The ongoing process to amend D.C.’s Comprehensive Plan received a key approval vote Tuesday after Council Chairman Phil Mendelson removed language that had caused concerns among planners and housing advocates.
The D.C. Council during July’s meeting on the Comprehensive Plan amendments The D.C. Council unanimously passed the final vote of the amendments to the Comprehensive Plan’s Framework Element, 21 months after the Office of Planning first introduced its proposed changes.
Mendelson postponed the vote last month after Planning Director Andrew Trueblood sent a letter raising significant concerns over language he said could lead to more development becoming stuck in litigation. The Office of Planning, in the amendments it introduced in January 2018, had sought to create more clarity around the process to alleviate the appeals that have delayed dozens of developments throughout D.C.
Following the delay, Mendelson removed the language from the plan that added new requirements for the Zoning Commission to consider when evaluating PUDs. Coalition for Smarter Growth Policy Director Cheryl Cort, who had also raised concerns about that section, said she is pleased with the revisions the chairman made ahead of the vote.
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