Section 10-A1914. AW-2.4 POPLAR POINT

 

1914.1Poplar Point encompasses the area on the east side of the Anacostia River bounded by South Capitol Street, I-295, and the 11th Street Bridge. The area contains U.S. Park Police and National Park Service facilities, the former Architect of the Capitol nurseries, a 700-space Metrorail parking garage, private land along Howard Road, a WASA pump station, and more than 60 acres of managed meadows. The point was created through the filling of tidal mudflats in the 1910s, and has been used for tree nurseries and federal and District maintenance activities for almost a century. Construction of freeways in the 1950s and 1960s left Poplar Point disconnected from the neighborhoods around it. 1914.1

 

1914.2Poplar Point remains isolated today and is underutilized as a great waterfront open space. It is completely unknown to visitors and even most residents of the District of Columbia. Nearly half the site is fenced off from public access and much of the remainder is covered by freeway ramps and bridge approaches. Over the last ten years, a variety of alternatives for the site’s future have been explored. Among others, these have included a regional big box shopping center, a Frederick Douglass National Memorial Park, an expanded WMATA parking lot, and a National African American Museum and Cultural Complex. 1914.2

 

1914.3In 2003, the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative called for the site’s improvement as a green gateway to the Anacostia River Park network. Today, Poplar Point is envisioned as the future crown jewel in a necklace of great parks extending from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens on the north to the mouth of the Anacostia River on the south. Key features of this park will include restored wetlands, a daylighted Stickfoot Creek, and new cultural and entertainment facilities. Poplar Point has also been identified by the National Capital Planning Commission as a potential site for new monuments, commemorative works and museums. It has also been discussed as a possible site for a 27,000-seat soccer stadium. 1914.3

 

1914.4The Poplar Point Target Area Plan recommends rebuilding Anacostia Drive along a crescent-shaped alignment that divides the 120-acre area into roughly two halves. The park will be developed to the north of the crescent and a new mixed use neighborhood will be developed to the south. Medium to high-density housing should be provided within this neighborhood, with new development used to leverage the recreational and environmental improvements that will make this a great future public place for all Washingtonians. 1914.4

 

1914.5The new Poplar Point park and neighborhood will be well connected to the nearby Anacostia Metrorail station and to new modes of transit including water taxis, shuttles, and circulators. Connections to the historic neighborhoods east of I-295 will be strengthened by upgrading Howard Road, W Street SE, and Good Hope Road and improving pedestrian and bicycle access along these gateways. Redevelopment of Poplar Point is intended to coincide with and bolster parallel initiatives to revitalize Historic Anacostia, redevelop St. Elizabeths Hospital, and rebuild Barry Farms. 1914.5

 

1914.6Notable skyline features such as the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol are visible from much of Poplar Point. The site also affords views of the tree-lined ridge above Historic Anacostia. Future structures on the site should preserve these important views, and make the most of the Point’s spectacular physical setting. Development should maintain a scale that is compatible with and contributes to the fabric of adjacent neighborhoods, breaking development into identifiable, distinctive parts rather than creating “superblocks.” 1914.6

 

1914.7Policy AW-2.4.1: Poplar Point Park

 

Create a great urban park at Poplar Point that serves neighborhoods across the city, and that includes a variety of active and passive recreation areas. The park should be designed to serve a variety of users, including children, youth, families, and seniors. 1914.7

 

1914.8Policy AW-2.4.2: Environmental Restoration at Poplar Point

 

Restore the natural environment at Poplar Point, especially the wetlands and Stickfoot Creek. The creek should be daylighted and restored as a natural habitat area. 1914.8

 

1914.9  Policy AW-2.4.3: Poplar Point Mixed Use Neighborhood

 

Create a new transit-oriented mixed use neighborhood oriented around the Poplar Point Park, linked to the Anacostia Metrorail station and new Anacostia streetcar line.  The neighborhood should include a significant component of affordable housing and should also include retail and civic uses that benefit the adjacent communities east of I-295.  Within the overall mix of uses, allow segments of the future development to be devoted entirely to office use to encourage location of Federal office space and other office space supportive of Federal government agencies to occupy new buildings at Poplar Point.  This should be particularly targeted to office space related to the Department of Homeland Security consolidation at the St. Elizabeths site.   To minimize the loss of useable open space, development should utilize the land recovered after the realignment and reconstruction of the Frederick Douglass Bridge.

