Section 10-A1911. AW-2.1 SOUTHWEST WATERFRONT

 

1911.1The Southwest Waterfront is a 45- acre area along the Washington Channel, stretching three quarters of a mile along Maine Avenue from the Tidal Basin to Fort McNair. The area includes the Washington Fish Market, portions of East Potomac Park, a boating/residential community at Gangplank Marina, restaurants and entertainment uses, and parking areas. Nearby uses include the Arena Stage, several churches, Waterside Mall, office buildings, and apartments. Major points of access include 6th, 7th, and 9th Streets SW, M Street SW, and the Waterfront/SEU Metro Station. 1911.1

 

1911.2Although it is relatively accessible and familiar to residents of Southwest, the Southwest Waterfront is not the active, public, civic space it could be. Roads and parking lots account for over 40 percent of the area, and there are 12 lanes of traffic (including both Water Street and Maine Avenue) between the shoreline and adjacent residential areas. L’Enfant Plaza and the National Mall are just a few blocks away. However, there is no clear means of pedestrian access from these heavily visited areas to the shoreline. With much of the Southwest Waterfront in public ownership, the city has a unique opportunity to create a place that serves both as an extension of the adjacent neighborhood and a new regional destination. 1911.2

 

1911.3The District completed the Southwest Waterfront Development Plan in 2003, adopting short-term and mid-term actions to transform the area. The Plan calls for eliminating Water Street and improving Maine Avenue as a pedestrian-friendly urban street. The elimination of Water Street and replacement of surface parking with structured parking will increase available public space and developable land. This will allow for the creation of new parks, plazas and mixed-use development. Active ground floor uses such as retail stores and restaurants will make this area an active and animated urban waterfront. 1911.3

 

1911.4  While the Southwest Waterfront Plan provides important guidance, the specific development square footage and housing-unit targets should be interpreted as illustrative, as they were developed in 2003 under different market conditions.  Final development plans for the Southwest Waterfront should respond to guidance of the Southwest Waterfront Plan, as well as new policies in the Comprehensive Plan that support sustainable and compact development that enhances access to transit.  Illustrative sketches in the Southwest Waterfront Plan envision new residences, hotels, retail, office, cultural, and civic uses. New public gathering places will include an urban “Market Square” near the Fish Wharf, and a more passive Civic Park at the south end of the waterfront near M Street SW.  Between these spaces will be a series of smaller plazas on the Washington Channel that mark the ends of local streets.  The existing fish market will be retained in its present location and refurbished, with its low-scale character maintained. Development of the park at the south end of the waterfront is contingent on a number of factors, including relocation of the tour-boat terminals and surface parking to a new location further north on the Channel.  Until this can be accomplished, the existing terminals will be supported in their current location. Even though the Future Land Use Map designates the location of the tour-boat terminals and their surface parking as Mixed Use Low Density Commercial and Parks, Recreation, and Open Space, the existing low density commercial use and zoning would not be inconsistent with this map designation.

 

1911.5The illustrative plans also suggest improving pedestrian access to the waterfront via the Banneker Overlook at the foot of 10th Street SW and the development of a museum or monument in this area. New water taxi service, transit improvements, and landscaping also are called for. 1911.5

 

1911.6Plans for the Southwest Waterfront should be implemented in a way that recognizes the broader context of the Southwest neighborhood. Southwest is a strong urban community which benefits from the wide social, economic, and ethnic diversity of its residents, as well as a diverse mix of housing types and affordability levels. The neighborhood includes Waterside Mall, initially envisioned as Southwest’s “Town Square” in the 1950s-era urban renewal plans. Today the Mall is an office and retail complex of over one million square feet of floor space, including a supermarket, drug store, and bank. Waterside Mall never evolved into the Town Square it was envisioned to become, and today is planned for redevelopment. Plans for the site call for the re-establishment of 4th Street through the site, and the retention and improvement of retail and office space-along with new uses such as housing and open space. 1911.6

 

1911.7  Policy AW-2.1.1: Mixed Use Development

 

Support the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront with medium to high-density housing, commercial and cultural uses, and improved open space and parking.  The Future Land Use Map shows high density development and it is expected that the project will capitalize on height opportunities to provide public spaces and, where appropriate, a mix of medium development density in order to transition to the surrounding neighborhoods.  The development should also be designed to make the most of the waterfront location, preserving views and enhancing access to and along the shoreline.

 

1911.8Policy AW-2.1.2: New Public Spaces and Open Space

 

Create new public spaces and plazas at the Southwest waterfront, including an expanded public promenade at the water’s edge. Public piers should extend from each of the major terminating streets, providing views and public access to the water. 1911.8

 

1911.9Policy AW-2.1.3: Connecting to the Southwest Waterfront

 

Enhance pedestrian connections from the Southwest neighborhood and L’Enfant Plaza area to the Washington Channel by creating new public spaces and trails, eliminating Water Street, reducing surface parking, linking the Banneker Overlook to Maine Avenue, and providing safer pedestrian crossings across Maine Avenue. 1911.9

 

1911.10Policy AW-2.1.4: Maine Avenue

 

Transform Maine Avenue into a landscaped urban street that has direct access to waterfront uses, provides a pedestrian-friendly street environment, and accommodates multiple modes of travel (including bicycles). 1911.10

 

1911.11Policy AW-2.1.5: Washington Channel Maritime Activities

 

Reorganize the Washington Channel’s maritime activities, including cruise ship berths and marinas, to provide more appropriate relationships to landside uses and provide opportunities for water taxis, ferries, and other forms of water transportation. In implementing this policy, cruise ship operations should be retained and supported, recognizing their economic benefits to the city and their recreational and cultural value for residents and tourists. 1911.11

 

1911.12Policy AW-2.1.6: Waterside Mall

 

Support the redevelopment of Waterside Mall with residential, office, and local-serving retail uses. The site should be strengthened as a retail anchor for the surrounding Southwest community. Its redesign should restore 4th Street SW as part of the city street grid, and improve aesthetics, circulation, and connectivity to surrounding uses. 1911.12

 

1911.13Action AW-2.1.A: Southwest Waterfront Development Plan

 

Implement the 2003 Southwest Waterfront Development Plan. 1911.13

 

1911.14Action AW-2.1.B: Long-Term Improvements

 

Study the feasibility of the long-term improvements identified in the Southwest Waterfront Plan, such as a Hains Point Canal (in East Potomac Park), relocation of cruise lines and their infrastructure, a new Yellow Line Metro station at the waterfront, and construction of a pedestrian bridge across the Channel near the Case Bridge. 1911.14

 

authority

Pursuant to the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1-306.01 et seq.), the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: District Elements of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (10 DCMR A300 through A2520) (“Comprehensive Plan”).

source

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300) published at 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361) published at 58 DCR 908, 929 (February 4, 2011).

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.