(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser submitted the District’s Comprehensive Plan proposal to the Council of the District of Columbia. This update to the Comprehensive Plan will allow the District to meet long-term challenges and opportunities in critical areas such as housing, economic vibrancy, environment, and access to public resources – and to do so with a focus on equity and resilience. The Comprehensive Plan presents a suite of tools and approaches that can be immediately applied in the response to the economic, social, and public health impacts caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Council’s timely consideration and passage of this bill is critical.
“An updated Comprehensive Plan is even more critical now, given the current disruptions that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing for the District’s residents and businesses,” said Mayor Bowser. “As we move from response to reopening and recovery, this Comprehensive Plan will serve as an essential guide to ensure that the District not only recovers, but emerges stronger, healthier, more resilient, and more equitable than ever.”
The Comprehensive Plan proposal emphasizes the importance of equity and resilience as the District works to meet current and future housing and infrastructure needs as well as other challenges. The long-term vision of the District contained in this amendment will serve as an important guide in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
“The update that we submitted today reflects the best analysis, policies and actions that will prepare DC to manage the change ahead with an eye toward equity, resilience and shared prosperity,” said Andrew Trueblood, Director of the DC Office of Planning. “We are committed to do what we can to support the adoption of this Comprehensive Plan in 2020, so that District residents will have the support we need to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges ahead.”
The Comprehensive Plan proposal, which is the result of unprecedented outreach and coordination led by the Office of Planning (OP) over the last few years, was initially adopted in 2006 and last amended in 2011. The four major themes that are woven throughout the Comprehensive Plan update – resilience, equity, housing affordability, and public resources – were derived from community feedback. Public engagement began in 2016 with outreach and educational events throughout the city and an open call for proposed amendments in 2017, which generated over 3,000 proposals. OP conducted additional public engagement in 2019 that allowed both the public and ANCs to weigh in on the draft amendment.
For more information on the Comprehensive Plan proposal and amendment process, please visit plandc.dc.gov.