4WARD NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING UPDATESUMMER 2008

VOL.1 ISSUE 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

RFP ISSUED FOR 3800 BLOCK OF GEORGIA AVE .................... 1

ZONING REVIEW WORKING GROUP UPDATE .............. 3

NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT FUND PLANNING ......... 4

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY ............. 4

COUNCIL TO REVIEW UPPER GEORGIA AVE AND KENNEDY ST........ 5

DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY .... INSERT

DC ZONINGUPDATE .............. 2

AGE-AT-HOME INITIATIVE .......... 2

PLANNINGPROCESS ........... 2

NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT FUND PLANNING

PAGE - 4 -

The Neighborhood Investment Fund (NIF) is an annual non-lapsing, revolving fund to �nance economic development and neighborhood revitalization in 12 target neighbor-hoods. The NIF is funded through an annual appropriation of 17 percent of a personal property tax, not to exceed $10 million. One of the requirements of the enabling legislation, the Neighbor-hood Investment Act of 2004, is for the Mayor to develop NIF Invest-ment Plans for each of the target area using input from community stakeholders including the Advisory

Neighborhood Commissioners, residents, business owners, faith community, not for pro�t organiza-tions, among other groups. The purpose of the Investment Plan is to set community priorities for how the NIF funds should be utilized in the target area over a �ve year period.

The O�ce of Planning, in partner-ship with the NIF Program’s imple-menting agency, the O�ce of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, are work-ing togetherwith the community stakeholders to

develop plans for all 12 target neighborhoods. Of the twelve, six areas have developed or are currently working on an invest-ment plan. These areas include: Deanwood Heights, Washington Highlands, Columbia Heights, Brightwood and Upper Georgia Avenue, Brookland and Edge-wood, and Anacostia. The remain-ing six, Bellevue, Congress Heights, H St. NE, Bloomingdate and Eckington, Shaw, and Logan Circle, started in May. For more information please visit www.dcbiz.dc.gov or call (202) 727-6365.

DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

District of Columbia O�ce of Planning DC OFFICE OF PLANNING | 801 N. CAPITOL ST. NE | SUITE 4000 | WASHINGTON DC 20002 | 202.442.7600 | www.planning.dc.gov

How can you keep track of development activity in your neighborhood and around the city? Below are a few ideas and resources for staying informed:

- Attend ANC and Civic meetings

- Read community newsletters, list-servs and websites

- Check the “Development Activity” section of the DC Economic Partnership website (www.wdcep.com)

- Read the “Permits” section of the DCRA website (http://dcra.dc.gov) or request monthly reports from: lennox.douglas@dc.gov - Review monthly meeting schedule of Board of Zoning Adjustments and Zoning Commission at www.dcoz.dc.gov and Historic Preservation Review Board at www.planning.dc.gov.

- Ask local merchants or main street association representatives

- Read the Washington Post’s District Extra section each 2nd Thursday.

RFP ISSUED FOR THE 3800 BLOCK OF GEORGIA AVENUEOn April 25, 2008, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Councilmember Muriel Bowser announced the release of a solicitation for o�ers for three DC government owned properties, 3825-29 Georgia Avenue, 3813 and 3815 Georgia Avenue. The impetus for the RFP is to provide a catalyst for investing along Georgia Avenue. Currently there are a number of ongoing mixed-use projects within close proximity to the 3800 block of Geor-gia:

Park Place: Located at 3700 Georgia Avenue at the Petworth Metro Station, this mixed-use development will include 153 condos and 17,000 square feet of retail space with 20% of the units to be sold at less than 60% of the area median income.

Georgia Commons: Jair Lynch ‘s mixed use devel-opment at 3910-3912 Georgia Avenue, NW with 19,500 square feet of retail and 130 rental apart-ments above. The Georgia Commons includes 62 a�ordable housing units. Safeway: The Safeway Company previously announced plans to replace the 21,000 square foot store at Georgia Avenue and Randolph Street, NW with a state of the art lifestyle facility that will include 55,000 to 60,000 square feet of retail. The store would occupy the ground �oor with a multi-story residential building above it. Parking would be provided in an underground parking garage. The new store will feature �oral,

service seafood, service meat, organic produce, prepared food and deli departments, a drycleaner, Starbucks, pharmacy and a wide variety of grocery products including organic grocery items.

The District is soliciting multiple development partners who could support the recommenda-tions of the Georgia Petworth Land use Plan and the DC Comprehensive Plan’s goals in providing creative, community-servingretail, housing and cultural amenities for the corri-dor. Any housing included in development proposals will require 30% to be a�ordable. The 3813 and 3815 properties will be treated as a single development opportunity and the 3825-29 property is currently a vacant lot. Community interest in recognizing the poten-tially historic Billie Simpson restaurant at the 3815 site has been a focus of the ANC 4C Com-munity.

