Federal Urban Design Element Policies
Feedback Survey

"The height limit differentiates and distinguishes Washington from other American cities."

"I think a good compromise would be the "step effect" whereas the height of the portion of a building closest to the street would remain short, while the rear/inner portion of the building not adjacent to the street front would rise. This would ensure that streets receive sunlight (the original intent of the height of buildings act), while allowing buildings to be taller."

"I agree, to a point. In cities such as Madrid, the taller buildings are relegated to newer areas and the historic core is protected. The idea of taller buildings along the K Street corridor is worth considering."

"This is creating monotonous buildings; pair this requirement with a requirement to articulate the facade so that every building is not the same inflated balloon of development rights with a flat facade. "

"I support removing or modifying the Height of Buildings Act, outside of the federal core of DC. The law unfairly restricts the growth of the District and promotes urban sprawl. It also robs the District of tax revenue from greater development."

"Like a few of the comments here, I think that the original height restrictions should remain for the down town historic areas, as that is what creates the "civic" effect. However for the other areas of the city a, forgive the term, form based code that created stepped-articulated facades that preserve the pedestrian realm may be more appropriate."

"Building heights should be regulated to protect the monumental City skyline, but some areas/neighborhoods in the District should be able to accommodate additional heights as their character warrants."

"Control building heights to protect views of the Capital and national monuments. "

"Washington DC is a unique city becasue of its baroque plan and the fact that it is it the capital of the United States. It does not have to look like every other city in the United States. The Height Act of 1910 should be retained and enforced."

"After buildings encroaching into this plan outlive their useful life, the rights of way should be returned to make the plan integral (e.g., Verizon Center, Labor Department, etc.). 10th Street, closed for the former Convention Center, will soon be reopened."

"Restore the grid wherever possible. "

"Pursue the lowering of the Southwest Freeway to a limited access boulevard . Move the current through rail freight out of the city to bypass the Capitol and reduce the vulnerability to accident or attack by hazardous chemicals or ecplosives"

"I agree however do not maintain the integrity of original rights of way only to spite or limit access to rail and highways which relieve congestion of downtown streets."

"Reestablish only those which did not go through the NCPC/CFA review/approval processes. Those that have been through the process presumably reflect the will of the people."

"Washington needs more buildings like the Canadian Embassy and less like the FBI Headquarters. The federal government should leave design to the District of Columbia."

"In addition, private and public building designs should discourage box designs and encourage corner building designs to incorporate polygonal or cylindrical designs topped with pyramids or domes (see, e.g., 1501 M street building has a cylindrical design at the corner of 15th and M, capped with dome)."

"Agree with what I think is intended, but as stated, this policy is meaningless. What does "enhances" mean? What is meant by "respects" civic buildings and icons. How does one judge when this policy is met? "

"While this sounds like a motherhood and apple pie choice, routine federal office buildings need not necessarily be monumental. We need more balance so that DC streets are less sterile. Ground floor retail in standard federal office buildings should be encouraged."

"More Beaux-Arts design or at least nods to the Beaux Arts tradition "

"To do this will require the agency design boards with oversight of this goal to also have vision."

"I agree, however, we can never anticipate what will be fashionable to our future generations. We all had shag carpet and thought olive appliances were awesome at one point. Being too restrictive can impede function, however I believe that a historic city should err on the side on design conservativism "

"Please define "enhance." Steps need to be taken to stop building new structures ojn the National Mall that block existing vistas. Congress declared at one point that the National Mall was a "completed work." Please work top enforce that notion."

"Why undo what JFK and PADC has done?"

"I would add that PA Ave should have a landscaped median and the bike lanes or car lanes should be reduced. As is, PA Ave does not look like a grand boulevard, but more like a highway ."

"Super wide sidewalks have a tendancy to look empty. The idea of a landscaped median, made by an other commenter, is an interesting proposal to consider."

"Separated bike lanes needed"

"Remove Jersey barriers as well. "

"Replace the FBI building with something that enhances the pedestrian activities of the Avenue"

"Completely agree and believe it should be expanded to more major streets."

"Concur with the notion of a landscaped medium, possibly similar to what has recently been put in place on Connecticut Avenue, NW between K and N Street, but it should not interrupt the view of the Capitol. "

"What does this mean? I prefer the current design of the mall as a place for all people."

