Section 10-A503. H-1.1 EXPANDING HOUSING SUPPLY

 

503.1Expanding the housing supply is a key part of the District’s vision to create successful neighborhoods. Along with improved transportation and shopping, better neighborhood schools and parks, preservation of historic resources, and improved design and identity, the production of housing is essential to the future of our neighborhoods. It is also a key to improving the city’s fiscal health. The District will work to facilitate housing construction and rehabilitation through its planning, building, and housing programs, recognizing and responding to the needs of all segments of the community. The first step toward meeting this goal is to ensure that an adequate supply of appropriately zoned land is available to meet expected housing needs. 503.1

 

503.2Policy H-1.1.1: Private Sector Support

 

Encourage the private sector to provide new housing to meet the needs of present and future District residents at locations consistent with District land use policies and objectives. 503.2

 

503.3Policy H-1.1.2: Production Incentives

 

Provide suitable regulatory, tax, and financing incentives to meet housing production goals. These incentives should continue to include zoning regulations that permit greater building area for commercial projects that include housing than for commercial projects that do not include housing. 503.3

 

503.4Policy H-1.1.3: Balanced Growth

 

Strongly encourage the development of new housing on surplus, vacant and underutilized land in all parts of the city. Ensure that a sufficient supply of land is planned and zoned to enable the city to meet its long-term housing needs, including the need for low- and moderate-density single family homes as well as the need for higher-density housing. 503.4

 

503.5Policy H-1.1.4: Mixed Use Development

 

Promote mixed use development, including housing, on commercially zoned land, particularly in neighborhood commercial centers, along Main Street mixed use corridors, and around appropriate Metrorail stations. 503.5

 

503.6Policy H-1.1.5: Housing Quality

 

Require the design of affordable housing to meet the same high-quality architectural standards required of market-rate housing. Regardless of its affordability level, new or renovated housing should be indistinguishable from market rate housing in its exterior appearance and should address the need for open space and recreational amenities, and respect the design integrity of adjacent properties and the surrounding neighborhood.

 

503.7Policy H-1.1.6: Housing in the Central City

 

Absorb a substantial component of the demand for new high-density housing in Central Washington and along the Anacostia River. Absorbing the demand for higher density units within these areas is an effective way to meet housing demands, create mixed-use areas, and conserve single family residential neighborhoods throughout the city. Mixed income, higher density downtown housing also provides the opportunity to create vibrant street life, and to support the restaurants, retail, entertainment, and other amenities that are desired and needed in the heart of the city. 503.7

 

See the Land Use, Urban Design, and Area Elements for related policies.

 

503.8Policy H-1.1.7: New Neighborhoods

 

Accommodate a significant share of the District’s projected housing demand in “new neighborhoods” developed on large sites formerly used for government functions. In addition to housing, these neighborhoods must include well planned retail, public schools, attractive parks, open space and recreation, as well as needed supportive services. The new neighborhoods should include a variety of housing types, serving a variety of income levels. 503.8

 

See also the Land Use Element policies on transit oriented development and mixed use.

 

503.9Action H-1.1.A: Rezoning of Marginal Commercial Land

 

Perform an evaluation of commercially zoned land in the District, focusing on the “Great Streets” corridors, other arterial streets, and scattered small commercially-zoned pockets of land which no longer contain active commercial land uses. The evaluation should consider the feasibility of rezoning some of these areas from commercial to residential districts, in order to ensure their future development with housing. 503.9

 

503.10Action H-1.1.B: Annual Housing Reports and Monitoring Efforts

 

Consider development of an Annual “State of DC Housing Report” which improves the quality of information on which to make housing policy decisions and/or a Housing Oversight Board comprised of residents, for profit, and non-profit developers that reports each year on the effectiveness and outcomes of the District’s housing programs. 503.10

 

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.