Washington, DC — Wards One & Two — The District of Columbia Office of Planning (OP) has pursued high-density luxury rezoning across 2-acres of public land at 1617 U Street for more than eighteen months. OP originally filed their rezoning application in January 2023 and it was docketed as Zoning Case No. 23-02.
Background: Over six zoning hearings that started earlier this year, more than fifty residents testified in person their clear resistance to OP’s proposed luxury rezoning. Neighbors also submitted more than two hundred written letters and more than 1,000 signatures on a petition in defiance of OP’s proposed dramatic land use changes. And, an unprecedented five opposition parties are in the case and they brought certified planning experts to the zoning hearings who demonstrated that high-density MU10 rezoning will lead to more displacement of nearby vulnerable businesses and residents.
“The Commission seems to be hearing us, but it sounds like the Mayor’s Office of Planning has shoved in their earplugs,” stated Debby Hanrahan with Save DC Public Land: Working for a Truly Affordable, Safe and Racially Equitable U Street.
Hanrahan points to the recently filed request by the Office of Planning to the Commission seeking to amend their application for a brand new split-zoning approach, with a lower density zone along V Street (MU4) and the same controversial high density zone (MU10) along U Street.
More community disregard: The Office of Planning didn’t serve their request to amend their zoning application to all the parties, choosing not to notify the next-door Tenants of Rochelle Apartments party.
“Par for the course, OP continues to be sloppy and continues to discard neighbors even now procedurally,” said Hanrahan who pointed to how OP has treated the Black Neighbors party (click for video).
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