Equity In Planning Discarded by Office of Planning

Page 37 of Office of Planning’s Redline Framework Amendments:

DCMR 10A-­216 FROM VISION TO REALITY: GUIDING PRINCIPLES

This section establishes 36 underlying principles for the future that reflect this context. Most of these principles are based on “A Vision for Growing an Inclusive City,” the policy framework for the Comprehensive Plan Revision endorsed by the Council of the District of Columbia in 2004.

216.2 The principles are grouped into five sections:

  1. Managing Growth and Change
  2. Creating Successful Neighborhoods
  3. Increasing Access to Education and Employment
  4. Connecting the City
  5. Building Green and Healthy Communities. 216.2

We wanted to add a new policy section to grow this “inclusive city” and submitted the following:

Creating an authentic “inclusive and equitable” city

216.3 By adding a priority principle on equitable development to the list of guiding principles the comprehensive plan recognizes and establishes set requirements that create truly equitable benefits and opportunities for the most under-served communities living in the District, the comprehensive plan must strengthen policies in areas of truly affordable housing, environmental justice and community development needs. This inclusive and equitable development principle aims to address the displacement of economically disadvantaged communities of color and specifically black residents.

The Office of Planning’s Response is No!

“Amendments to the Core Themes and Guiding Principles are outside the scope of the Second Amendment Cycle.”