Section 10-A613. E-3.1 LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT

 

613.1Low Impact Development (LID) refers to a variety of construction and design techniques that conserve the natural hydrology of development or redevelopment sites. It includes small-scale practices that allow water to infiltrate, evaporate, or transpire on-site rather than flowing off and entering local storm drains and waterways. In urban areas like the District of Columbia, typical LID measures include green roofs (which absorb rainwater and also reduce energy costs), porous pavement, limits on impervious surface cover, rain barrels, and rain gardens. On larger development sites in the city, LID measures could include such features as artificial wetlands, stormwater detention ponds, and earthen drainage swales. 613.1

 

613.2Policy E-3.1.1: Maximizing Permeable Surfaces

 

Encourage the use of permeable materials for parking lots, driveways, walkways, and other paved surfaces as a way to absorb stormwater and reduce urban runoff. 613.2

 

613.3Policy E-3.1.2: Using Landscaping and Green Roofs to Reduce Runoff

 

Promote an increase in tree planting and landscaping to reduce stormwater runoff, including the expanded use of green roofs in new construction and adaptive reuse, and the application of tree and landscaping standards for parking lots and other large paved surfaces. 613.3

 

613.4Policy E-3.1.3: Green Engineering

 

Promote green engineering practices for water and wastewater systems. These practices include design techniques, operational methods, and technology to reduce environmental damage and the toxicity of waste generated. 613.4

 

613.5Action E-3.1.A: Low Impact Development Criteria

 

Establish Low Impact Development criteria for new development, including provisions for expanded use of porous pavement, bioretention facilities, and green roofs. Also, explore the expanded use of impervious surface limits in the District’s Zoning Regulations to encourage the use of green roofs, porous pavement, and other means of reducing stormwater runoff. 613.5

 

613.6Action E-3.1.B: LID Demonstration Projects

 

Complete one demonstration project a year that illustrates use of Low Impact Development (LID) technology, and make the project standards and specifications available for application to other projects in the city. Such demonstration projects should be coordinated to maximize environmental benefits, monitored to evaluate their impacts, and expanded as time and money allow. 613.6

 

613.7Action E-3.1.C: Road Construction Standards

 

Explore changes to DDOT’s street, gutter, curb, sidewalk, and parking lot standards that would accommodate expanded use of porous pavement (and other low impact development methods) on sidewalks, road surfaces, and other paved surfaces, or that would otherwise aid in controlling or improving the quality of runoff. 613.7

 

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.