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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. Chapter Four presents the detailed recommendations of the report. It begins by proposing a new zoning framework for industrial land that more closely reflects the particular character of different industrial sub-districts. It then presents detailed land use and policy recommendations aimed at four categories of industrial area: (1) areas meriting preservation for their existing use, including zoning protections, infrastructure investments, and industrial retention policies; (2) areas which should retain industrial use, but which would benefit from a change in the use profile and an overall intensification, to fully activate these areas economically; (3) areas that should be strategically targeted and managed for their ability to satisfy critical public-sector needs; and (4) areas where a change of use, particularly to permit residential, mixed-use and TOD development, is warranted. The chapter closes with two sections specifically targeting District government policies and procedures, specifically ways to better manage and utilize the Districts current and future real property inventory; and guidelines for land use decision-making when industrial lands are involved. References and appendices are provided in additional chapters at the end of this report. This report has been prepared at a critical time, when both the opportunities for positive change and the potential for missteps have seldom been more pronounced. It is hoped that this report can provide a new level of clarity and insight into one of the key areas that the District must consider as it moves forward with its new Comprehensive Plan. - 21 -
District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. 2 Rationale for the Study Office and housing provide far better returns on investment than industrial development, and developers are ready to move with projects converting industrial areas over to commercial and residential use. Why should zoning, and District government policy, stand in the way? The answer, which lies at the core of this study, is multifactorial, but essentially reduces to the need to think strategically about existing and future needs. Considered in isolation, each individual development site could be subject to its own highest and best use analysis. Taken together, however, they represent a portfolio of assets that District government must manage in a strategic manner specifically because these assets are scarce. Unlike suburban jurisdictions with ample space for accommodating future growth, each development decision made in DC carries with it an opportunity cost: the foreclosure of other development options. The portfolio perspective means that the District should view its inventory of developable sites as serving potentially different functions: immediate opportunities, hedges against future uncertainty, or resources held in reserve for anticipated future needs. This chapter explores various aspects of the question posed above. The first two sections are economic in nature, and explore the role of PDR industries in the District’s economy, with a particular focus on linkages to core industries and impacts on the cost of business; as well as PDR businesses as a source of jobs, particularly jobs requiring less than a post-secondary education but still offering possibilities for living wages and advancement. The remaining sections take up the theme of thinking strategically about industrial land as a needed, and irreplaceable, asset. First, the extent of the development pressures impacting industrial land are described and quantified, where appropriate. Next, the supply of industrial land, including an analysis of the amount that is vacant or underutilized, is detailed: this represents the supply side of the equation. Next, public and private sector demand is described and quantified. First, public sector needs identified through the TAC process are tabulated; next, private sector demand, based on PDR employment forecasts, is projected. The analysis shows both the scarcity of industrial land, and its apparent inability to fulfill the demands placed upon it by both the public and private sectors. Balancing these demands against other planning considerations, and managing demand from the public sector side, is a major focus of the recommendations presented in Chapter Four. 2.1 IMPORTANCE OF PDR TO THE DISTRICT ECONOMY 2.1.1 SECTOR ANALYSIS Production, Distribution & Repair industries are not typically considered a fundamental part of the District’s total economy. Indeed, their share of employment as individual sectors is swamped by the big core industries such as government, legal services, and professional services. DC is, after all, an office economy, boasting one of the largest inventories of downtown office space in - 22 -
Page 1 and 2: INDUSTRIAL LAND IN A POST-INDUSTRIA
Page 3 and 4: District of Columbia Industrial Are
Page 23: District of Columbia Industrial Are
Page 75 and 76:
District of Columbia Industrial Are
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179:
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?