"Somehow Congress needs to enact legislation to abandon its power to chip away at the Mall. Otherwise even the Irish will have a monument there to the commemorate the potato famine."

"I find the National Mall rather bland and poorly maintained. The Congress should also stop adding monuments and memorials to the Mall. What is meant by "maintaining the character of the Federal Triangle"?"

"The new mall vision should be less concerned about programming and more concerned with original character"

"There have been many plans for DC. However, the McMillan plan should undergo periodic review for sufficiency and compatibility with the city and its growth. "

"I would like a well designed and well maintained multi-use trail."

"Since the government owns all of these waterfronts, it could and should control development there."

"It would be impossible to view most "national icons" from the waterfront itself, regardless of the heights of buildings. Building heights should not be a factor when planning development along the waterfronts."

"But this wil require greater development at specific locations near the rivers to make them active and enhanced."

"Give water access to the kennedy center"

"Continue development of Navy Yards area, Buzzard Point, and Anacostia River Trail. "

"I agree except not sure how that would work at fort McNair. "

"Streetcar wires do not necessarily negatively impact street character."

"I agree that streetcar wires should not be considered to have negative impacts."

"Street car wire do negatively affect the cityscape! "

"I agree but do not let this impinge on the expanding of NECESSARY transportation infrastructure. I think this policy needs the statement "whenever possible" at the end. There is going to need to be some flexibility when push comes to shove."

"DOI lost that battle with the Gannett Buildings, and now more even higher buildings are coming."

"I oppose height restrictions outside of the federal core of the District."

"If tall buildings are required build them away from the topographic bowl . There is an abundance of land just outside of the bowl"

"Building height restrictions; make parks to bring people to special places and view points. "

"The integrity of the bowl was lost long ago. Develop a PLAN for managing what is left keeping in mind federal and private development needs and views TO and from the bowl."

"But it will be difficult to control land uses in Arlington County portion of the bowl because of the precedent of the court case that was lost against tall buildings in Roslyn."

"Arlington County is ringing the monuments with highrises and has added signage to make them buildboards facing the Capitol "

"Again, DC should not be a large federal park. Well planned redevelopment of St. Elizabeths with preservation of many of the historic structures is an appropriate action."

"Development should occur east of the River to support economic vitality and activity in that oft neglected Ward"

"Preservation of green spaces and integration of sustainable development, however do not create federal enclaves at the expense of the local residents."

"Dc should have a system of parks connected by trails and separate bike paths. People could commute to work by bike if it was efficiently designed and safe from traffic. "

"Build the infrastructure to support the development first."

"Restricting heights below the current regulations would negatively effect additional TODs at our metro stations and waste this valuable resource."

"Downtown Washington already extends beyond Florida with taller buildings north of this former boundary (e.g. Meridian Hall)."

"I oppose height limits outside of the federal core. Height limits encourage suburban sprawl, raise the cost of housing and limit tax revenue to the District of Columbia."

"Florida Avenue terminates to the west at Massachusetts Avenue near Rock Creek, a relatively low part of the city. A view from the Capitol in 1792 may have shown a "bowl," but today in a nearly fully developed city the ceiling has become the floor."

"I oppose height limits outside of the federal core."

"Horizontal sklyline = K Street. We do not want replicate this."

"Yes limit the heights on properties that will detract from the monumental core"

"The Old Post Office Building and other visually attractive historic buildings should be lit as well (which is not currently the case)."

"Restrictions should lessen as one moves further away from the federal core."

"The building and rooftop signs should not be more prominent than the monuments"

"I agree with a caveat that density should be a motivating force in urban environments and needs to be balanced with aesthetics. "

"I think a good compromise would be the "step effect" whereas the height of the portion of a building closest to the street would remain short, while the rear/inner portion of the building farthest from the street front would be taller. This would ensure that streets receive sunlight (the original intent of the height of buildings act), while allowing buildings to be taller. The height restrictions were never intended to "respect symbolic public buildings" but to keep the streets "light and airy" as Thomas Jefferson put it."

"I agree that the federal government should maintain this policy for its own buildings; however, the federal government should not usurp the District of Columbia regulations for zoning and land use for private property."

"In the federal core"

"Ditto B1"

"The federal government should always try to use adaptive reuse of existing and historic buildings before building new for culturally and sustainability reasons. And "

"The federal government should not involve itself with adjacent privately owned properties. If the federal government wants to control development there, it has the power of condemnation."

