Section 10-A2012. MC-2.2 14TH STREET CORRIDOR/COLUMBIA HEIGHTS

 

2012.114th Street is in the midst of an urban renaissance, with hundreds of new housing units under construction and new ground floor retail businesses opening on almost every block between Rhode Island Avenue and Park Road. Once a major commercial thoroughfare, the corridor was hard hit by the 1968 riots, and many of its buildings sat vacant for more than 30 years. 2012.1

 

2012.2Much of the recent activity has focused on the Columbia Heights Metro Station area. The commercial district around 14th and Park Streets was initially developed in the early 1900s as a transit-oriented commercial center, anchored by the now-historic Riggs Bank (now PNC) and Tivoli Theater on the northwest and northeast corners. In 1997, a series of community workshops was held to create a redevelopment strategy for the area, ultimately targeting several major parcels owned by the Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) around the Metro station. 2012.2

 

2012.3The 1997 effort led to another initiative several years later, which culminated in the 2004 Columbia Heights Public Realm Framework Plan. The Framework Plan was developed to enhance public space in the Metro station vicinity. The Plan was coordinated with plans for private development on adjacent properties which when completed will add over 600 new housing units, approximately 650,000 square feet of retail space, 30,000 square feet of office space, and 2,000 parking spaces. The Framework Plan also incorporated connections to the new 800-student Bell Lincoln Middle and High School and Multi-Cultural Center, as well as other cultural and civic uses nearby. 2012.3

 

2012.4The goal of the Columbia Heights Public Realm Framework is to make the neighborhood more pedestrian friendly, coordinate infrastructure improvements, and create a stronger civic identity for Columbia Heights. Its recommendations include a new civic plaza, paving and streetscape improvements, tree planting, public art, and reconfiguration of streets and intersections to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety. 2012.4

 

2012.5South of Columbia Heights, medium-density mixed use development is proposed on many blocks extending south from Irving Street to U Street. Redevelopment over the next ten years will reshape the corridor from auto-oriented commercial uses, including several “strip” shopping centers and warehouses, to an attractive urban residential street. Special efforts should be made to refurbish and preserve subsidized housing along the corridor, and to establish appropriate transitions in scale and density between the corridor and the less dense residential areas on the west and east. Strengthening of the 11th Street neighborhood commercial district, located several blocks east of Columbia Heights, also should be encouraged. With the opening of the DC-USA project and other large-scale retail development near the Columbia Heights Metrorail station, programs to assist the existing small businesses in this area may be needed. 2012.5

 

2012.6The construction of hundreds of new housing units and one of the largest retail complexes in the city will have significant traffic impacts on Columbia Heights during the coming years. East-west traffic flow through the area is particularly problematic, since many of the east-west streets are residential in character and are already congested. Blocked travel lanes, double-parking, poorly marked lanes, angled intersections and poorly timed traffic signals contribute to the problem. Although DDOT completed a traffic study for the area in 2003 and identified potential transportation improvements, there is a need for additional traffic analysis to evaluate the impacts of planned development and develop appropriate mitigation measures. The goal of these measures should not be to increase vehicle speed on the east-west streets, but rather to improve mobility through the area and reduce the adverse effects of traffic on residents and businesses. 2012.6

 

2012.7Policy MC-2.2.1: Columbia Heights Metro Station Area Development

 

Develop the Columbia Heights Metro Station area as a thriving mixed use community center, anchored by mixed income housing, community serving retail, offices, civic uses, and public plazas. Strive to retain the neighborhood’s extraordinary cultural diversity as development takes place, and place a priority on development and services that meet the needs of local residents. 2012.7

 

2012.8Policy MC-2.2.2: Public Realm Improvements

 

Improve the streets, sidewalks, and public rights-of-way in the 14th/Park vicinity to improve pedestrian safety and create a more attractive public environment. 2012.8

 

2012.9Policy MC-2.2.3: Pocket Parks

 

Pursue opportunities to create new publicly-accessible open space in Columbia Heights and to increase community access to public school open space during non-school hours. 2012.9

 

2012.10Policy MC-2.2.4: Traffic and Parking Management

 

Improve bus, pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular movement; parking management; and pedestrian safety along the 14th Street corridor while balancing the transportation and traffic needs of adjacent cross-streets. Undertake transportation improvement programs to sustain the additional residential, retail and institutional development that is now under construction or planned around the Columbia Heights Metro station. These improvements should achieve a balanced multi-modal system that meets the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists. 2012.10

 

2012.11Policy MC-2.2.5: 11th Street Commercial District

 

Retain the 11th Street corridor between Kenyon and Monroe Streets as a neighborhood shopping district. Preserve the mixed use character of the corridor and encourage new local-serving retail businesses and housing. 2012.11

 

2012.12Policy MC-2.2.6: Mid-14th Street Commercial District

 

Support ongoing efforts to strengthen the small businesses on Park Road and businesses on 14th Street between Newton Street and Shepherd Street through façade improvements, technical assistance, enhanced public infrastructure, and other measures to sustain a thriving business community that serves the surrounding neighborhood. 2012.12

 

2012.13Action MC-2.2.A: Columbia Heights Public Realm Framework Plan

 

Implement the Columbia Heights Public Realm Framework Plan, including the installation of unique lighting and street furniture, improvement of sidewalks, tree planting, public art, and construction of a civic plaza along 14th Street at Park Road and Kenyon Street. Streetscape improvements should include not only the 14th Street corridor, but gateway points throughout Columbia Heights. 2012.13

 

2012.14Action MC-2.2.B: Park Improvements

 

Upgrade and re-design small neighborhood pocket parks within Columbia Heights, especially at Monroe and 11th Street, and at Oak/ Ogden/14th Streets. 2012.14

 

2012.15Action MC-2.2.C: Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights Transportation Improvements

 

Implement the recommendations of the Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights Transportation Study, including traffic calming measures for the Columbia Heights community. Update the Study recommendations as needed based on follow-up analysis of projected traffic conditions in the area. The updated study should address alternative routing of east-west traffic to reduce impacts on residential streets. 2012.15

 

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.