WASHINGTON, DC—The US House of Representatives passed a change to the Height Act of 1910 allowing for some rooftop development. This update allows developers to create living space in areas that are typically occupied now with water towers, chimneys or elevator shafts.
Proponents of the bill say the relaxed standard will not hurt the District's sweeping view of the Mall and its many monuments. Rather, the measure gives building owners and developers to create "architecturally pleasing" structures that can only be one story of 20 feet or less above the level of the roof.
The original Height Act, written more than a century ago, restricts city buildings in Washington, DC to a maximum height of 90 feet in residential areas and 130 feet in commercial areas.
The bill, H.R. 4192, now heads to the Senate.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more inforrmation visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Erika Morphy
Erika Morphy has been writing about commercial real estate at GlobeSt.com for more than ten years, covering the capital markets, the Mid-Atlantic region and national topics. She's a nerd so favorite examples of the former include accounting standards, Basel III and what Congress is brewing.