"The NPS needs to be more flexible in its management of urban park land."

"Examples taking place in the Navy Yard neighborhood should reenforce this proposal."

"More prominent and attractive "welcome signs" and wayfinders with foot maps should be added."

"Existing regulations suffice."

"This should be a relatively low federal priority."

"Make the entry highways less chaotic and more inviting"

"Tasteful signage and restricting development. "

"Think "Beautiful Canopy, Beautiful DC", especially at gateways into our historic city. "

"When the "experience" is such that the vista or viewshed is "over" Federal property -- as would be the case coming north toward South Capitol Street and seeing DC "over" Boling Field, this could be justified. When the land that whose development would be restricted by whatever "reinforcement" is appropriate is under District jurisdiction, then any restrictions should be ones imposed, after public consideration, by the District."

"The only jurisdiction affected is the District of Columbia which governs land use."

"The plan could identify "gateway" routes of interest to DC, and for that matter, Virginia and Maryland and suggest, but not compel, measures that would promote this goal"

"This is conditional - it would depend on the space."

"Ditto A8."

"The federal government should not be restricting development outside of the federal core."

"Gateways can be preserved and enhanced without keeping scale down, just make the highways more pleasant to drive on...fix them!"

"DC and Virginia can work in concert (at Rosslyn for instance) but I doubt this is at all possible to put into policy AND regulate."

"There is more to a gateway than street trees and amenities."

"Who would pay for and maintain these improvements? NPS cannot even maintain the small downtown parks and plazas satisfactorily."

"With on-going maintenance commitments."

"Double the tree canopy in 5 years"

"And include well designed bicycle paths with informational signage at view points. "

"This is very basic- too basic. What exactly is meant by "amenities"?"

"Ditto C1."

"Yes, but do not reject private development from complementing it."

"Road and directional signs could be improved for traffic safety and customer service."

"Providing safe pedestrian and bike trails with map boards. "

"Do parkways only have to be for cars? Can trails be established/expanded for better multi-modal transport? Of course, Interstates are off-limits for bikes and pedestrians but can the parkways beef up their multi-modal options?"

"Parkways first and foremost are roads built for transportation."

"Get the landscape part, what is the historic character to be protected? They are congested commuter routes now."

"The region could benefit from better management of the parkways as part of the transportation network."

"Better management of the parkways is important. Mileage- and congestion-based pricing would be part of a better management approach."

"Enhance the parkways and protect the trees with reasonable annual fees collected from commuters. "

"This depends on the area and project."

"It is not the job of the federal government to regulate development."

"These regulations would amount to condemnation without compensation. The subjectivity of these regulations would inevitably lead to ongoing disputes."

"The NCR is a metropolitan area, not a wilderness. This is going too far."

"Parkway landscaping can be deep enough so that this is not a major issue. It is also important to remember that the District and the metro region is not a park. The parkways are beautiful and pleasant to drive on by they are in a large urban area."

"Does depend though"

"Local jurisdictions are often beholden to developers. "

"Prohibit transportation system impacts - these parkways are national treasures."

"The function of roads - including parkways - is transportation."

"If one wants to maintain parkway characteristics, restrict access to them at a volume that existed when they were built. Not very practical, is it?"

"It may be appropriate to consider the parkways, in some areas, as boulevards, which would allow a non-conflicting interface with pedestrian and bicycle traffic."

"What negative impacts?"

"Who would pay for and maintain?"

"Should be expanded to indicate why -- cooler, carbon sequestration, looks nice."

"Enhance access. Work with DC Navy Yard to make boardwalk accessible 24hrs; add pedestrian-only bridges and/or pontoons, etc."

"This will require more development to help bring people and services to the waterfronts."

"Ditto A6."

"This may conflict with the Parkway policies, viz. the George Washington Parkway, which is itself a barrier to the riverfront in Arlington"

"Especially roads"

"Some security barriers are necessary to protect people and property. "

"It would be impossible to view most "national icons" from the waterfront itself, regardless of the heights of buildings. Building heights should not be a factor when planning development along the waterfronts."

"Ditto A6. Limiting building height would amount to condemnation without compensation."

