WASHINGTON, DC-The National Capital Planning Commission voted 7 to 3 on Tuesday to reject a recommendation from its own staff to give the District of Columbia more leeway in setting building heights in certain areas of the city through a Comprehensive Plan Process. Although some local political pushback may still be in the offing, the vote pretty much keeps the Height Act--the guiding development principle for the city for the last 100 years—intact for the foreseeable future.

Relaxing the Height Act has been a chief goal of city developers and Mayor Vincent Gray, whose staff positioned such a move as an important component of self-governance. Even if the NCPC had voted to relax the restriction, significant oversight on any project decision-making would have remained from the NCPC and Congress.

The recommendations laid out in the NCPC staff report, though, would have provided some maneuvering room for the city that wants to be better able to accommodate its own growth and the aesthetic sensibilities of the federal government.

"On the one hand, the Height Act provides broad protection of the diverse federal interests outside of the L'En fant City, and the federal government must continue to protect these national resources in perpetuity," the report said.

"However, as noted, these resources are less concentrated in this area, and from a federal perspective, opportunities for strategic change to the Height Act may exist." ?

Instant Insights /

NCPC Holds Firm on Height Act

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