Section 10-A1900. OVERVIEW

 

1900.1The Lower Anacostia Waterfront/Near Southwest Planning Area encompasses 3.0 square miles of land located along both sides of the Anacostia River in the southwest and southeast quadrants of the District of Columbia. Its boundaries are shown in the Map to the left. This Planning Area includes parts of Wards 6, 7, and 8. In the past, portions of this Planning Area have also been in Ward 2. 1900.1

 

1900.2The Anacostia waterfront is Washington’s great frontier for the 21st century. Much of its shoreline is on the cusp of being transformed from a landscape of industrial, transportation, and government uses to one of new mixed use neighborhoods, workplaces, civic spaces, parks, and restored natural areas. Established waterfront neighborhoods stand to benefit greatly as this transformation occurs, with improved access to the shoreline, new recreational amenities, new housing and transportation choices, and a cleaner natural environment. 1900.2

 

1900.3Land uses along the Anacostia waterfront are diverse. The shoreline currently includes wetlands and large open spaces, marinas, power plants, housing, commercial centers, and industry. The Anacostia Waterfront Planning Area includes the residential neighborhoods of Southwest and Near Southeast/Carrollsburg. Its parks and open spaces include Anacostia Park, Poplar Point, and Hains Point, as well as historic squares and playgrounds in the residential areas. The area also includes federal military installations such as Fort McNair and the Washington Navy Yard, and local public facilities such as schools and recreation centers. It also includes Southeastern University, a business-oriented university catering to the educational needs of many District residents. 1900.3

 

1900.4As noted in the Citywide Elements, the Anacostia River itself has suffered from neglect. It has long been Washington’s “second river” lagging far behind the Potomac in visibility, image, public investment, and environmental clean-up. Runoff from the 176-square mile Anacostia River watershed, most of which is in Maryland, has polluted surface waters and compromised wetlands. This in turn affects water quality in the Lower Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. 1900.4

 

1900.5Conditions along the river will change dramatically as the Anacostia Framework Plan is implemented. The Framework Plan, which was adopted by the DC Council in 2004 as part of the legislation creating the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, lays out a strategy for improving water quality, restoring habitat, and improving shoreline parks so that the waterfront becomes the centerpiece for new and revitalized communities. A network of trails, paths, and reconstructed bridges will help mend the divide that the river has come to symbolize in Washington. The objective is not only to connect the east and west shorelines, but to connect the city itself through great parks, public places, and new neighborhoods along a restored river. 1900.5

 

1900.6The Anacostia Waterfront Corporation (AWC) is leading the revitalization of lands along the river and coordinating environmental and programming initiatives that promote river clean up, public awareness, and waterfront recreation. Restoring the river’s natural environment is a central part of the AWC’s mission. 1900.6

 

1900.7The waterfront area is already experiencing substantial change. Since 2000, millions of square feet of office space have been constructed in the Near Southeast and hundreds of new residential units have been built. Former public housing at Arthur Capper-Carrollsburg is being replaced by new mixed income housing, with one-for-one replacement of every public housing unit removed. Redevelopment has been accompanied by vast improvements in housing quality, public safety, and project design. Groundbreaking for the new Washington National’s baseball stadium took place in early 2006. Projects on surrounding sites will transform this area into a new destination for visitors and residents from all parts of the region, nation, and world. 1900.7

 

1900.8Other planned improvements include a 70-acre public park at Poplar Point, an Interpretive Nature Center at a newly accessible Kingman Island, the Washington Canal Blocks Park in Near Southeast, and mixed use development in the Southwest Waterfront, Southeast Federal Center, Carrollsburg, and Poplar Point neighborhoods. Plans for these areas have been prepared in a broader context, taking into consideration “upriver” sites such as Reservation 13 and Parkside. Throughout the Planning Area and in the adjacent areas of Capitol Hill, Upper Northeast, and Far Northeast/ Southeast, neighborhoods will be better connected to the river by extending streets to the waterfront, adding waterfront promenades, and providing new forms of transportation such as water taxis. Rebuilding of the South Capitol Street/Frederick Douglass Bridge and the 11th/12th Street bridges will change the visual profile of the waterfront and make pedestrian and bicycle crossings safer and easier. 1900.8

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.