Welcome to the DC 2050 Insider! Get the latest on what we’ve been up to and what’s coming up.
The DC Office of Planning (OP) has been working alongside DC residents, community organizations, businesses, and elected officials to develop DC 2050, the District's next Comprehensive Plan.
In this edition:
Join us in March at either of two workshops at the MLK Library (901 G St NW). At these meetings, we’ll share our proposals for future land use, invite your feedback, and hold small-group conversations.
Session #1: Wednesday, March 18th at 6:00 PM (with breakout sessions at 6:30pm and 7:15pm)
Session #2: Saturday, March 21st at 11:00 AM (with breakout sessions at 11:30am and 12:15pm)
Look out for an online survey to come if you’re unable to join us in person!
As part of the DC 2050 engagement process, we have awarded a total of $75,000 in grants to three community-based organizations in the District to lead targeted engagement efforts.
Over the next eight months, The Coalition, Many Languages One Voice, and Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corporation will plan and host inclusive community engagement activities across the District. They’re especially focused on connecting with lower-income Black residents in Wards 5 , 7, and 8 and residents with limited English proficiency.
These organizations bring deep knowledge about the District’s communities and creative approaches for meaningful and inclusive engagement. The work they lead will help us ensure that harder-to-reach residents are not left out of the process to develop the District’s next comprehensive plan.
Pictured: The Coalition team, alongside OP staff following a community outreach event
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Check out this excerpt from Director Cozart’s latest blog post:
DC 2050: Where Can the District Grow?
DC 2050 will guide land use and development in our city for the next 25 years. Two of the big questions we are thinking about at OP are 1) how will we grow? and 2) where should we grow?
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We're currently in Phase 2: Explore Possible Futures, which focuses on educating the DC community about the new place types approach to land use policy. In an online survey that closed in January, we asked for input on approaches to growth. For example, identifying where and how we allow more housing or commercial opportunities across the city and in our neighborhoods. Preliminary results include more than 1,200 responses. Many of the comments reflect what we heard in the in-person workshops we held in November 2025: people want more housing choices.
Read the full blog on our website and watch a short video version with Director Cozart on Instagram or your preferred platform.
Pictured: Map of digital workshop survey responses, showing where respondents think we could add development, in the form of housing or other uses
Join us at the following upcoming events and find the latest schedule at DC2050.com:
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March 7 - Rooting DC | 9:00am-4:00pm | Eastern Senior High School, 1700 East Capitol St. NE
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March 18 - DC 2050 public workshop| MLK Library, 901 G St NW| 6:00-8:00pm | Register for the event
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March 21 - DC 2050 public workshop | MLK Library, 901 G St NW | 11:00am-1:00pm | Register for the event
The Office of Planning Works for You!
If you’d like us to table at your event or organization, or if you’re interested in co-hosting a briefing or small group discussion through your organization, please email us at dc2050@dc.gov.
 Pictured left to right: 1) Focus group co-hosted with the Goodwill Excel Center (Feb. 3); Second focus group co-hosted with the Goodwill Excel Center (Feb. 4); 3) DACL’s Red, White, & You Valentine’s Day event where DC 2050 staff tabled to speak with seniors (Feb.11)
 In this section of our newsletter, we share questions we've heard from residents. If you have a question for OP, please email it to us at dc2050@dc.gov.
Question: What is the Future Land Use Map?
Answer: A future land use map shows where different uses (e.g., residential, commercial, open space) are recommended or planned. It indicates what kind of development is allowed in each area of the city and guides the District’s zoning.
At our last round of public workshops in November, we shared the District’s existing Future Land Use Map, converted to new place type categories. Coming up in March, we’ll share a new version of the map with proposed changes that we think will accommodate the 145,000 additional residents we anticipate by 2050. We look forward to talking with you about it and hearing your feedback.
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