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.
gasoline service stations) as well as industrial and production uses. A full list of uses is provided
in Tables 3.1 and 3.2. The M zone is a heavier industrial district that provides for industrial uses
not expressly prohibited. However, both districts permit, either as-of-right or via special
exception, high-impact uses such as incinerators and solid waste and recycling facilities. All
industrial uses are subject to specific performance standards.
The three types of C-M district—C-M-1, C-M-2, and C-M-3—differ in terms of the building bulk
permitted. All three permit buildings considerable bulkier than most buildings found in the
industrial zones, where tall multi-story buildings are the exception. The height and floor area
standards are summarized in Table 3.3. Even the lowest intensity district permits building bulk
of three times the lot area (FAR = 3.0) and three stories/40 feet. The allowed intensities go up
from there, to a maximum of 90 feet and 6.0 FAR. Likely only the Hecht building on New York
Avenue approaches these densities.
The C-M and M districts are part of an ordinance which follows a “pyramid” structure common to
older zoning ordinances, whereby each less restrictive district incorporates the all the uses
permitted in the more restrictive districts. This is seen in the C-M and M zones, which, in
addition to PDR uses, permit neighborhood commercial, community commercial, major
business, and central business district uses. Critically, there is nothing in the current ordinance
that prohibits the development of retail and office complexes in the industrial zones. Only new
residential development is prohibited. To date, retail and commercial pressures have not had a
major impact on industrial lands outside of a few developments (such as the Home Depot).
However, given the current real estate development climate in DC, pressures are likely to
escalate even more in the near future. Revisiting this pyramid structure to consider zoning that
will better protect existing PDR users is warranted.
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