The Zoning Commission will hold its scheduled public hearing on the Zoning Regulations Review (ZRR) on April 24, 2014, at 6:00 PM in the Jerrily R. Kress Memorial Hearing Room at 441 4th Street, NW, Suite 220-S, Washington, DC 20001. The hearing scheduled for April 21, 2014, has been cancelled. The Zoning Commission will hold the record open for this case until September 15, 2014.
How Would the OP ZRR Proposals Relate to Your ANC? 1
OP has prepared a summary of the Zoning Regulation Review (ZRR) proposals as they specifically relate to each individual Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) in DC – available here, on the OP ZRR website, and as part of the ZRR official record at http://www.dcoz.dc.gov. There are 40 ANCs in the District – if you are not sure which ANC you are in, please go to http://anc.dc.gov, or contact OP and we can find this information for you.
Each summary provides a bit of background on the ZRR process and a description of current and next steps, but they mostly address the question “what is of relevance to my ANC?”. Topics covered include zone naming, including a list of zones in your ANC (slide 7); use permissions; low density residential; parking; accessory apartment; alley lot; corner store; commercial zoning; industrial zoning; downtown; and campus / school plan proposed provisions. Maps are included to help you locate where various provisions would, or would not, apply within your ANC and your neighborhood.
Copies of the ZRR summary (electronic and hard copy) are being emailed and mailed to each ANC commissioner
Each summary is based on the version of the proposed text which was set down by the Zoning Commission (ZC) on September 9, 2013 for public hearing. A paper copy of the September 9th version is available at each DC public library and a disc copy was provided to each ANC in September 2013. Copies of the full text are also available on our ZRR website and the Office of Zoning website.
Copies of this summary (electronic and hard copy) are being emailed and mailed to each ANC commissioner, and are also uploaded into the Office of Zoning ZRR record (08-06A). If you have questions about or comments on OP’s ZRR proposals, please feel free to contact us at , or please attend one of the open houses we are holding in March – dates and times of the remaining open houses are (click to enlarge):
Corner Stores in the News 1
District residents and the Zoning Commission aren’t the only ones talking about corner stores, the Washington Post and Washington City Paper both published articles this week looking at these neighborhood institutions.
P&C Market (mentioned in the article) is a favorite, close to home for me. They sell the world’s best eggs from the kind of famous Polyface Farms, in season. That’s right – in season eggs. What a treat to be able to walk to the market to pick up these eggs.
Corner stores are small commercial establishments found in lower density residential areas. The existing zoning regulations do not allow commercial uses in our residential districts, which means that existing corner stores are “grandfathered.” Any changes to an existing corner store or a proposal to open a new store would require approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). As part of the Zoning Regulations Review (ZRR), OP is proposing to allow limited neighborhood serving commercial, service, and arts uses in our rowhouse zones (current R-3 and R-4), with a particular emphasis on encouraging corner grocery stores. You can see OP’s proposal after the jump.
Additional Zoning Commission Hearings Announced Reply
The Zoning Commission announced that they will be holding two additional hearings on the OP proposed text – a public hearing in Ward 8 on April 21 and one in the Zoning Commission’s regular hearing room at 441-4th Street NW on April 24. The Commission also stated that the record will close on Friday April 25 at 3 pm. The Office of Zoning will be finalizing all of the details, which we will post when known, or you will be able to find more information on the Office of Zoning website.
Office of Planning to hold Zoning Regulations Review Open House Reply
The Office of Planning (OP) will hold a series of Open House meetings (see the table below for date, time, and location information) to provide residents an opportunity to discuss the draft proposed changes to zoning regulations with OP staff. The Zoning Commission set down the draft proposed ZRR text on September 9, 2013, and has been holding public hearings to gather input. The hearings are ongoing at this time, and the Commission plans to leave the record open to take testimony until at least April 17, 2014. Detailed information about the hearings and how to submit testimony in the case can be found on the Office of Zoning website at http://www.dcoz.dc.gov/ZRR/ZRR.shtm.
The Open Houses are intended to provide residents an opportunity to gather information about the proposed changes and ask questions in an informal setting and residents are encouraged to drop in at any time. OP staff will be available at the Open Houses to discuss the proposed changes on a one-on-one basis with individuals that have questions in advance of attending a hearing or submitting testimony. OP will make copies of the draft proposed text available at each location. Copies of the proposed text are available on the OP and OZ website and at each public library.
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Zoning Commission Ward 1 and 2 ZRR Hearings Postponed Reply
The Zoning Commission’s Ward 1 and 2 ZRR hearing has been postponed to Wednesday, Feb 26 at 6:00 pm. The location for the hearing will be 815 Florida Avenue NW. More information can be found at www.dcoz.dc.gov.
Zoning Commission Public Hearings Continue Reply
The Zoning Commission will continue take testimony on the ZRR with three public hearings this week. For more information, please see the Office of Zoning’s website at http://www.dcoz.dc.gov/news/2013/news122013.shtm.
Don’t forget, you can access the draft proposed text in many ways. PDF copies of the text can be found online from the Office of Zoning and the Office of Planning. Paper copies can be found at each DC Public Library.
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Ward 5 & 6 Public Hearings Reply
A reminder that the Ward 5 & 6 Zoning Commission public hearing is tomorrow, 9 a.m., Saturday. February 8, Dunbar High, 101 N Street, N.W.
This will be the 60th night of Zoning Commission hearings and meetings on ZRR; more hearings next week in other wards of DC. Please see the Office of Zoning’s website for more information.
Happy New Year from the DC Office of Planning Reply
Thanks to everyone who participated in the ZRR process over the last year – by attending one of the 39 community and ANC meetings, 6 Task Force meetings, or 10 Zoning Commission public hearings and meetings held in 2013. In addition, many people submitted written comments – the Office of Zoning official record already includes almost 380 submissions from members of the public (not including District government submissions), for a total of almost 2,000 pages of public comments and testimony – so far!
Our ZRR blogsite received about 12,000 views. Altogether, 62 new articles were posted in 2013, and 84 pictures and images were uploaded. The most popular posts – the ones which received the most views in 2013, were:
1. Myth vs. Fact: Accessory Dwelling Units, posted November 2012
2. Introducing front setbacks, posted May 2013
3. Green Area Ratio Q&A, posted November 2012
4. An update on parking proposals, part II, posted July 2013
5. Myth/Fact: Alley Lots, posted December 2012
Thanks for all of your blog comments and questions, as well as your emails and phone calls.
All the best to you and yours for 2014!
Dates and times for further ZRR public hearings Reply
The DC Office of Zoning has announced the dates and times for the further public hearings for the ZRR proposal. In addition to the hearing for ANCs announced earlier, the further public hearings will be:
• 9:00 a.m., Saturday, February 8, 2014 – Wards 5 & 6 at Dunbar High School Auditorium, 101 N Street, N.W.
• 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 11, 2014 – Wards 3 & 4 at Wilson High School Auditorium, 3950 Chesapeake Street, N.W.
• 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 12, 2014 – Wards 7 & 8 at DOES, 4058 Minnesota Avenue, N.E.
• 6:00 p.m., Thursday, February 13, 2014 – Wards 1 & 2 at D.C. Housing Finance Authority, 815 Florida Avenue, N.W.
For more information, please refer to the Public Hearing Notice, available on the Office of Zoning website. In addition, the record for written submissions will remain open until March 3, 2014.