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With spring in full swing, the Office of Planning (OP) team has been out in the community engaging with residents on several projects, including a new podcast series and Commemorate DC, our effort to honor DC history and culture. Read about these projects and more below.
We’re also excited about Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget. The budget has significant funding for Downtown initiatives, including $2.6 million in OP’s budget for the Streets for People grant program to attract people Downtown through public space improvements and activations. These grant funds will support the implementation of three catalytic projects identified in OP’s Downtown Public Realm Plan for Gallery Place/Chinatown, Connecticut Avenue, and the I Street Greenway. The Mayor’s budget also includes resources to continue the Commemorate DC program and the Historic Homeowner Grant program. Read more about OP’s proposed FY 2025 budget here.
Sincerely,
Anita Cozart
Director, DC Office of Planning
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Commemorate DC, OP’s effort to honor the vibrant stories and profound impacts of Black Washingtonians and other people of color, kicked off a series of community engagement events on April 17th. At this virtual event, OP announced the four subjects, sites and artists for new commemorative works in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8. Members of each community shared oral histories about each of the four subjects and DC’s own, Noochie from The Front Porch, shared his story of commemorating local history and culture through musical performance.
The selected subjects are as follows:
- Ward 4 – Caribbean Carnival
- Ward 5 – Enslaved People Who Built the US Capitol
- Ward 7 – Black Entrepreneurs of Deanwood
- Ward 8 – Marion Barry & Summer Youth Employment Program
Check out a recording of the event and the presentation for more information on the subjects, sites, and artists.
OP also held site visits in April, where residents had the opportunity to explore the selected sites. Stay tuned to publicinput.com/cwtap for details on upcoming design workshops where you can be a part of the creative process and give your input to shape the designs of future commemorations.
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Commemorate DC Ward 5 Site Visit on April 20th
Commemorate DC Ward 4 Site Visit on April 27th
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Commemorate DC Ward 8 Site Visit on April 20th
Commemorate DC Ward 7 Site Visit on April 27th
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OP launched District Crossroads, a new podcast to spotlight neighborhood history told through compelling stories from residents. The first two episodes focus on North Capitol Crossroads, a 2.5 mile stretch of North Capitol Street. The District Crossroads podcast was produced as part of a neighborhood planning effort the city is undertaking to envision a transformational future for the area surrounding the intersection of North Capitol and Irving Streets.
The North Capitol Crossroads project is centered around Catholic and Trinity universities, the Irving Street NW hospital complex, the Armed Forces Retirement Home, and McMillan Reservoir. It aims to create a vision for more interconnected neighborhoods anchored by places to live, work, and heal, and considers known changes coming to the area, such as the McMillan Community Center opening this summer. Transformational opportunities identified in the vision will elevate the area’s cultural heritage—an initiative that began with the collection of oral histories featured in the podcast. A new project website contains a StoryMap that documents the area’s history, including how the neighborhoods developed and changed over time. The North Capitol Crossroads Vision will be released in the summer with opportunities for public input.
Listen to the two District Crossroads episodes, hosted by Bridget Todd of City Cast DC, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music.
Learn more about the North Capitol Crossroads projects at northcapitolcrossroads.com.
Podcast recording at North Capitol and Michigan Ave NE
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The DC Food Policy Council and the Office of Planning have released the 2023 Food System Assessment. The annual Food System Assessment reports on the state of the District food system, highlights innovative local programs, and presents opportunities to ensure all residents benefit from a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable food system.
Stay connected and learn more about upcoming food policy initiatives at dcfoodpolicy.org.
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From the establishment of a freedmen’s village in 1867 to the history of a community in wartime public housing, Barry Farm tells a story of affordable housing struggles for Black residents for over 150 years. (photo: Library of Congress, April 1944)
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For 85 years, children have enjoyed this giant frog sculpture at Langston Terrace. The complex first opened in 1938 as DC’s first federally funded housing option for Black families. (photo: National Archives, circa 1945)
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OP’s Public Space Strategies to Advance Racial Equity proposal has been selected for a $50,000 grant from the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s Transportation Land-Use Connections Program, which promotes walkable, transit-oriented communities.
OP will use this funding to develop strategies for two DC commercial corridors to become more accessible and welcoming to pedestrians and transit riders: Okie Street NE in Ivy City and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE in Anacostia. Both are predominantly Black communities lacking equitable historic investment. The study aims to enhance public space access and use through wayfinding, gathering spaces, and public art.
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Learn more and get involved in our community planning projects:
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Join us at the following events where OP staff will be available to answer questions and share information about OP’s work:
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May 4 | Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force Public Open House
- The Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force invites you to a public open house to learn about progress from the Task Force and a vision for the future of the Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood. The event will be interactive and participatory!
- 10am-12pm | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G Street NW
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May 4 | Anacostia River Festival
- The 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service present the tenth annual Anacostia River Festival. This FREE family-friendly event will reconnect you to the river and the outdoors as you celebrate 10 Years of BridgingDC with us and our friends.
- 1 - 6pm | Anacostia Park, Good Hope Road SE & Anacostia Drive SE
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Upper NE Urban Design Walking Tour starting at Lamond-Riggs Library on March 30th
District Crossroads listening session at the DC History Conference on April 5th
Commemorate DC presents OP @ The Front Porch featuring Noochie on April 17th
Ivy City Small Area Plan team at EmpowerDC's Environmental Justice Action Summit on April 27th
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OP Food Policy Director speaking at Regional Food and Agriculture Policy Meeting on April 12th.
OP Team tabeling at the DC History Conference on April 5th
OP Archeology team at Collecting DC History event at the Heurich House on April 21st
Downtown Urban Design Walking Tour starting at MLK Library on April 27th
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