Section 10-A312. LU-2.4 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS AND CENTERS

 

312.1Commercial uses and local public facilities are an essential part of the District’s neighborhoods. Many of these uses are clustered in well-defined centers that serve as the “heart” of the neighborhood. These areas support diverse business, civic, and social activities. Each center reflects the identity of the neighborhood around it through the shops and establishments it supports and the architecture and scale of its buildings. They are also often connecting points for public transit lines-in fact, many originated around streetcar stops and continue to be important bus transfer points today. 312.1

 

312.2Many District neighborhoods, particularly those on the east side of the city, lack well-defined centers or have centers that struggle with high vacancies and a limited range of neighborhood-serving businesses. Greater efforts must be made to attract new retail uses to these areas by improving business conditions, upgrading storefronts and the street environment, and improving parking and pedestrian safety and comfort. The location of new public facilities in such locations, and the development of mixed use projects that include upper story housing, can encourage their revival. 312.2

 

312.3Even the most successful neighborhood centers in the District must deal with land use conflicts. Excessive concentrations of bars, liquor stores, fast-food outlets, convenience stores, and similar uses are causes of concern in almost every part of the city. Commercial parking demand affects nearby residential streets around many centers. In some locations, commercial and residential rear yards abut one another, causing concerns over rodents, odors, noise, shadows, view obstruction, and other impacts. Effective zoning and buffering requirements are important to address such concerns and protect neighborhood character. Zoning overlays have been adopted in some commercial districts to limit the range of allowable uses and reduce the likelihood of external impacts. 312.3

 

312.4Of course, not all commercial uses occur in defined centers. Many District thoroughfares are lined with “strip” commercial development, much of it auto-oriented and not particularly focused on residents of the adjacent neighborhoods. Activities such as auto dealerships and repair services, motels, and similar uses, can be important contributors to the District’s economy. Again, zoning regulations should establish where these uses are appropriate and should set buffering and screening requirements and other standards which improve the compatibility of such uses with their surroundings. 312.4

 

312.5Policy LU-2.4.1: Promotion of Commercial Centers

 

Promote the vitality of the District’s commercial centers and provide for the continued growth of commercial land uses to meet the needs of District residents, expand employment opportunities for District residents, and sustain the city’s role as the center of the metropolitan area. Commercial centers should be inviting and attractive places, and should support social interaction and ease of access for nearby residents. 312.5

 

312.6Policy LU-2.4.2: Hierarchy of Commercial Centers

 

Maintain and reinforce a hierarchy of neighborhood, multi-neighborhood, regional, and main street commercial centers in the District. Activities in each type of center should reflect its intended role and market area, as defined in the Framework Element. Established centers should be expanded in areas where the existing range of goods and services is insufficient to meet community needs. 312.6

 

312.7Policy LU-2.4.3: Regional Centers

 

Permit the District’s two established regional commercial centers, Georgetown and Friendship Heights, to develop and evolve in ways which are compatible with other land use policies, including those for maintaining stable neighborhoods, mitigating negative environmental impacts, managing parking, and minimizing adverse traffic impacts. Likewise, encourage the continued development of the emerging regional centers at Minnesota-Benning and Hechinger Mall in a manner that is consistent with other policies in the Comprehensive Plan. 312.7

 

312.8Policy LU-2.4.4: Heights and Densities in Regional Centers

 

Maintain heights and densities in established and proposed regional centers which are appropriate to the scale and function of development in adjoining communities and which step down to adjacent residential areas, and maintain or develop buffer areas for neighborhoods exposed to increased commercial densities. 312.8

 

312.9Policy LU-2.4.5: Encouraging Nodal Development

 

Discourage auto-oriented commercial “strip” development and instead encourage pedestrian-oriented “nodes” of commercial development at key locations along major corridors. Zoning and design standards should ensure that the height, mass, and scale of development within nodes respects the integrity and character of surrounding residential areas and does not unreasonably impact them. 312.9

 

312.10Policy LU-2.4.6: Scale and Design of New Commercial Uses

 

Ensure that new uses within commercial districts are developed at a height, mass, scale and design that is appropriate and compatible with surrounding areas. 312.10

 

312.11Policy LU-2.4.7: Location of Night Clubs and Bars

 

