The DC Office of Planning has released the New York Avenue Roadmap, an introduction to three planning studies Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration will implement to transform the New York Avenue NE Corridor into a mixed-use center. The three studies, the New York Avenue Vision Framework, the Ivy City Small Area Plan, and the Districtwide Production, Distribution, and Repair Report, will guide housing, economic development, resilience, racial equity, and environmental justice in the Corridor.
The New York Avenue Corridor extends three miles from Florida Avenue NE to South Dakota Avenue NE and includes the communities of Ivy City, Brentwood, and Langdon. It has accommodated industrial land uses since the late 1940s, but recent changes to the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map now allow high-density commercial and residential uses in addition to production, distribution, and repair (PDR). This prompted a reimagination of New York Avenue NE as an inclusive and vibrant area that attracts private development and investment in a variety of civic spaces that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. The three planning studies will facilitate the area's transition toward that vision.
The New York Avenue Vision Framework will serve as guidance for the production of new housing units and the creation of new jobs across multiple industry sectors (e.g., light manufacturing, customer service, and office jobs). It will identify the infrastructure and facilities needed to achieve housing and employment goals and include urban design guidelines and a transportation plan.
The Ivy City Small Area Plan will be a community-informed initiative to mitigate negative externalities of PDR uses and ensure this historically African American community develops in a racially equitable way. It will include strategies to prevent displacement as residential and commercial uses increase, improve quality of life, and create a pedestrian-friendly, high-quality public realm.
The Districtwide Production, Distribution, and Repair Report will evaluate the benefits and tradeoffs of retaining PDR uses in the Corridor, considering their environmental and human health impacts. It will also identify land areas appropriate for PDR uses throughout the District and explore innovative ways to integrate PDR with other, compatible uses to address future needs. Various prior planning efforts will inform the Districtwide Production, Distribution, and Repair Report: the Comprehensive Plan, the Ward 5 Works Industrial Transformation Study, and the West Virginia Avenue Public Works Campus Master Plan.
The studies will be completed in early 2024. They will be followed by implementation and additional studies, leading to a Comprehensive Plan rewrite in 2025.
For more information on the New York Avenue Roadmap and other development matters in DC, please contact Zach Williams or another member of Venable's Land Use and Zoning Practice Group.