Proposals will be due during the Summer of 2008 and developers will be chosen by Octo-ber 2008. Councilmember Bowser has created an advisory group to provide input for the solicitation documents. All proposals will have to comply with the District’s recently adopted green building standards. For further informa-tion on the RFP, visit the Deputy Mayor’s O�ce for Planning and Economic Development at www.dcbiz.dc.gov.

PAGE -3-

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

WARD 6 DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY ........... 6

GREEN COLLAR JOBS ................. 5

AGE-AT-HOME INITIATIVE

4WARD NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING UPDATEPAGE - 2 -

A speci�c action item in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan instructed the O�ce of Planning (OP) to undertake a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a Planning Commis-sion in the District. This study has been expanded to include the entire planning, zoning and devel-opment review process.

PLANNING PROCESS

A ‘Senior Village’ is a concept designed to provide the support network necessary to enable seniors to live in their own homes as long as possible, while maintaining social connectedness and civic involvement in their communities. Beacon Hill Village in Boston is providing the blue print for other senior villages. This concept has taken hold in the District and several communities are exploring

the possibilities for their residents. Representatives from over 13 District neighborhoods and surrounding jurisdictions attended an informational meet-ing coordinated by AARP to explore the concept of senior villages. Currently, one senior village, Capitol Hill Village, has been launched. As of January 10, 2008, there were 117 member-ships in the Capitol Hill Village

serving over 200 residents. Others are in various stages of organizing, includ-ing potential senior villages in Chevy Chase,Cleveland Park, Dupont Circle, Glover Park, Kalorama, Palisades and Woodley Park. As of January 10, 2008, there were 117 memberships in the Capitol Hill Village serving over 200 residents. To learn more about this initiative, please visit the DC O�ce of Planning website at www.planning.dc.gov or call them at (202)442-7600.

The Draft Interim Report was completed in January 2008, and on February 6, OP held a com-munity brie�ng to discuss and get public input on the docu-ment. The Draft Interim Report contains the �ndings of the consultants' research on the how the current development

review process works. OP received public comments on the Draft Interim Report through the end of March, reviewed the comments and submit-ted the �nal Report with recommen-dations to the Council. The Council will be holding a hearing on June 18th. For more information on the meeting, please visit www.planning.dc.gov.

Parking and Loading: The public was invited to participate in a series of �ve workgroup sessions including discus-sions of parking and loading policies identi�ed in the 2006 Comprehensive Plan and the related parking study led by consultants Nelson Nygaard. The workshops were from February through April, 2008. Comments provided by the work group members helped to craft the draft language for the parking and loading requirements which has been sent to the Zoning Review Taskforce for review. After Taskforce reivew, the comments would be incorpo-rated and the draft language amended as necessary before it is presented to the Zoning Commission in July for consideration for approval.

Historical : This working group met in March and April, 2008. Draft recommendations based working group meetings and guidance from the Comprehensive Plan were sent out to the participants for review. Recommen-dations fell into six categories: Bulk Regulations; Bu�er and Conservation Zones; Use Provisions; Parking; Loading; and Buildings on Alley Lots. The O�ce of Planning will review comments from the working group at this meeting before drafting proposed legislation to be taken to the Taskforce and Zoning Commission.

Arts and Culture: The Arts and Culture working group is trying to achieve the two biggest goals pertaining to arts in the District: Making the arts available to neighborhoods in every part of the District and making it a�ordable for artists to practice their craft in the city. The working group discussed where new zoning tools could be focused to encourage the arts. They have also talked about what criteria makes good arts districts and what methods could be most e�ective in promoting the arts. The O�ce of Planning has submitted zoning recommen-dations to the Taskforce based on the input from the working group .

Retail: The Retail working group addresses aspects of the current regulations that are counter-productive to attracting and retaining active and vibrant retail such as the need to create regulatory tools to improve ground �oor design components (i.e. blank walls/ covered windows), the need to revisit the ceiling height requirements, the need to ensure clarity of the actual language, the need to examine whether the intended goals of speci�c zones and overlays are actually being achieved, etc. OP has drafted a list of recommendations that will be sent to the Taskforce.

Low/ Moderate Density Residential: The Low/Moderate Density Residential began a series of working group meetings to discuss how the Comprehensive Plan policies should be implemented through zoning in low- and moderate-density residential areas. Meetings will continue through mid-June. The working group has examined both the building form and use regulations and will continue to work on ways to improve the existing residential zones and ensure that they e�ectively protect and preserve our residential neighborhoods while encouraging compatible development.

