ward 8. In response to an open call, six Artist/Small Business partnerships – all rooted in the Ward 8 community and led by people of color – were selected to receive up to $5,000 to develop creative strategies to attract and sustain their customer base as they continue to adapt to the changing circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here for the list of winners and more information about Resilient Together.
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As our community planning efforts continue, OP is looking for the professional services of a highly qualified CBE consulting firm to perform work in the area of architectural and open space renderings, conceptual building design, and architectural and urban design services for Small Area Plans.
Bids are due by February 19, 2021.
To submit a response, please visit https://planning.dc.gov/release/request-proposals-urban-design-strategy.
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The DC Department of Parks and Recreation is in the process of creating the Ready2Play Master Plan, which will develop a vision to guide DPR for the next 20 years. This plan is guided in part by the goals established in the proposed Comp Plan update's parks, recreation, and open space element.
DPR is excited to announce the next phase of #Ready2PlayDC with a series of upcoming virtual meetings on the future of parks and recreation within each ward. This is YOUR opportunity to focus on the particular recreation centers and parks in YOUR ward that you want to see prioritized for capital improvements and/or new programming in the future. It will also be a chance to suggest new sites for possible future facilities. You can find the links to all of the meetings on the Ready2Play website. Once you RSVP, you will receive a calendar invite with all of the appropriate meeting information.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please email ready2play@dc.gov.
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