September 15, 2015 Montreal Delegation

Public Engagement in the District of Columbia

Washington, DC – The Nation’s Capital & A Local Home

2

Not just a government town

A world class city with a strong

business environment, resilient

economy & diverse population

Functions as a city, county &

state

A sustainability leader among

cities

68.5 square miles

8 wards

638,432

606,900

572,059

605,210

620,427

635,040

649,111

658,893

520,000

540,000

560,000

580,000

600,000

620,000

640,000

660,000

680,000

1980 1990 2000 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Total Population

86,864 Population growth since 2000

A Growing City

Public Engagement

Rapid Population Growth

Demographic Changes

Race

Age

Income disparities

Education

Housing needs

Neighborhood Uniqueness

Multiple Languages

Public Engagement - Challenges

Creating Opportunities for all

Public Engagement- Opportunities

“…welcoming all District

residents, whether they’ve

been here for five minutes

or five generations…”

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Innovating Our Planning Approach

Creative Engagement

Early Implementation

Other tools

Geographic-Based Neighborhood Planners

• OP assigns a Neighborhood Planner to each of the 8 Wards who coordinates day-to-day

planning projects, and Small Area Plans, tracks ongoing site-specific development projects

and acts a community liaison.

Neighborhood-Based Planning

• A key focus in the DC Office of Planning is developing Plans and tools that work at the

neighborhood level and are community driven. Planners work with residents to develop a

vision and goals and recommendations at the block level that reflect growth and change.

Mayor’s Office of Community Relations (MOCRs)

• Each Ward in the City is assigned a team of outreach coordinators at the Mayoral level.

The MOCRs represent the Mayor or other agencies as needed at community meetings,

conduct outreach prior to community meetings and act as a liaison between residents and

District agencies.

Ongoing Engagement

Neighborhood-Based Planners

Small Area Plans at the block & corridor level

Community-Wide Meetings: varying formats/locations

Presentation at Civic and Homeowners Associations

Online Engagement

Mindmixer/My Sidewalk

OP blog

OP Twitter and Facebook

Community Partners:

Advisory Groups for Plan development consisting of neighborhood leaders.

31 elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners across the City; focus on neighborhood-level concerns and weigh in on larger development issues affecting the community.

OP’s Neighborhood Engagement

Review Boards all include public input opportunities

Historic Preservation Review Board

Zoning Commission

Board of Zoning Adjustment

Commemorative Works Committee

Public Space Committee

Citywide/Systems Level Engagement

District of Columbia

Comprehensive Plan

Guides development of the city – a 20 year blueprint

Establishes official policies for land use, transportation, housing, environment, preservation, design, economic growth

Provides framework for zoning, capital budget, and other city programs

Contains District Elements (OP) & Federal Elements (NCPC)

Future amendment cycles to occur every four years

Policies & Action Items

Future Land Use Map

Generalized Policy Map

Major revisions to occur every 12 years

First amendment cycle: 2009-2011

Technical corrections & significant policy changes since 2006

Comp Plan Amendment Process

Launching next amendment cycle in 2015

Residents

• All 8 wards

• Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners

• Targeted strategies for:

• Low-income

• Youth

• Limited English speakers

Businesses

• Small & other businesses

• BIDs

• Associations

• Chambers of Commerce

• Private property owners

Institutions

• Higher Education

• Medical

• Houses of Worship

• Etc.

Commuters

• Public sector

• Private sector

• Non-profit

Public Engagement Audience for

Comp Plan Amendment Process

OP will engage residents and stakeholders that are based within all

eight wards of the District and 100 percent of the Advisory

Neighborhood Commissions.

Communication methods in the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle

Communications and Engagement Strategy will be used to reach a

minimum of 25 percent (164,723) of District residents at least three

times.

A minimum of 8,000 residents will participate in the Comp Plan

Amendment Process.

There will be particular focus on ensuring that the total number of

participants is representative of the demographics of the District of

Columbia resident and stakeholder populations.

The Engagement Strategy will employ three broad substrategies to

specifically target these populations: residents; business owners; and

commuters.

Public Engagement Metrics for upcoming Comp Plan

Amendment Process

Data Analysis Approach

Policy Approach - Public Engagement

Eric Shaw, Director

D.C. Office of Planning

202-442-7600

www.planning.dc.gov

@OPinDC

For More Information