ZONING REVIEW WORKING GROUP UPDATEDC ZONING UPDATEThe O�ce of Planning has initiated the zoning review process as a tool to help implement the 2006 Com-prehensive Plan. By updating zoning regulations, the O�ce of Planning is able to ensure that goals of the Comprehensive Plan are met.

The work of reviewing the zoning regulations has been divided into 20 issue areas. The basic format of the zoning review process is to start o� with a working group for each issue area. Working groups meet frequently within a 1-3 month period, the amount of meetings are determined by the complexity of the

issue. After the working group for a particular issue is �nished, the O�ce of Planning prepares a set of draft recommendations for the issue that are submitted to the zoning review task force for review. After review by the task force, recommendations are released to the public via the O�ce of Planning’s website www.dczoningupdate.org. The recommendations will stay on the website for a minimum of two months. At this time there is also a public hearing scheduled with the Zoning Commission. Upon completion of the hearings

for all twenty issue areas, OP will take the recommendations and work with the O�ce of Zoning to codify it into a �nal cohesive docu-ment.

For further information on this process please visit the website at www.dczoningupdate.org or contact the O�ce of Planning at (202) 442-7600.

District of Columbia O�ce of Planning 202.442.7600 | www.planning.dc.gov

4WARD NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING UPDATEPAGE - 5 -

District of Columbia O�ce of Planning

On June 10th at 11:30 am, the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole will hold a hearing on the Kennedy Street NW Revi-talization Plan and the Upper Georgia Avenue Great Streets Redevelopment Plan. Both Planning processes began over a year ago, and were devel-oped with the input of com-munity leaders, merchants, and elected o�cials and various District Agencies. As an overarching framework, The District’s Comprehensive Plan provided speci�c guidance on how economic revitalization and proposed new develop-ment should occur along both corridors. The Comp Plan also provides direction to various city-wide policies such as a�ordable housing, reviving commercial areas, and increas-ing choice in transportation-all of which provide strategic guidance for Kennedy Street and Upper Georgia Avenue.

The Upper Georgia Avenue Plan was initiated as the land use component of the Great Streets Initiative, which is a multi-year, multi-agency e�ort to transform under-invested corridors into thriving neigh-borhood centers. Georgia Avenue’s potential for new development is signi�cant as there is a strong unmet demand for new retail and

housing. An analysis of exist-ing markets revealed that over 140,000 square feet of new retail, approximately 900 new residential units and 35,000 square feet of new o�ce space can be realized along the corridor. The Plan proposes to accommodate this growth within �ve nodes of development as indicated in the graphic. Given the exist-ing linear development along Georgia, the Plan’s proposal to guide development within mixed-use centralized areas of activity will bolster the existing retail mix and provide pedestrian friendly activity to enliven the corridor. The Plan also provides corridor-wide revitalization strategies to help promote in�ll develop-ment, improve business store-fronts, and overall increase multi-modal opportunities through safe pedestrian connections and the provi-sion of transit and car-sharing opportunities.

Over the last year, community stakeholders representing the neighborhoods of Bright-wood Park and South Manor Park provided signi�cant guidance to the development of the draft Kennedy Street Revitalization Plan. Because of the corridor’s existing ‘main

street’ appeal, the Plan proposes to improve economic vitality and the overall image of Kennedy Street as an attractive destina-tion for residents, visitors, and businesses. The corridor has experienced signi�cant public and private investment over the past few years (including the completion of Hattie B. Homes Senior Wellness Center). The recommenda-tions of this Plan will help strategically guide develop-ment over the next 5-10 years. A market analysis developed during the planning process, revealed a signi�cant unmet demand totaling approxi-mately 50,000 square feet of retail, in which neighborhood serving retail uses such as a grocery, hardware store and café could be realized along the corridor. The plan identi-�es speci�c strategies to assist existing businesses thrive and also provides guidance on how to attract a balance of new retail uses.

View the plans and information regard-ing the hearings online at www.planning.dc.gov (Select “Neigh-borhood and Revitalization Plans Plan”, then look under “Ward Four ”) or call 202-422-7600 for further information. Community residents, property owners and merchants are encouraged to testify. To provide oral testimony at the hearing, please contact Councilmember Bowser at 202-724-8052.

COUNCIL TO REVIEW UPPER GEORGIA AVE AND KENNEDY ST.

