DC Government recommends major changes to height limits (Washington: 2013, neighborhoods)
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The recommended changes, submitted to Congress today, would apply inside and outside the L'Enfant City.
Inside L'Enfant city:
80 ft wide street = 100 ft height limit
110 ft wide street = 137.5 ft height limit (Example: 14th St downtown, K St downtown)
120 ft wide street = 150 ft height limit
130 ft wide street = 162.5 ft height limit (Example: North Capitol St)
160 ft wide street = 200 ft height limit (Example: Pennsylvania Ave downtown between 3rd & 15th St)
Outside L'Enfant city:
DC recommends letting DC determine building height maximums through the city's Comprehensive Plan and zoning processes.
GOOD. We need to get rid of this silly height limit.. at least in areas not close to the mall.
But those heights are still too short. Also, there should be no limit at all once you're a good distance from the mall.. like Van Ness, New York Avenue, Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights should have no limit at all.
GOOD. We need to get rid of this silly height limit.. at least in areas not close to the mall.
But those heights are still too short. Also, there should be no limit at all once you're a good distance from the mall.. like Van Ness, New York Avenue, Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights should have no limit at all.
That's ridiculous. You can't just have 50 story buildings shooting up in the middle of Adams Morgan without it destroying the visual integrity of the neighborhood.
What makes the most sense is a tiered system that allows for increasing height as you reach the borders of D.C. That way the difference between bordering neighborhoods will be largely unnoticeable, yet will still allow for higher-density property to be built in the residential corridors outside of downtown.
That's ridiculous. You can't just have 50 story buildings shooting up in the middle of Adams Morgan without it destroying the visual integrity of the neighborhood.
I disagree. I think the short buildings in DC (for the most part) look like crap anyway. Even one 50-70 story building shooting up somewhere would be a huge improvement.
I disagree. I think the short buildings in DC (for the most part) look like crap anyway. Even one 50-70 story building shooting up somewhere would be a huge improvement.
Then I suggest you move to any other of the many American cities that allow skyscrapers. Or even Rosslyn, which I'm not alone in finding unforgivably ugly and unwelcoming.
DC is and has always been a unique city with a distinct visual style, and a large contributing factor (whether unintentional or not) is the height limit. Given our growing need for density, there is a fair compromise to be had with a tiered/gradual increase in the limit - and that's the most likely outcome anyway.
Then I suggest you move to any other of the many American cities that allow skyscrapers. Or even Rosslyn, which I'm not alone in finding unforgivably ugly and unwelcoming.
DC is and has always been a unique city with a distinct visual style, and a large contributing factor (whether unintentional or not) is the height limit. Given our growing need for density, there is a fair compromise to be had with a tiered/gradual increase in the limit - and that's the most likely outcome anyway.
Why should I move just because I don't like one thing about the city? That's just silly.
I'm just saying that I approve of changing the height limits and even totally removing them in some areas. If a 100-story building shoots up in Columbia Heights.. I will be the LAST person complaining.
I have no problem with relaxing the limits outside the old city, but the idea of adding more height downtown bothers me. We're hitting oversupply of office space in the CBD and there's plenty of undeveloped land in the District as it is. Let's start by improving our infrastructure to handle existing demand before stressing it even further as well as prioritising residential rather than commercial development until the market corrects itself.
That's ridiculous. You can't just have 50 story buildings shooting up in the middle of Adams Morgan without it destroying the visual integrity of the neighborhood.
What makes the most sense is a tiered system that allows for increasing height as you reach the borders of D.C. That way the difference between bordering neighborhoods will be largely unnoticeable, yet will still allow for higher-density property to be built in the residential corridors outside of downtown.
Most of the bordering neighborhoods up north are residential, I don't think Takoma or Shepard Park would enjoy skyscrapers of silver spring.
This should be limited to the downtown area, Golden Triangle/NoMA, Chinatown/PennQuarter, etc.
Because the proposed changes use a model of building height in proportion to street width, the overall classic look won't be altered noticeably on a human scale. The slight changes in elevation as viewed from a distance or over a vista will add dimension in a tasteful way.
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