4547183 Resolution 20-105, “Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan Approval Resolution of 2013”
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A RESOLUTION
20-105
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 30, 2013
To approve the proposed Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan Approval Resolution of 2013”.
Sec. 2. Pursuant to section 4(c)(4) of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; D.C. Official Code § 1-306.03(c)(4)), the Mayor transmitted to the Council for review the proposed Walter Reed Army Medical Center Small Area Plan (“Small Area Plan”).
Sec. 3. The Council finds that:
(1) The site formerly known as the Walter Reed Army Medical Center is located at 6900 Georgia Avenue, N.W., in Ward 4 and includes the neighborhoods of Brightwood, Shepherd Park, and Takoma. The planning area is defined by the boundaries of Fern Street, N.W., and Alaska Avenue, N.W., to the north, 16th Street, N.W., to the west, Aspen Street, N.W., to the south, and Georgia Avenue, N.W., to the east.
(2) Under the Base Realignment and Closure (“BRAC”) process, the government of the District of Columbia was designated as the Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority (“LRA”) and was required to complete a Base Reuse Plan (“Reuse Plan”) in order to acquire 66.57 acres of surplus Army property (The Army notified the Walter Reed LRA in June 2012 that the acreage of surplus property at Walter Reed changed from approximately 67.5 acres to approximately 66.57 acres.). As part of this process, the Walter Reed LRA initiated a coordinated planning process in August 2011 which included the development of the Reuse Plan and a Small Area Plan intended to meet both the federal and local requirements for the District to acquire and redevelop the land. The Reuse Plan envisions a vibrant campus integrated into the community through the provision of expanded retail opportunities, preservation of open space, creative reuse of historic assets into a range of cultural and educational uses, the creation of a range of jobs for District residents, and the development of a variety of housing options to support a range of incomes and needs. The Council approved the Reuse Plan through the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure Homeless Assistance Submission Approval Act of 2012, effective October 16, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-175; 59 DCR 9106). The Reuse Plan was transmitted on July 23, 2012, as a key component of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Base Realignment and Closure Homeless Assistance Submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) for review and approval.
(3) During this coordinated planning process, the Office of Planning led a concurrent public engagement process for the Small Area Plan by hosting 4 public meetings, on January 17, 2012, May 17, 2012, June 26, 2012, and July 12, 2012. The process concluded in the summer of 2012. The Small Area Plan was published and made available for public comment from September 14, 2012, to October 31, 2012, and a public Mayoral hearing was conducted on October 16, 2012.
(4) With guidance from the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital, the purpose of the Small Area Plan is to respond to and be compatible with the Reuse Plan and provide guidance on specific land use designation changes, transportation analysis, and urban design guidelines.
(5) The Small Area Plan uses specific land use analysis and incorporates the broadest range of planning techniques and practical solutions to achieve the District’s goals and objectives.
(6)(A) The following goals have been established during the Reuse and Small Area Planning process:
(i) Integrate the site with the community;
(ii) Provide a mix of uses on the site;
(iii) Create jobs and revenue for the District.; and
(iv) Reactivate the site.
(B) The Small Area Plan outlines strategies to accomplish these goals.
(7) The Small Area Plan supports the recommendations set forth in the Reuse Plan. It proposes land use designations, per the District’s Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital, to accommodate the Reuse Plan’s recommended development program of 3.1 million square feet of development. These land use designation changes anticipate that all proposed development would occur as matter of right projects and will ensure that future zoning can be established, after the Small Area Plan is approved, for future development. These designation changes will allow a range of densities to accommodate the proposed development program set forth in the Reuse Plan. A transportation analysis and recommendations were established to mitigate adverse impacts for cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and transit per the Reuse Plan’s redevelopment program. The main findings in this analysis are incorporated into the Small Area Plan’s Transportation Recommendations and included as an appendix. The Small Area Plan’s urban design guidelines ensure that new development creates an active, well-connected and aesthetically compatible redevelopment. Specific urban design guidance for the entire site, as well as for specific sub-areas of the site, was crafted and included in the Small Area Plan’s recommendations. As a result of the Small Area Plan, the District’s local planning requirements necessary to redevelop the site after it is conveyed to the District will be met.
(8) Once approved, the Small Area Plan will provide supplemental guidance to the Zoning Commission and other District agencies in carrying out the policies of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital.
Sec. 4. The Small Area Plan, as submitted, is approved by the Council as a small area action plan.
Sec. 5. Fiscal impact statement.
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact statement required by section 602(c)(3) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(3)).
Sec. 6. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
