Section 10-A2014. MC-2.4 18TH STREET/COLUMBIA ROAD

 

2014.1In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Adams Morgan was a fashionable suburb of row houses and elegant apartments. During World War II, many of its homes were divided into apartments (or used as rooming houses), changing the character of the neighborhood. A large number of young adults and immigrants settled in the neighborhood in the post-war years. A new name for the community was coined by community activists, combining the names of two neighborhood schools-the predominantly white Adams and the predominantly black Morgan. 2014.1

 

2014.2In the 1950s and early 1960s, the neighborhood saw an influx of Cubans and Puerto Ricans. In the 1980s, waves of immigrants from Central America arrived, many seeking refuge from political and economic turmoil. Today, Adams Morgan has the second largest Salvadoran population in the United States. The neighborhood’s colorful street murals, first painted by Latinos in the 1970s, are now a Washington tradition and are emulated throughout the city. The commercial district along 18th Street and Columbia Road has become a center of Washington nightlife, with an array of ethnic restaurants, coffee houses, bars, and funky shops that attract people from across the region, as well as visitors to the city. 2014.2

 

2014.3The neighborhood continues to experience growing pains as it grapples with strong demand for housing and the popularity of its entertainment scene. To the east of 18th Street, a zoning overlay was created for the Reed-Cooke area in 1989 to protect existing housing and ensure compatible infill development on a number of large properties. Several large low-rise condominium projects were developed in the 1990s and early 2000s, and today there are plans for a new grocery store in the former Citadel skating rink. 2014.3

 

2014.4Elsewhere in the neighborhood, there are still concerns about the conversion of row houses to apartments, over concentration of bars, the loss of affordable housing units, and inadequate buffering between residential and commercial uses. Public-private redevelopment of the Marie Reed School campus is currently under consideration. The project provides an opportunity for a new school and community facility-and possibly new affordable housing, but has raised concerns about additional density, congestion, and the loss of open space. The continued strong involvement of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, local community organizations, and individual residents will be important as these conflicts and challenges are addressed. 2014.4

 

2014.5Policy MC-2.4.1: Protecting the Character of Adams Morgan

 

Protect the historic character of the Adams Morgan community through historic landmark and district designations, and by ensuring that new construction is consistent with the prevailing heights and densities in the neighborhood. 2014.5

 

2014.6Policy MC-2.4.2: Preference for Local-Serving Businesses

 

Enhance the local-serving, multi-cultural character of the 18th Street/ Columbia Road business district. Encourage small businesses that meet the needs of local residents, rather than convenience stores, large-scale commercial uses, and concentrations of liquor-licensed establishments. Consistent with this policy, the conversion of restaurants to night clubs or taverns and the expansion of existing night clubs or taverns into adjacent buildings should be discouraged. 2014.6

 

2014.7Policy MC-2.4.3: Mixed Use Character

 

Encourage retention of the older mixed use buildings along 18th Street and Columbia Road and facilitate infill projects which complement them in height, scale, and design. Discourage conversion of existing apartment buildings in the commercial area to non-residential uses, and ensure that the long-term viability of these uses is not threatened by the encroachment of incompatible uses. 2014.7

 

2014.8Policy MC-2.4.4: Transportation Improvements

 

Improve traffic movement, accessibility, and the flow of people along key arterial streets, particularly along 18th Street and Columbia Road and residential connector streets such as Kalorama Road and Euclid Street. Implement new measures to address parking problems on residential streets near the Adams Morgan business district. These measures could include extension of the residential permit parking program to a “24/7” timeframe, with appropriate consideration given to the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors. 2014.8

 

2014.9Policy MC-2.4.5: Reed-Cooke Area

 

Protect existing housing within the Reed Cooke neighborhood, maintaining heights and densities at appropriate levels and encouraging small-scale business development that does not adversely affect the residential community. 2014.9

 

2014.10Policy MC-2.4.6: Adams Morgan Public and Institutional Facilities

 

Encourage the retention and adaptive reuse of existing public facilities in Adams Morgan, including the use of schools for public purposes such as education, clinics, libraries, and recreational facilities. In addition, encourage the constructive, adaptive and suitable reuse of historic churches with new uses such as housing in the event such facilities cease to operate as churches. 2014.10

 

2014.11Action MC-2.4.A: 18th Street/Adams Morgan Transportation and Parking Study

 

Work closely with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and community to implement appropriate recommendations of the 18th Street/ Adams Morgan Transportation and Parking Study, which was prepared to better manage vehicle traffic, pedestrian and bicycle movement, on-street and off-street parking, and streetscape improvements along 18th Street and in the surrounding area of Adams Morgan. Appropriate recommendations are those on which a consensus can be developed, and those on which consensus may not be achieved but where the views and comments of all stakeholders have been duly considered and discussed. 2014.11

 

2014.12Action MC-2.4.B: Washington Heights and Lanier Heights

 

Support the designation of the Washington Heights area as a National Register Historic District. Conduct additional historical surveys and consider historic district designations for other areas around Adams Morgan, including Lanier Heights, portions of Reed-Cooke, the 16th Street area, and Walter Pierce Community Park. 2014.12

 

2014.13Action MC-2.4.C: Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center

 

Continue the community dialogue on the reuse of the Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center to determine the feasibility of modernizing the school, improving the playing fields and recreational facilities, and providing enhanced space for the health clinic and other community services. This dialogue should be undertaken in the context of addressing present and future local public facility needs, open space needs, school enrollment and program needs, and the community’s priorities for the site. 2014.13

 

2014.14Action MC-2.4.D: Local Business Assistance

 

Explore the feasibility of amending tax laws or developing tax abatement and credit programs to retain neighborhood services and encourage small local-serving businesses space along 18th Street and Columbia Road. 2014.14

 

See also Action MC-1.1.A regarding the rezoning of row house blocks.

 

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.