Section 10-A629. E-5.3 ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY

 

629.1Environmental and economic development goals intersect with respect to the redevelopment of “brownfield” sites. Brownfields include industrial, commercial, institutional, or government sites that are abandoned or underutilized, in part due to environmental contamination or perceived contamination. Their redevelopment provides the opportunity to revitalize distressed communities, increase property tax revenue, and create new jobs. In the District, a “Voluntary Clean Up Program” has been initiated to provide incentives to clean up brownfields and put them back into active use. There are currently six sites participating in this program. 629.1

 

629.2Linked to the redevelopment of brownfields is the idea of “growing” the environmental sector of the District’s economy. A number of DC-based organizations have pioneered the idea of building a “green collar” workforce to demonstrate how employment and natural resource conservation can sustain one another. Training programs have been established to help DC youth find jobs in green construction, horticulture, parks and recreation, landscaping, recycling, and similar professions. The District can contribute to these programs through initiatives to attract “green businesses” to the city. Such efforts can help diversify the economy and provide new jobs while advancing the sustainability goals of the Comprehensive Plan. 629.2

 

629.3Policy E-5.3.1: Brownfield Remediation

 

Clean up and redevelop contaminated “brownfield” sites, providing new business and job opportunities and expanding land resources for economic development, open space, and other purposes. Provide financial incentives for the remediation and redevelopment of these sites. 629.3

 

629.4Policy E-5.3.2: Job Training

 

Provide job training for DC residents seeking careers in the environmental sector, including such fields as environmental science, landscaping and horticulture, lead hazard control, urban salvage and deconstruction, hazard abatement and remediation, and recycling. 629.4

 

629.5Policy E-5.3.3: Incentives for Green Business

 

Support economic incentives that encourage environmentally sustainable businesses to locate in the District. 629.5

 

629.6Action E-5.3.A: Voluntary Clean-Up Program

 

Continue the District’s voluntary clean-up program. The program is designed to encourage the investigation and remediation of contamination on any site that is not on the EPA’s National Priority List and that is not the subject of a current clean-up effort. 629.6

 

629.7Action E-5.3.B: Sustainable Business Initiative

 

Establish a Sustainable Business Initiative, starting with the creation of a committee including representatives from the Board of Trade, the Chamber of Commerce, the DC Building Industry Association, and others. 629.7

 

629.8Action E-5.3.C: Green Business Certification

 

Establish a green business certification program as an incentive for companies that exemplify sustainable and environmentally responsible business practices. 629.8

 

629.9Action E-5.3.D: Green Collar Job Corps

 

Explore the feasibility of creating a “green collar” job corps, including education in environmental fields, attraction and retention of green businesses and sustainable industry, and job training and placement within these fields and industries. 629.9

 

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.