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D.C. Municipal Regulations (Last Updated: September 13, 2017) |
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Title 10. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT |
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SubTilte 10-A. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN |
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Chapter 10-A9. URBAN DESIGN |
Section 10-A903. UD-1.1 PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF WASHINGTON¡¯S HISTORIC PLANS
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903.1Washington’s historic plans have proven to be extraordinarily resilient. The L’Enfant Plan has managed to accommodate the arrival of the streetcar, the subway, and most importantly, the automobile. In each case, elements of the original plan were altered and even transformed, but not at the expense of civic identity. The integrity of the District’s historic plans has been regulated and protected through the careful oversight of agencies like the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. NCPC’s Legacy Plan (1997) and Memorials and Museums Plan (2001), in particular, have emphasized refinement and completion of many of the ideas originally proposed by L’Enfant and the McMillan Commission. 903.1
903.2Protection of historic plans and a commitment to their underlying principles should extend across and beyond the monumental core of the city. Design decisions should reinforce the city’s pattern of axial, radial, and diagonal streets, and enhance the public spaces formed where these streets intersect one another (see Figure 9.1). Special places such as Mount Vernon Square and Judiciary Square should be highlighted through landscape improvements and building frontage requirements. 903.2
903.3Figure 9.1: Typical DC Irregular Spaces
903.4Figure 9.2: Plan of L’Enfant Reservations (excerpt only)
903.5Many of the District’s public squares, circles, triangles, and public “reservations” (see Figure 9.2) are undervalued and lack distinction. The District should work with the National Park Service and others to enhance these reservations as elements of the cityscape and important legacies of the earlier plans. Building placement should reinforce the identity of the city’s corridors and avoid obstruction of important vistas. 903.5
903.6Policy UD-1.1.1: National Image
Strengthen and enhance the physical image, character and outstanding physical qualities of the District, its neighborhoods, and its open spaces, in a manner that reflects its role as the national capital. 903.6
903.7Policy UD-1.1.2: Reinforcing the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans
Respect and reinforce the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans to maintain the District’s unique, historic and grand character. This policy should be achieved through a variety of urban design measures, including appropriate building placement, view protection, enhancement of L’Enfant Plan reservations (green spaces), limits on street and alley closings (see Figure 9.3), and the siting of new monuments and memorials in locations of visual prominence. Restore as appropriate and where possible, previously closed streets and alleys, and obstructed vistas or viewsheds. 903.7
903.8Figure 9.3: Discouraging Alley and Street Closings Within the L’Enfant Plan Area
903.9Policy UD-1.1.3: Siting of Museums, Monuments, and Memorials
Coordinate with federal entities such as the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) in the planning and siting of major landmarks, including museums, monuments, and memorials, and in the development of plans for federal reservations and other federally-owned civic spaces. 903.9
903.10Policy UD-1.1.4: Height Act of 1910
Protect the civic and historical character of the city, particularly the “horizontal” urban quality of Central Washington, by limiting building heights in accordance with the Height Act of 1910. Basic principles of the Height Act are shown in Figure 9.4. 903.10
903.11Action UD-1.1.A: Siting of Landmarks
Continue to convene a Commemorative Works Committee to advise and make recommendations to the Mayor and Council on requests to place monuments, memorials, and other commemorative works on District owned space. Work with NCPC, the CFA, and other federal partners to ensure that the placement of such works on federal properties is consistent with the NCPC Monuments and Memorials Plan. 903.11
903.12Figure 9.4: Street Sections Indicating Height Act Regulations 903.12
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