36 C.F.R. Subpart B—Urban Planning and Design Concerns
Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Property
To facilitate review of each development proposal in light of the identified urban planning and design goals of the Plan, the following urban planning and design concerns will be the basis upon which the evaluation of such proposals will be made. These concerns are also more specifically reflected in subpart C of this Rule, and in the requirements and recommendations in Square Guidelines. (a) Comprehensive planning and design; (b) Development density; (c) Urban design of Washington, DC; (d) Historic preservation; (e) New development design; (f) Land use; (g) Pedestrian circulation sytems; and (h) Vehicular circulation and storage systems. (a) All new development is conceived as an integral part of its surroundings, which include the remainder of the Development Area, the Mall, the Federal Triangle, and the District's downtown, and should support Pennsylvania Avenue's function as a bridge between the monumental Federal core to the south and the District's downtown to the north. (b) All development shall be planned and designed to accommodate the requirements and needs of historic preservation, affirmative action, business relocation, and other concerns which will affect the overall planning and design of a development. (c) The design of any development shall take into account the Plan's proposed future treatment of buildings, squares, and pedestrian spaces in the immediate surrounding area. (d) The design of any development shall be coordinated with the massing, architectural design, servicing, pedestrian amenities, and uses of nearby development as prescribed under the Plan. (e) Any development adjacent to F Street, NW. shall be accomplished in a manner that will strengthen F Street as a retail core of Washington, DC. (f) Any development along Pennsylvania Avenue shall be designed so as to support the transformation of the Avenue into an attractive and pleasant place for residents and visitors alike, offering pleasant places to stroll, rest, sit and talk, eat, and shop. (g) All development within a coordinated planning area shall, to the maximum extent possible, be integrated with regard to the off-street loading and servicing, pedestrian features. (a) Land would be developed to the fullest extent appropriate in terms of uses, economics, and design so that the city's economic life and tax base can be enhanced. (b) New development shall be designed to achieve maximum development density within the building envelope delineated by specific height restrictions, but shall also establish a compatible and appropriate scale for historic preservation, residential and other uses, and other urban design elements. (c) Development density is limited by the Zoning Regulations of the District of Columbia and may be further restricted by the Corporation in specific coordinated planning areas, provided that any lower density would be economically feasible. Generally, the Plan is structured to create high density development west of the FBI and lower density development east of the FBI. (d) The density of new development should bring new economic life—jobs, shopping, and business opportunities—to Pennsylvania Avenue, while also reinforcing existing activity both on the Avenue and in the adjacent downtown, both within and beyond the Development Area. (a) Pennsylvania Avenue's unique role as the physical and symbolic link between the White House and the U.S. Capitol should be reinforced by new development along it. (b) To reinforce and enrich the legacy of the L'Enfant Plan, the primary function of new development in the Development Area is to define open spaces and plazas, or to reinforce vistas along major streets and thoroughfares. (a) The Development Area is located almost entirely within the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site, which was established to preserve the exceptional values of Pennsylvania Avenue and its environs in commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States. The Pennsylvania Avenue Area achieves national historic significance because of both its ceremonial role in the life of the nation and its social and economic role in the life of the residents of Washington for more than a century. (b) The Historic Preservation Plan of the Corporation sets forth the adopted policy of the Corporation on historic preservation and development within the Development Area must be consistent with this policy. (c) New construction adjacent to historic structures will be required to take into account the qualities of the adjacent structures (with regard to height, scale, proportion, rhythm, texture, materials, architectural detail, and the amount of variety among the structures with respect to these qualities as well as style and date of erection) to ensure that these structures maintain their historic or architectural integrity, but will not necessarily be required to conform to them. (d) Wholly new construction and new construction in conjunction with preservation will, where appropriate, take into account the historic buildings to remain, aiming for the highest quality of contemporary design, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Historic Preservation Plan. (a) All new development shall represent the best contemporary architectural and urban planning concepts. (b) Where new development includes or relates to historic or architecturally meritorious buildings which are to be preserved, the design of the new development should be aimed at retaining as much of the significant fabric of the Development Area as is possible consistent with the goals of the Plan. (a) Development within the Development Area shall provide, and stimulate in neighboring areas, more lively and varied shopping, cultural, entertainment, and residential opportunities, as well as high quality office uses. (b) That portion of the Development Area west of the FBI Building is designated for commercial development, primarily office and hotel uses with attendant retail and service uses. That portion of the Development Area east of the FBI Building is designated for development with residential uses, office, institutional and entertainment uses supported by service and retail uses. (c) The kinds of uses and their location within the Development Area shall be directly related to creating a lively atmosphere and to promoting an active street life throughout the day, evening, and weekend. (d) Introduction or expansion of retail uses shall be encouraged as both reinforcement of existing retail uses and creation of new retail activities. (e) While recognized as important to the commercial life of any inner city, uses that do not generate lively activities are discouraged from locating along those street fronts within the Development Area which are considered major pedestrian thoroughfares. (a) An efficient, pleasant, and stimulating pedestrian circulation system shall be developed to link the components of the Development Area with the Mall and the city's downtown. (b) Pedestrian circulation systems shall be designed to provide pedestrian comfort and convenience, to create more linear footage of storefront, to encourage recognition of the location of various METRO stops or other mass transit locations, and to link various historic and architecturally significant buildings, sites, and monuments which are scattered throughout and beyond the Historic Site. (c) Curb cuts across the north sidewalk areas of Pennsylvania Avenue shall be prohibited in order to reinforce its importance as the major pedestrian thoroughfare of the Development Area. (a) Improvement of the existing vehicular storage and circulation system is necessary in order to create the balanced transportation system called for in the Plan, which recognizes the need to maintain air quality, to encourage the use of mass transit, and to provide sufficient off-street parking and loading to make development economically viable. (b) The general policies of the Corporation are as follows: (1) To reduce impedance to traffic movement created by service vehicles by requiring well-integrated off-street loading facilities in terms of location of loading berths and access points on a block-by-block basis; (2) To control the number of vehicles in the Development Area by limiting the number of parking spaces per development; and (3) To encourage the use of public transportation by linking new development to transit stops through the system of pedestrian ways.
Title 36: Parks, Forests, and Public Property
PART 910—GENERAL GUIDELINES AND UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN OF DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE DEVELOPMENT AREA
Subpart B—Urban Planning and Design Concerns
§ 910.10 General.
§ 910.11 Comprehensive urban planning and design.
§ 910.12 Development density.
§ 910.13 Urban design of Washington, DC.
§ 910.14 Historic preservation.
§ 910.15 New development design.
§ 910.16 Land use.
§ 910.17 Pedestrian circulation system.
§ 910.18 Vehicular circulation and storage systems.
