Public Comment Open for the Draft Ivy City Small Area Plan on 7/1

For the past year and a half, the Office of Planning (OP) has been developing the Ivy City Small Area Plan (“ICSAP”) in coordination with multiple stakeholders and DC Government. The draft ICSAP is a guiding document that will serve the Ivy City community and District agencies in future years to implement policies of the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The ICSAP Public Comment Draft includes recommendations to improve: Housing Affordability & Opportunity, Community Resilience, and Public Space & Urban Design.

As part of the small area planning process, the ICSAP Public Comment Draft will be available for public comment from July 1, 2024, through August 16, 2024.

OP will host a Public Hearing on the ICSAP Public Comment Draft on Saturday, August 3rd, 2024, from 10:00am - 12:00pm at the Trinity Baptist Church located at 1814 Central Place NE, Washington, DC 20002. At the Public Hearing, individuals can provide three minutes of testimony for the record. Language interpretation will be available by request. The public hearing will be transcribed.

During the comment period, we invite the public to submit any comments and questions they may have on the Public Comment Draft by either:

  • Sending an email to IvyCitySAP@dc.gov;
  • Visiting one of our Community Office Hours on July 15 to July 17 at various locations in Ivy City (see Events tab for more information); or
  • Submitting testimony at the Mayoral Hearing on August 3 (10:00am-12:00pm) at Trinity Baptist Church (1814 Central Pl NE).

Hard copies can be found at the Trinidad Recreation Center, Ivy City Clubhouse, Hecht’s Warehouse Building, Trinity Baptist Church, and the Ivy City Masjid.

The plan is also available on our website at https://publicinput.com/ivycitysap.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the following number (202) 442-7618 or by e-mail at Alex.Freedman@dc.gov.

Draft Ivy City Small Area Plan for Review 

Upcoming Milestones

May 21st-May 31st, 2024: Community Feedback welcomed on draft recommendations
June 2024: Develop Ivy City Small Area Plan draft
July 1 2024: Release Public Comment Draft for review
July 15 2024: Community Office Hours -- Crummell Playground 
July 16, 2024: Community Office Hours -- Lewis Crowe Park
July 17, 2024: Community Office Hours -- Okie Street NE
August 3, 2024: Mayoral Hearing
August 16, 2024: Public Comment period closes
August-September 2024: Process public comments and develop final Ivy City Small Area Plan draft
September 2024: Present final Plan to DC Council

 

Draft Recommendations Open House for Ivy City on 5/21 

Thank you to everyone who joined us on May 21st for the Recommendations Open House. The draft recommendations were divided into three themes: Housing Affordability & Opportunity, Public Realm & Urban Design, and Community Resiliency. Feedback collected from community members during the event and in the weeks following were analyzed and incoporated into the process of drafting the full plan document. 

Draft Ivy City Small Area Plan Housing Recommendations  Draft Ivy City Small Area Plan Public Realm Recommendations  Draft Ivy City Small Area Plan Community Resilience Recommendations

Ivy City Public Life Study

This summer, the OP Ivy City Small Area Plan team launched a Public Life Study data collection with support from 14 community volunteers. Community data collection days took place on June 13th and July 8th. Many thanks to our community volunteers for all their hard work, as well as Commissioner Rhodes and EmpowerDC for providing bathrooms, refreshments, and a cooling station for volunteers at the Ivy City Clubhouse. Public Life Study Summary findings are now available!

         

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About the Project:

Ivy City is a historically Black neighborhood located in Ward 5. The neighborhood includes a mix of commercial and industrial sites and smaller scale residential units. Ivy City is one of three anticipated focus areas of the larger New York Avenue Vision Framework study. The neighborhood is adjacent to the New York Avenue corridor which has already seen new development.

The Ivy City Small Area Plan (SAP) will consider how the future growth and redevelopment of large sites along New York Avenue will impact the existing residential area in terms of access, displacement, and economic impact. The Ivy City SAP will be developed through a collaborative planning process. Using a racial equity lens, the Ivy City SAP will explore opportunities and recommendations to advance the following:

  • Advance racial equity by understanding and respond to the ways Black and vulnerable residents have been impacted by land use and environmental decisions in the past and mitigate future impacts
  • Create guiding principles for active streets, open spaces and park environments that improve resident accessibility and pedestrian comfort and safety and contribute to community resiliency. 
  • Develop strategies, recommendations, and designs that improve the pedestrian experience of the street frontage throughout the site, and better integrate new development into the existing neighborhood.
  • Develop strategies to mitigate resident displacement and improve access to quality housing, especially affordable housing, in the community.
  • Develop strategies that protect and improve community health outcomes and strengthen community resilience to climate impacts.  

Contact Us:

Alex Freedman, Community Planner, Project Manager

Email:  IvyCitySAP@dc.gov

Phone:  855.925.2801 ext 7810

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Frequently Asked Questions

A Small Area Plan (SAP) is a guiding document that provides a framework for the strategic development, redevelopment and/or preservation of neighborhoods and corridors. The SAP supplements the Comprehensive Plan by providing more detailed recommendations and implementation strategies for the development of city blocks, corridors, and neighborhoods. The intent of these plans is to guide long-range planning and development that establishes future neighborhood improvements, identifies gaps and opportunities in neighborhood services and amenities, and advances social and economic benefits.

SAPs are developed through a collaborative process that entails significant community outreach and engagement, to both communicate the goals and milestones of the planning process as well as provide opportunities for community dialogue on strategic priorities in the planning area. SAPs are typically approved by resolution of the DC Council, and their key recommendations are subsequently incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan Elements.

Learn more about SAPs at planning.dc.gov/page/op-neighborhood-planning.

Ivy City is a triangular neighborhood bounded by New York Avenue NE, West Virginia Avenue NE, and Mt. Olivet Road. The neighborhood is surrounded by significant landmarks including Gallaudet University, the historic Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the Amtrak rail yard.

Study Area Boundary

We will have many opportunities for residents and the larger Ivy City community to get involved in the planning process. We will ensure that the community engagement process is inclusive and representative of Ivy City, and includes a variety of ways--virtual, in-person, hybrid--to get community feedback.

Check out the Events Tab for upcoming engagement events. Past meetings, comments, and meeting summaries will be archived on the project website, as well, for viewing at any time.