D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10, r. 10-A2011
Georgia Avenue is one of the city's most significant and historic avenues. As a traffic artery, it carries thousands of commuters in and out of the city daily. As a commercial corridor, it provides goods and services to residents in neighborhoods like LeDroit Park, Pleasant Plains, and Park View. Yet today, the avenue is in need of revival. Despite its distinctive building stock and the strong housing market around it, the avenue still has pockets of crime, deteriorating commercial and residential properties, a steady increase of automobile-oriented businesses, and declining infrastructure and public space. 2011.1
Several planning initiatives have been launched for the Georgia Avenue corridor during the past five years. In 2005, the Office of Planning completed a Revitalization Strategy for the portion of the corridor extending from Euclid Street on the south to Decatur Street on the north. Below Euclid, much of the street frontage is controlled by Howard University and is addressed in the Howard Campus Plan. The University's plans include joint development of Howard Town Center, a large mixed use residential and retail project. The University also has launched the "LeDroit Park Initiative" to spur improvement and reinvestment in the surrounding neighborhood. South of Barry Place, Georgia Avenue/7th Street is contained within the Strategic Development Plan for the Uptown Destination District. The entire corridor is also one of the city's designated "Great Streets." 2011.2
Although these initiatives cover different sections of the corridor, they share common goals. These include revitalization through strategic growth and development, preservation of historic assets and unique architecture, improvement of the streetscape and public space, creation of new housing and job opportunities, and upgrading of public transit. Such initiatives are bolstered through efforts by local faith-based institutions to provide family support and job training services in the community. 2011.3
Plans for Georgia Avenue seek to attract quality neighborhood-serving retail businesses and services, reduce vacancies, and explore shared parking strategies to meet parking demand. A number of specific actions have been recommended, including creation of an overlay zone to encourage redevelopment, market incentives such as tax increment financing, façade improvement programs, and targeted improvements on blocks with high vacancies. New parking lots or structures are suggested on specific sites along the corridor, and pedestrian safety measures such as more visible crosswalks and improved lighting have been proposed. The Georgia Avenue Revitalization Strategy includes an "Action Plan" to initiate and monitor these measures. 2011.4
Policy MC-2.1.1: Revitalization of Lower Georgia Avenue
Encourage continued revitalization of the Lower Georgia Avenue corridor. Georgia Avenue should be an attractive, pedestrian-oriented "Main Street" with retail uses, local-serving offices, mixed income housing, civic and cultural facilities, and well-maintained public space. 2011.5
Policy MC-2.1.2: Segmenting the Corridor
Develop distinct identities for different segments of the Georgia Avenue Corridor. Within the Mid-City area, these should include a ParkView/Park Morton section (Otis to Irving), a Pleasant Plains section (Irving to Euclid), a Howard University section (Euclid to Barry Place), and the Uptown Arts District (Barry Place southward). 2011.6
Policy MC-2.1.3: Georgia Avenue Design Improvements
Upgrade the visual quality of the Georgia Avenue corridor through urban design and public space improvements, including tree planting, new parks and plazas, upgrading of triangle parks, and façade improvements that establish a stronger identity and improved image. 2011.7
Policy MC-2.1.4: Howard University
Encourage and strongly support continued relationship-building between Howard University and the adjacent residential neighborhoods. Work with Howard University in the abatement of any outstanding community issues such as the redevelopment of vacant property, façade/building enhancements, and buffering issues associated with campus expansion. Stimulate joint development opportunities with the University that benefit students and surrounding residents. 2011.8
Action MC-2.1.A: Georgia Avenue Revitalization Strategy
Implement the recommendations of the 2004 Revitalization Strategy for the Georgia Avenue and Petworth Metro Station Area and Corridor. 2011.9
Action MC-2.1-B: Howard Town Center
Develop a new mixed-use neighborhood center on land to the west of Howard University Campus. This should include not only the planned Howard Town Center site (with housing, retail, and structured parking), but additional medium-high density housing development, civic space, cultural facilities, and public open space on surrounding sites. Appropriate transitions in scale should be established between this center and the lower density row house neighborhoods to the west.
Action MC-2.1.C: Great Streets Improvements
Implement the Great Streets initiative recommendations for Georgia Avenue, including transit improvements, façade improvements, upgraded infrastructure, blight abatement, and incentives for housing and business development along the avenue. 2011.11
Action MC-2.1.D: Park Morton New Community
Pursue redevelopment of Park Morton as a "new community", replacing the existing public housing development with an equivalent number of new public housing units, plus new market-rate and "workforce" housing units, to create a new mixed income community. Consider implementing this recommendation in tandem with plans for the reuse of public land on Spring Road. Ensure that every effort possible is made to avoid permanent displacement of residents if this action is followed. 2011.12
Action MC-2.1.E: Reuse of Bruce School
Encourage the reuse of the vacant Bruce School (Kenyon Street) as a neighborhood-serving public facility, such as a library, recreation facility, education center for youth and adults, or vocational training center, rather than using the site for private purposes. Open space on the site should be retained for community use. 2011.13
Action MC-2.1.F: Senior Wellness Center
Develop a Senior Wellness Center on the Lower Georgia Avenue corridor to meet the current and future needs of area residents. 2011.14
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10, r. 10-A2011