Washington, DC continues to evolve, with new and revitalized destinations. NCPC's work reflects our stewardship commitment to the area’s rich resources, and seeks to foster an inspiring, livable capital city. As the federal government’s planning agency for the National Capital Region, we guide these changes through policy and plan initiatives and our review of federal development. In 2017, NCPC improved the effectiveness of our review process and public outreach. New submission guidelines and environmental regulations were adopted that provide clear direction, align NCPC’s review stages more efficiently for applicants, and enable the Commission and public to provide more timely input as projects develop. In the fall, we launched a new, mobile friendly website that offers an easy to use platform to share our work. The Commission reviewed master plans, commemorative works, building rehabilitations, and other significant proposals. We sought to balance the diverse interests of federal agencies, local communities, and jurisdictions while addressing the unique issues of a capital city. We advanced planning work along Pennsylvania Avenue, and completed studies on parks and parking that will inform updates to our Comprehensive Plan policies. We invite you to learn more about our accomplishments in this report. More We invite you to learn about our accomplishments in this report.

NCPC improved the processes that guide applicants through plan and project review, and created new public outreach tools.

NCPC approved new Submission Guidelines and National Environmental Policy Act regulations, the primary documents used in plan and project review. The Submission Guidelines streamline the process for submitting projects and Commission review.

The new guidelines offer up-to-date information, clear language, and better organization. Now, NCPC’s review is better aligned with environmental and historic preservation processes and project development stages, while providing the Commission and the public with earlier and more meaningful opportunities for input.

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NCPC policies guide the amount of employee parking at federal facilities. A new study provided data driven analyses and recommendations to update NCPC’s parking policies, considering national and regional best practices, current federal facility parking conditions, and accessibility models.

Parking Study

NCPC unveiled a newly designed website that features a modern look, easier navigation, and more interactive tools to provide better access to information about the Commission’s work and federal planning resources. It works across all mobile devices.

NCPC guided transformative changes to prominent facilities, public spaces, and destinations.

Congress designated downtown Pershing Park as one of two National World War I Memorials. NCPC reviewed concept proposals that include a bronze bas-relief wall, water feature, and enhancements to an existing memorial to General Pershing.

NCPC’s review considered how the design balances commemorative space with more active public space uses, and how this new proposal interacts with the existing park’s modernist landscape design.

WWI Memorial

The Commission approved a new visitor screening facility at the base of the Washington Monument that will improve visitor flow and security.

The double glazed glass building replaces a temporary structure installed in 2001. Heating and cooling occurs through an energy efficient geothermal well field located west of the monument.

EventsDC is modernizing the Carnegie Library to serve as the home for a new Apple global flagship store and the Historical Society of Washington, DC. NCPC reviewed the project and served as the lead agency for environmental review for this District-sponsored proposal.

The Commission supported the proposal’s thoughtful restoration of this historic building. Through the review process entry stairs and accessible entrances, signage, and exterior public space features were refined.

NCPC helped reimagine the future of significant sites in the nation’s capital.

NCPC is leading a collaborative revitalization effort with District and federal agencies for Pennsylvania Avenue. To set the stage for potential near-term actions and long-term improvements for this prominent civic space and corridor, NCPC completed a market study and an urban design analysis.

The studies identified strengths and challenges. The urban design analysis noted that Pennsylvania Avenue has a strong civic identity, but doesn’t provide a consistently engaging experience for daily users.

The market analysis found that office uses remain the key driver of economic activity, and the Avenue’s central location and cultural and entertainment uses draw residents and visitors.

Pennsylvania Avenue

Another step forward was the completion of guidelines for Squares 378 and 379 on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the current FBI headquarters is located. NCPC approved the Square Guidelines in January 2017, which direct the site’s future redevelopment, including height, bulk, shape, general land use, and circulation.

Washington is a world diplomatic center, with 322 chanceries and 78 ambassador residences. NCPC and the State Department work together to ensure that new and expanding foreign missions have appropriate space.

NCPC reviewed the draft master plan for a new foreign mission precinct on a 32-acre portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital in Northwest Washington. This site could host up to 15 foreign missions.

NCPC and the State Department signed a Memorandum of Agreement confirming that NCPC will be solely responsible for reviewing future chanceries at the site.

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NCPC approved plans for a new pedestrian and bicycle connection between Banneker Park and The Wharf development. This project incorporates stairs, a ramp, landscaping, and improved lighting into the park, originally designed by Dan Kiley in 1969.

This is the first project implemented from the SW Ecodistrict Plan, and creates an interim link to make it easier to move between the National Mall and the Southwest Waterfront.