Zoning, quickly, is a Progressive-era policy from the early 1900s that dictates what uses can or cannot exist on a certain piece of property or in a general area. The Modern Movement picked up the concept as a way of guaranteeing a healthy city, as did the Garden City and Regional Planning movements. Generally, its effects have been good – like keeping smelting plants away from residences. But it’s also led to unhealthy homogeneity and a commuter culture that was less prominent before governments began micromanaging the fabric of cities.
This is one of the wonkier posts, but it’s important to understand what has been planned for the area. The DC Office of Zoning regulates the land-use decisions of the area, and authorizes changes through the Board of Zoning Adjustment. The following are descriptions from their website for the relevant zoning categories:
- R-1-A: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses for detached dwellings with a minimum lot width of 75 feet, a minimum lot area of 7,500 square feet, a maximum lot occupancy of 40% for residential use and 60% for church and public school use, and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet.
- R-1-B: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses for detached dwellings with a minimum lot width of 50 feet, a minimum lot area of 5,000 square feet, a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for a church or public school use and 40% for all other structures; and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet.
- R-2: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses for detached and semi-detached structures, with a minimum lot width of 40 feet and lot area of 4000 square feet for detached structures, and 30 feet and 3000 square feet for semi-detached structures; a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for church and public school use and 40% for all other structures, and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet.
- R-3: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, and row dwellings), churches and public schools with a minimum lot width of 20 feet, a minimum lot area of 2,000 square feet, a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for row dwellings, a minimum lot width of 30 feet and a minimum lot area of 3000 square feet and 40% lot occupancy for semi-detached structures, and a minimum lot width of 40 feet and a minimum lot area of 4000 square feet and 40% lot occupancy for detached structure; and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet.
- R-4: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses (including detached, semi-detached, row dwellings, and flats), churches and public schools with a minimum lot width of 18 feet, a minimum lot area of 1,800 square feet and a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for row dwellings, churches and Flats, a minimum lot width of 30 feet and a minimum lot area of 3000 square feet for semi-detached structures, a minimum lot width of 40 feet and a minimum lot area of 4000 square feet and 40% lot occupancy for all other structures; and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet. Conversions of existing buildings to apartments are permitted for lots with a minimum lot area of 900 square feet per dwelling unit.
- R-5-A: Permits matter-of-right development of single-family residential uses for detached and semi-detached dwellings, and with the approval of the Board of Zoning Adjustment, new residential development of low density residential uses including row houses, flats, and apartments to a maximum lot occupancy of 40%, 60% for churches and public schools; a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.9, and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet. Conversion of existing buildings to Flat or Apartment use is permitted as a matter of right provided all other provisions of the zoning regulations are complied with.
- R-5-B: Permits matter-of-right moderate development of general residential uses, including single-family dwellings, flats, and apartment buildings, to a maximum lot occupancy of 60%, a maximum FAR of 1.8, and a maximum height of fifty (50) feet.
- R-5-D: Permits matter-of-right medium/high density development of general residential uses, including single-family dwellings, flats, and apartment buildings, to a maximum lot occupancy of 75%, a maximum FAR of 3.5 and a maximum height of ninety (90) feet.
- C-1: Permits matter-of-right neighborhood shopping and low density development to a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for residential use, a maximum FAR of 1.0, and a maximum height of three (3) stories/forty (40) feet.
- C-2-A: Permits matter-of-right low density development, including office, retail, and all kinds of residential uses to a maximum lot occupancy of 60% for residential use, a maximum FAR of 2.5 for residential use and 1.5 FAR for other permitted uses, and a maximum height of fifty (50) feet
- C-2-B: Permits matter-of-right medium density development, including office, retail, housing, and mixed uses to a maximum lot occupancy of 80% for residential use, a maximum FAR of 3.5 for residential use and 1.5 FAR for other permitted uses, and a maximum height of sixty-five (65) feet.
- C-3-A: Permits matter-of-right development for major business and employment centers of medium density development, including office, retail, housing, and mixed uses to a maximum lot occupancy of 100%, a maximum FAR of 5.0 for residential and 4.0 FAR for other permitted uses, and a maximum height of six (6) stories/seventy (70) feet.
- Government Reserve: Property owned by the Federal Government is not governed by DC’s zoning rules.
There are exceptions to these rules as well as a structure called an overlay. Overlays allow special exceptions or create special requirements. The 14th Street ARTS district, for example has allowances for more construction if a theater or gallery is part of a development, and the H Street district makes large-floorplan developments more challenging, as a way of maintaining the character of the street. The Macomb-Wisconsin Giant area has an overlay that allows for some limited retail locations.
Another tool of planners is the Planned-Unit Development. The PUD lets developers choose a dialogue with the neighborhood councils, BZA, and interested parties instead of developing as-of-right. In theory, this makes better buildings, but it can get hung up in corruption and NIMBYism.
The only PUDs here are some buildings in Friendship Heights,Van Ness Station, and David Schwartz’s Saratoga. There were supposed to be a few more, recently, but the recession and community opposition made it less likely.
More details to come.