INDUSTRIAL LAND IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY District of ...

District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning
Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
6.2.12 BENNING ROAD, NE
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Location and Land Area Benning Road sits on the east side of the Anacostia River,
bounded on the west by the river and Anacostia Avenue, on the north by Anacostia Park and
Foote Street, on the east by I-295 and Kennilworth Avenue, and on the south by Benning Road
itself. The site is 99.86acres, representing 3.79 percent of total industrial land study areas.
Building Typologies The area is dominated by the PEPCO (Potomac Electric Power
Company) power plant. The buildings of the PEPCO site are of varying size and construction.
Because of restricted access, it was impossible to determine age or individual uses (e.g. office,
transformer stations, vehicle facilities, etc.). There is a Federal facility behind the PEPCO plant
on the far north edge of the site which appears to be a power plant, but surveys were unable to
determine its exact function or type.
General Site Condition The site is distinctly industrial but appeared well maintained.
Access roads are limited and of varying quality.
LAND USE
Land Use, General Character, and Function The PEPCO plant is strictly industrial and
functions as a peaking plant for the District, operating only about 30 days per year. PEPCO also
maintains a very large service fleet on the site. A Federal power plant also appears to be
located to the north and west of PEPCO. Several buildings south of Benning Road, NE at I-295
are commercial and auto-oriented. To the immediate west of PEPCO, on Anacostia Avenue, is
a solid waste transfer facility which handles about one-third of the District’s trash (the balance is
taken to Fort Totten).
Surrounding Land Use Context The PEPCO plant is surrounded on the west and north by
open space. The Metro track carrying the Orange and Blue lines is elevated above Benning
Road’s northerly edge and, along with the power plant itself, is a major visual mark on the
landscape. To the east is the Parkside residential neighborhood, for which a proposal to
significantly increase density is in process. That development is intended to include as many as
2,000 new residential units in a mix of low to high rise buildings, plus new office and retail
space. Across Kennilworth and I-295 to the west are low-density residential developments, and
across Benning Road, NE to the south are commercial uses including auto repair, convenience
shopping, and low-rise office space.
Access and Circulation The Metro Orange line stops at Minnesota Avenue just north of
Benning. This station serves mainly surrounding residential neighborhoods and does not
provide ready access to the industrial areas. In terms of vehicular access, Benning Road, NE, I-
295, and Minnesota Avenue, NE all provide good access into the area. However, Benning Road
is very poorly maintained and the sheer volumes of cars on it and I-295 make entrance and
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