801 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 4000, Washington, DC 20002 202.442.7600 (office) 202. 442-7638 (fax) Website; http://www.planning.dc.gov

Ward 4 Development Summary Summer 2008

Park Place at Petworth Metro

Government of the District of Columbia Office of PlanningAdrian M. Fenty, MayorHarriet Tregoning, Director

Residential Development

6425 14th Street NW– District solicitation for offers for a highly-qualified development team to plan, finance, build, and operate the building on the 12,100 square foot parcel. The use may include mixed-income housing, senior housing or age restricted housing.

7041 Blair Road NW– 50-unit condominium building adjacent to Takoma Metro Station, currently under construction. (Takoma)

6000 New Hampshire Ave NE– 38 single family homes, 73 attached townhomes, 58 condos including affordable senior housing. Planned Unit Development Project approved for construction. (Lamond)

Mixed-Use Development

Brightwood Lofts – 32 residential units above ground floor full-service restaurant located at the intersection of Georgia Avenue & Military Road, completed in 2007. (Brightwood)

4136 Georgia Avenue, NW – approximately 5,000 sq. ft. ground floor retail, with 60 condominium units above. Planned Unit Development Project approved for construction. (Petworth)

4100 Georgia Avenue, NW – 11,000 sf ground floor retail with 72 affordable rental apartments above, all units at affordable to households at 60% Area Median Income. Planned Unit Development approved for construction. (Petworth)

3910-3912 Georgia Avenue, NW – 19,500 square feet of ground-floor retail with 110 rental apartments above. Includes a set-aside of affordable housing with 40% of units at less than 60% of Area Median Income. (Petworth

Safeway, Georgia Avenue and Randolph– Proposed expansion to 55,000 to 60,000 sf lifestyle store with a mixed use component of multi-story residential building above it, including underground parking garage. (Petworth)

3825-3829 Georgia Avenue, NW– District solicitation for development offers on approximately 9000 sf. Proposals should include mixed-income housing and street activated retail. Developers chosen October 2008. (Petworth)

Park Place at Petworth Metro – 153 condos and 17,000 square feet of retail, currently under construction. Includes an affordable housing component with 20% of units at less than 60% of Area Median Income. (Petworth)

235 Carroll Avenue NW – 85 condominium units with ground floor retail, currently under construction. (Takoma)

Takoma Metro Station – Conceptual plan includes 95 townhomes, live work space and a village green. Redesign of transit facilities and station access planned. (Takoma)

Brightwood Lofts

Recreation: Lamond Recreation Center (recently completed)

Public Facilities: Kennedy Street Senior Wellness Center (recently completed)

Transportation and Transit:Middle Georgia Avenue Transportation Study; “Metro Extra” Rapid Bus on Georgia Avenue; New Hampshire Avenue NE reconstruction;Georgia Ave/ New Hampshire Avenue NW intersection improvements; Kennedy Street NW sidewalk improvements; Takoma Transportation Study implementation; Brightwood Transportation Study, ongoing.

Community Grants and Planning: Neighborhood Investment Fund for Brightwood

Office of Planning Initiatives

Great Streets: The Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation to work jointly with the community to revitalize the city’s major corridors. Special emphasis will be placed on transportation, economic revitalization and urban design. In ward 4, Great Streets is focused on Georgia Avenue. Land use plan approved in 2004.

The Upper Georgia Avenue Land Development Plan, initiated in July 2006, is a revitalization strategy and framework for future development along the corridor from Eastern Avenue to Decatur Street NW. The draft Plan has been transmitted to Council in April 2008 for approval.

Kennedy Street Corridor Revitalization Plan is a strategic development plan to determine how to coordinate small business development, commercial retention/attraction and streetscape improvements to improve this traditional main street. Plan has been transmitted to Council in April 2008 for approval.

Riggs Road/South Dakota Avenue Area Development Plan is a joint Ward 4/Ward 5 planning initiative to develop a vision for commercial revitalization and transit-oriented development for the Riggs Park/Fort Totten area. Official public kickoff of the project in June 2007. Plan progress is ongoing.

Georgia Avenue Area Public Facilities Co-Location Feasibility Study is a project to determine how the District should use its land adjacent to the Petworth Metro Station to provide state-of-the-art joint use public facilities, including a school recreation center and other important needs such as housing, medical facilities and outdoor recreation space. Study is ongoing.

Multi-modal Takoma, is collaborative study funded through the Metropolitan Council of Governments to study pedestrian, bicycle, and transit accessibility within the area surrounding the Takoma Metro Station. Study will develop a ‘score card’ for community stakeholders on areas that need priority transportation improvements to improve multi-modal access. Study slated for completion in June 2008

Public Investment

Disclaimer: This document reflects information compiled from various sources. It does not reflect all development activity in Ward 4, but

represents major development projects in the area that may or may not include investment by the Government of the District of Columbia