"Plenty of cities around the world have high-rise, high-density development adjacent to their waterfronts. Battery Park City in NYC is a well planned development with public access to the waterfront."

"Also consider protecting solar access for south facing buildings. "

"Develop zoning regs or planning guidelines which address these issues for our city that take into account solar and wind, access, views, vistas; pedestrian and vehicular zones; etc., etc."

"Also design bridges that are aesthetically pleasing (UNLIKE THE 11th ST Bridges, Roosevelt Bridge, Long Bridge, etc.)"

"Have riverine habitat, waterways, shorelines and valleys in Washington attained a standard not meriting changing to improve?"

"we need more bridges"

"The proposed design of the new South Capitol Street Bridge and adjacent streetscape design and plantiings set a high standard and deserve applause."

"Realistically will the federal government pay for the "highest quality.""

"What is meant by "highest quality"? This policy need more meat so that one knows when concurance with the policy has been achieved."

"But standard federal office buildings should also include ground floor retail and not be built like fortesses."

"...and not in the suburbs, far from transit."

"I agree and am curious if the term "highest quality" was used as a blanket term? It is a slippery slope to be so broad, be more specific. At this point, we need make mention of sustainability and built environment efficiency. "

"This is leading to boring buildings. Consistent scale and height is enough."

"This is nothing but code for mindless conformity."

"Consistency can be visually boring. See downtown DC where all of the commercial architecture consists of 12 story boxes with very little architectural detail and no setbacks to add variety."

"As all urban buildings should, why should the federal government be treater differently just because they collect taxes?"

"I agree however do not necessarily agree on materials, this could spiral around to hurt us if a material is no longer available or price prohibitive."

"Encourage great architecture. Remember K Street."

"Massive amounts of free parking on-site does not promote sustainability."

"Precinct level?"

"Every site deserves a great design appropriate for the function and site."

"...giving preference to small businesses owned by US citizens and DC residents."

"Is this subsidy or opportunity?"

"Start with the FBI building"

"Include educational signage. "

"It is about time we start thinking how federal building can bring in local tax revenue rather than being a financial burden."

"Would need to figure out a cost effective way for this to happen while maintainig ATFP requirements or else this will not be able to be implemented."

"I assume this only pertains to federal buildings..."

"Ok until it gets to limiting security measures. Integration is good, but NCPC has a nasty habit of down playing the public safety of security measures on the altar of aesthetics. "

"Sometimes a blank wall is a wonderful backdrp for sculpture and/or landscaping. This survey seems to be trying to be a design guideline; but there are a lot of nuances to each item which needs to be studied and developed in more detail."

"This depends on the area and project."

"I assume this only pertains to federal buildings..."

"In practice, the federal government has not complied with making agency space public. Most installations are fenced with guard houses."

"Offering the space OK as long as the programming is done by others. The federal govenment is not in the entertainment business."

"Why no mention of integration with transit?"

"Provide bus transportation to these places from Metro stations with bus shelters. "

"How can this be achieved while adherining to ATFP requirements."

"Include direct building connections to Metrorail whenever possible, too."

"Transit should have priority over auto access & parking."

"Provide bus stops at the gates to the installations with bicycles for rent and bike racks and lockers. "

"This depends on the area and project."

"Ditto F1."

"Limit parking in federal buildings in close proximity to Metrorail stations."

"Ditto F1."

"The first part is fine but Not as inviting as possible. Good planning is important that integrates security measures in these designs to protect people from those who want to harm us. "

"Who would regulate?"

"We are an urban area. These things happen; however, they can be designed well."

"So, all memorial projects should adhere to the same formula? "

"As pointed out by others, one size should not fit all."

"Again, why should the federal government be given license for bad design?"

"The priority of these areas should be for the movement of pedestrians - as a sustainable transportation alternative to the personal automobile. The elements listed in G3 are important, but should not impede pedestrian accessibility."

"It depends - seating and public art might be appropriate in certain contexts. "

"Too much open public space can also become barren and uninviting. Large plazas often fail as good public space. DC has many examples."

"Active only around appropriate buildings/icons"

"Include attractive lighting and seating in all public spaces around federal buildings. "

"What is a sustainable feature? Low impact feature such as a stream? "

"Including plant materials."

" "

"And consider designs other than bollards for security."

"Please remove Jersey barriers, chain fences, anything haphazard or "temporary-looking""