Examining DC Building Heights

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the DC Office of Planning (OP) are studying the impact of strategic changes to the 103-year-old federal law governing maximum building heights in DC Requested by Congress, the studies will determine the extent to which the Height of Buildings Act of 1910 continues to serve federal and DC interests. Under the law, building heights on commercial streets can’t exceed the width of the street by more than 20 feet and can’t surpass 130 feet overall—although buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st and 15th streets can be higher. On residential streets, building heights generally can’t surpass street widths by more than 10 feet, up to a maximum of 90 feet. Phase I of this initiative involved community input. Phase II results, visual modeling and an economic feasibility analysis, were presented at a public meeting last week and include four possible approaches to modifying the Act:

• Basically implement no change
• Rethink the relationship between street width and building height so buildings on certain streets can have more height relative to the width of the street
• Raise height limits in selected areas of the city
• Raise height limits citywide

Visual modeling images showing how possible changes could impact the landscape are available on the NCPC website. As part of Phase II, both the NCPC and OP will host five public meetings throughout the city between Saturday, August 3 and Tuesday, August 13. The OP will present visual modeling study and economic analysis results at each meeting, and residents will have a chance to share their thoughts on how the potential impacts of the strategic changes will impact DC’s shape and form. Phase 3 will get underway in the fall, when more draft recommendations will be released and more meetings held before recommendations are sent to Congress.

For more information about the Height Master Plan and related studies, contact Lucy Kempf at Lucy.Kempf@ncpc.gov or Tanya Stern at Tanya.Stern@dc.gov.