Provide zoning and alcoholic beverage control laws that discourage the excessive concentration and potential negative effects of liquor licensed establishments (e.g., night clubs and bars) in neighborhood commercial districts. New uses that generate late night activity and large crowds should be located away from low and moderate density residential areas and should instead be concentrated Downtown, in designated arts or entertainment districts, and in areas where there is a limited residential population nearby. 312.11

 

312.12Policy LU-2.4.8: Addressing Commercial Parking Impacts

 

Ensure that the District’s zoning regulations consider the traffic and parking impacts of different commercial activities, and include provisions to mitigate the parking demand and congestion problems that may result as new development occurs, especially as related to loading and goods delivery. 312.12

 

Please refer to the Transportation Element, Section 3.2 for additional policies and actions related to parking. 18th Street in Adams Morgan

 

312.13Policy LU-2.4.9: High-Impact Commercial Uses

 

Ensure that the District’s zoning regulations limit the location and proliferation of fast food restaurants, sexually-oriented businesses, late night alcoholic beverage establishments, 24-hour mini-marts and convenience stores, and similar high impact commercial establishments that generate excessive late night activity, noise, or otherwise affect the quality of life in nearby residential neighborhoods. 312.13

 

312.14Policy LU-2.4.10: Use of Public Space within Commercial Centers

 

Carefully manage the use of sidewalks and other public spaces within commercial districts to avoid pedestrian obstructions and to provide an attractive and accessible environment for shoppers. Where feasible, the development of outdoor sidewalks cafes, flower stands, and similar uses which “animate” the street should be encouraged. Conversely, the enclosure of outdoor sidewalk space with permanent structures should generally be discouraged. 312.14

 

312.15Policy LU-2.4.11: Hotel Impacts

 

Manage the impacts of hotels on surrounding areas, particularly in the Near Northwest neighborhoods where large hotels adjoin residential neighborhoods. Provisions to manage truck movement and deliveries, overflow parking, tour bus parking, and other impacts associated with hotel activities should be developed and enforced. 312.15

 

Please refer to Policies 2.3.9 and 2.3.10 of this Element for additional guidance on hotel uses within residential neighborhoods.

 

312.16Policy LU-2.4.12: Monitoring of Commercial Impacts

 

Maintain a range of monitoring, inspection, and enforcement programs for commercial areas to ensure that activities are occurring in accordance with local planning, building, zoning, transportation, health, alcoholic beverage control, and other District rules and regulations. Prompt and effective action should be taken in the event non-compliance with these rules and regulations is observed. 312.16

 

312.17Policy LU-2.4.13: Commercial Uses Outside Designated Centers

 

Recognize that not all commercial uses can be appropriately sited within designated neighborhood, multi-neighborhood, and regional centers. For example, automobile sales, nurseries, building supply stores, large night clubs, hotels, and similar uses may require highway-oriented locations. The District should retain and support such uses and accommodate them on appropriately located sites. 312.17

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312.18Action LU-2.4.A: Evaluation of Commercial Zoning

 

As part of each Small Area Plan, conduct an evaluation of commercially zoned areas to assess the appropriateness of existing zoning designations. This assessment should consider: The heights, densities and uses that could occur under existing zoning; and The suitability of existing zoning given the location and size of each area, the character of adjacent land uses, the relationship to other commercial districts in the vicinity, transportation and parking attributes, proximity to adjacent uses, and the designation on the Future Land Use Map. 312.18

 

312.19Action LU-2.4.B: Zoning Changes to Reduce Land Use Conflicts in Commercial Zones

 

As part of the comprehensive rewrite of the zoning regulations, consider text amendments that:-

More effectively control the uses which are permitted as a matter-of-right in commercial zones;

Avoid the excessive concentration of particular uses with the potential for adverse effects, such as convenience stores, fast food establishments, and liquor-licensed establishments; and Consider performance standards to reduce potential conflicts between certain incompatible uses. 312.19

 

312.20Action LU-2.4.C: Mixed Use District with Housing Emphasis

 

Develop a new mixed use zoning district, to be applied principally on land that is currently zoned for non-residential uses (or that is now unzoned), which limits commercial development to the ground floor of future uses and requires residential use on any upper stories. Consider the application of this designation to Metrorail stations and corridor streets that may currently have high commercial vacancies or an excess supply of commercial space, including those areas designated as “Main Street Mixed Use Corridors” and commercial centers on the Generalized Policies Map. 312.20

 

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.