 

1914.10Policy AW-2.4.4: Poplar Point Cultural Facilities

 

Support the development of regional cultural facilities at Poplar Point, such as museums, memorial sites, gardens, nature centers, amphitheaters, and public gathering places. 1914.10

 

1914.11 Policy AW-2.4.5: Scale of Development at Poplar Point

 

Provide a scale and pattern of development in Poplar Point that recognizes the area’s proximity to a Metrorail station and other major surface arterials and that the area is physically separated from surrounding neighborhoods and, therefore, may accommodate buildings and site plans unlike but compatible with the fine-grained pattern found in nearby Historic Anacostia.  Development should be pedestrian-oriented and should include active ground floor uses.  The massing, height, and bulk of buildings and related features such as parking also should respect adjacent park uses and environmentally sensitive areas.

 

1914.12Policy AW-2.4.6: Poplar Point Vista and View Preservation

 

Ensure that the design of Poplar Point capitalizes on significant views to the river and U.S. Capitol. The New Jersey Avenue axis is particularly important, as it provides a clear line of sight to the Capitol dome from Poplar Point’s prominent river bend. 1914.12

 

1914.13Policy AW-2.4.7: Poplar Point as an Economic Catalyst

 

Use development at Poplar Point to bring economic development opportunities to adjacent neighborhoods, particularly Barry Farms and Historic Anacostia. Activities at Poplar Point should foster the success of existing businesses in Historic Anacostia, provide job opportunities, and create cultural, educational, and institutional uses that benefit East of the River communities. 1914.13

 

1914.14Policy AW-2.4.8: Access Improvements to Poplar Point

 

Improve access to Poplar Point by redesigning the road system on the site’s perimeter, rebuilding the Frederick Douglass (South Capitol) bridge, converting the Anacostia Metrorail station to a multi-modal terminal, adding provisions for pedestrians and bicycles along Howard Road, W Street SE, and Good Hope Road, and providing water taxi service on the Anacostia River. 1914.14

 

1914.15 Action AW-2.4.A: Poplar Point Planning

 

(a)  Conduct additional detailed planning studies for Poplar Point, refining the preliminary development program set forth by the 2003 Target Area Plan.  The desired mix of land uses and building intensities for the site should be further defined, and the specific transportation and infrastructure improvements necessary to support development and park construction should be identified.  Development and proposed projects shall be guided by the Poplar Point Small Area Plan, and by large tract review and planned unit development processes.  (b)  However, as set forth in the Sense of the Council in Support of the Howard Road Private Development Zone Emergency Resolution of 2010, effective May 4, 2010 (Res. 18-472; 57 DCR 4140), because of the importance of benefits from development in the Howard Road Private Development Zone (HRPDZ) to the community and the city as a whole, high density commercial and residential mixed use shall be considered as a matter of right only on a provisional basis should a large federal tenant select the HRPDZ site.  Projects anchored by large federal tenants that are required to be submitted under large tract review or as planned unit developments can be reviewed and go forward on an expedited basis, notwithstanding whether or not a small area plan has been completed.  This subsection shall expire upon Council approval of a Poplar Point Small Area Plan submitted by the Mayor.

 

1914.16Action AW-2.4.B: Poplar Point Long-Range Transportation Improvements

 

As recommended by the 2003 Target Area Plan, assess the feasibility of long-term modifications to the regional highway system on the perimeter of Poplar Point. These include depressing I-295 to facilitate crossings from Historic Anacostia to the waterfront, improving the connection between Suitland Parkway and South Capitol Street, and building a tunnel between I-295 and I-395. 1914.16

 

See the Far Southeast and Southwest Area Element for additional language on the Anacostia Metrorail Station.

 

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, 930 (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.