WASHINGTON — The D.C. Council unanimously passed a new Comprehensive Plan that could have a profound impact on future growth in the District.
D.C. created its first Comprehensive Plan in 2006. The plan influences District officials’ decisions on matters pertaining to public service, infrastructure, and capital investment projects among other things.
Decisions regarding public service, infrastructure, and capital investment projects are also influenced by the policies put forth in the plan.
This year, the District Council made it a point to emphasize the need for equitable practices in the plan that will benefit D.C. residents in all eight wards in the future.
“Agencies involved with land use have to develop and utilize a racial equity lens as part of their process or processes,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.
One major focus of the District’s latest Comprehensive Plan is how to address concerns over scarce affordable housing locally.
District leaders say the new plan, and its updated policies, will pave the way for more dense, affordable housing projects throughout D.C.
“I think for D.C. to remain a diverse and inclusive city, we know we need to generate housing that meets the needs of these lowest income residents,” said D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said she wants to build 36,000 homes in D.C. by 2025. She also wants 12,000 of those homes to be affordable units.
Bowser is expected to give the Comprehensive Bill her signature after it is reviewed for approval by the National Capital Planning Commission.
“This is a Comprehensive Plan that, through extensive community engagement, has been updated to reflect our shared D.C. values, including our collective belief that no matter where you live in D.C., you should have access to safe and affordable housing, good schools and parks, high-quality transportation options, and opportunities to live a healthy, happy life,” Bowser said in a statement.
However, some people are skeptical about the impact the Comprehensive Plan could have in the future.
Cheryl Brunson has lived in the Brookland Manor/Brentwood Village neighborhood in Northeast for more than 20 years. Over the last several years, she and other residents there have pushed back against a new development they say could lead to the displacement of locals in the community.
D.C. officials have promised to work to prevent displacement across D.C. in the Comprehensive Plan, but Brunson says she thinks more housing could possibly aggravate the issue.
“Construction’s going on all over D.C., and you know, nobody here in D.C. is exempt from what Brookland Manor is going through right now,” she said.
Some people in the neighborhood have also expressed concern the plan could allow developers to easily ignore community input on some projects as they move forward. Brunson says that is a situation her neighborhood is already facing.
“We don't have a say so in what is being redeveloped and what we would like to see come back in our community,” she said.
According to the Mayor’s office, the entire approval process for the Comprehensive Plan could last approximately six months.