You have an opportunity to opine on brand new zoning proposed for the US Navy Yard, near where 11th Street SE meets the Anacostia River.
It’s part of a proposal that could change the face of the waterfront.
The Office of Planning (OP) needs a zoning change to facilitate a land swap between the US Navy and the US Government. OP representatives appeared before the ANC to detail the of a proposed zoning designation for a new special purpose zone in the southeast corner of the Navy Yard along the Anacostia River.
OP is holding two information sessions on July 24. Community are welcome to to hear a presentation on the project and ask questions.
- July 24, 11 AM – 12 PM: Virtual meeting link
- To dial in via phone: 202-594-9550, meeting ID 745-701-347
- July 24, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Virtual meeting link
- To dial in via phone: 202-594-9550, meeting ID 460-765-973
What? Rezoning in the (Walled-in) Navy Yard?
Yes. The US Navy is proposing redevelopment in the southeast corner of the walled-in Navy Yard. But it is not zoned at all, and development can’t happen without zoning, which are the rules that guide what can be built on a property and the way it can be used.
Let’s back up: There’s already a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the works for a land swap between the General Services istation (GSA, the property managers for the US Government) and the US Navy. The Navy will trade about 15 acres of what it has termed “underutilized properties” in the southeast corner of the security perimeter. That’s a site about half the size of Phase I of the Wharf, bordered by O Street SE, 11th Street SE and the Anacostia River.
In return, GSA will give up a little more than 6 acres of property along the Northwest perimeter of the Navy Yard. It’s part of the Southeast Federal Center (SEFC), much of which has been redeveloped as parts of The Yards neighborhood since 2005.
The 6.33 acres in questions are parcel E, or SEFC-E, located just east of Harris Teeter and south of M Street where Fifth and Sixth Streets SE terminate, near the Northwest corner of the Navy Yard security perimeter.
What’s the Problem This Solves?
The SEFC-E site was already slated for private mixed-use development. However, the Navy has opined the private development of the E Parcel “is inconsistent with the overall antiterrorism posture of the [Washington Navy Yard] and presents encroachment threats,” and moved to find a way to procure the site, resulting in the land swap.
But the 15-acre property the Navy proposes to trade for SEFC-E is currently unzoned, hampering development. OP is proposing a text and map amendment to create a new zone for this site called Navy Yard East.
The parcel, located in the southeast corner of the Washington Navy Yard, would be leased to a private development team for publicly accessible mixed-use development. The US Navy has estimated the site could include up to 1,300 residential units with some subject to both inclusionary zoning as well as others set aside for disabled veterans. It would also include public access along the waterfront and ground-level retail.
The swap would provide the opportunity for in-kind considerations from the developer, such as upgrades to the Riverwalk and Piers, which the US Navy says would benefit both the Navy and the local community.
Meanwhile, the Navy will develop the 6 acres along M Street to include a new US Navy Museum on the site and other uses. The current museum is located within the security perimeter, a process that may be discouraging to civilian visitors.
This special purpose zone is a result of a collaboration with the US General Services istration (GSA), Navy Yard and its private developer for the site beginning around mid 2021. Office of Planning (OP) Development Review Specialist Karen Thomas told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B that discussions for the plan were based around the form and character of the private development waterfront setbacks and the relationship of new construction to the Navy Yard’s Historic District and the 2024 Navy Yard Master Plan and Anacostia Watershed Initiative.
“With this proposal, one more neighborhood would be added to the waterfront and guided by these themes,” said Thomas.
The proposed new Navy Yard E Zone would be MU-Use Group F, or mixed use residential, with similar permissions to the Residential Apartment (RA) Zones common in Southwest. It includes a height limit of 130 feet and a minimum waterfront setback of 75 feet and requirements for parking, bike parking and loading.
Both properties are officially in ANC 8F but as ANC 6B is directly adjacent, it is considered an impacted ANC. The site was included in ANC 6B until the 2022 redistricting of ANCs, which became official in January 2023.
What’s Next?
The MOU for the swap requires that OP submit a report to the Zoning Commission (ZC) no later than August 29 for the consideration of setdown. At setdown, the ZC will determine if the case is ready for a full hearing of the case later that fall. Thomas said it was therefore urgent that OP visit the ANC and appraise them of the matter in July, as the ANC does not meet in August.
The ANC did not vote on the matter at this time. OP is set to reappear before the ANC and the public in the fall, before a ZC Public Hearing expected later in the season.
Learn more about the zoning changes and the meetings at planning.dc.gov. Learn more about the land swap by visiting ndw.cnic.navy.mil
