Overview:
In 2022, the DC Office of Planning launched the Rock Creek West (RCW) Corridors Planning Initiative to establish an urban design framework that implements land use and housing policies outlined in the Council adopted Comprehensive Plan and Mayor’s 2019 Housing Framework for Equity and Growth.
These recent land use policies envision higher density mixed-use development along portions of Connecticut Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue to facilitate more housing production in a part of the city with the least amount of dedicated affordable housing.
This session will provide an overview on the planning process and how urban design was used as a framework for realizing the Comprehensive Plan’s vision for an equitable distribution of affordable housing, while prioritizing a community engagement strategy that elevated underrepresented voices. The RCW Corridors planning effort focuses on the scale of new buildings, the ground floor activities they support, and the public spaces between them, while advancing the goal of producing 1,990 affordable housing units, per the Mayor’s Housing Goals.
The dual-corridor planning effort addresses a range of interrelated challenges through the lens of urban design, including:
- The integration of bigger taller buildings into affluent neighborhoods that have seen little physical change in decades, particularly in historic districts.
- Coordination with the District Department of Transportation-led project to replace Connecticut Avenue’s reversible lanes with safe and welcoming bike and bus facilities.
- Planning around a multi-year bus garage redevelopment in Friendship Heights.
- Maximizing the provision of affordable housing opportunities in amenity-rich neighborhoods with high land values.
Learning Objectives:
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Understand how an urban design focus is being applied to implement land use policy aimed at achieving greater housing equity in a high opportunity area like the Connecticut Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue corridors.
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Apply approaches for incorporating more equitable engagement practices into urban design projects.
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Leverage design guidelines as an effective tool to increase opportunities for housing production, particularly affordable housing, while achieving high-quality architecture that is context-sensitive in designated historic districts.
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Understand how racial equity tools are being used to guide planning and assess development decisions in DC.
Presented by:
Heba ElGawish
Senior Cross Systems Planner, DC Office of Planning
Heba ElGawish is a Senior Cross Systems Planner at the DC Office of Planning currently managing the Connecticut Avenue Development Guidelines for the Rock Creek West Corridors Planning Initiative. Prior to joining DC Office of Planning, Heba was an Urban Planner with the City of Alexandria, Virginia where she managed the planning process and implementation efforts for the Old Town North Small Area Plan, led the adoption of the Old Town North Arts and Cultural District, and reviewed development projects for their compliance with the City’s Master Plan and Design Guidelines.
Erkin Ozberk, AICP
Senior Neighborhood Planner, DC Office of Planning
Erkin Ozberk is a Senior Neighborhood Planner at the DC Office of Planning currently managing the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework for the Rock Creek West Corridors Planning Initiative. Prior to joining OP, Erkin worked for the City of Takoma Park, Maryland, managing projects at the intersection of transportation, land use, economic development, and urban design.
Merrill St. Leger-Demian, AICP CUD, LEED AP
Principal, SmithGroup
Merrill St. Leger is a Principal in SmithGroup’s Washington, DC office where she leads the Urban Design and Planning studio. In over 25 years of practice, Merrill has led community planning projects, mixed-use development, TOD master plans, and federal campus planning projects in the mid-Atlantic region from visioning and conceptual design through municipal approvals. Merrill led SmithGroup’s consultant team for the DC Office of Planning’s Rock Creek West Corridors Planning Initiative.