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

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District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. These two areas are examples of the immense growth in many of the region’s suburban areas. During the same period of time, the District of Columbia did not witness any increases to its existing industrial capacity. As surrounding competitive markets grow, the range of options for size, rent, and amenities available in other locations will put added pressure on the District to expand incentive programs for downtown sites. For a number of industrial users, however, space in the District will hold a convenience, city access, and government amenities attraction that will not be undone by suburban offerings. Limited Development Potential One of the major issues with the future of the District of Columbia’s industrial market is its limited ability to expand. As demonstrated above, other communities are creating industrial centers intended to provide expansion opportunities and to satisfy a variety of space requirements for the vast array of industrial users that coexist in this regional market. The District is limited by available land and space from supplementing its market in a similar manner. The District’s industrial market serves a critical role in the region’s industrial framework. It provides small industries with an opportunity to establish themselves with the support of the District government and reasonably affordable space. It also offers convenience to downtown project sites and access to a concentrated workforce for construction, infrastructure-related industries, and manufacturing enterprises. The importance of these businesses and their associated space is not limited to the District, but extends to the health and strength of the region’s industrial future. 3.2.5 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STUDY The District is at a distinct competitive disadvantage in the regional industrial market. A May 2006 analysis by the DC Office of Planning was particularly telling. 32 It noted that given current market trends, private firms would likely out-compete DC in the regional and local market. It is not realistic for DC to expect to house its essential public sector functions outside of its own borders—the market is too competitive and the space is too limited. Assuming the private sector absorbed the available space industrial within DC, then, in order to meet its public sector industrial land use needs, DC would have to capture 80 percent of the remaining space in the regional market! This would be a highly unlikely proposition for a fast-moving, deep-pocketed private investor; it would be impossible for a government actor with limited funds. This underlines the need to strategically plan for public sector land use needs. Furthermore, the District’s industrial inventory is generally characterized by a stagnant inventory and declining availability due to constrained land resources, declining vacancy rates, and a 32 See Chart 6.1 in the Appendix of this report. - 73 -
District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc. general lack of new development. Barring policy change, this situation is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future: rising rental rates will likely be insufficient to spur significant new construction or redevelopment of obsolete spaces by industrial developers. Long-term leases will also slow the rate of change in DC’s industrial zones. Finally, vacancy rates can be expected to continue to fall, but not to disappear. When vacancies do appear, they will typically be slow to fill: Rents do not support major rehabilitation; the ability to redesign buildings is limited; space for expansion is constrained; thus each tenant must be happy with the available space, loading docks, ceiling heights and floor loads. Any significant new investments are much more likely to be made by individual users: successful businesses with the internal incentive and wherewithal to assemble adjacent property and upgrade their operations. However, this will only happen in an environment where such investments can be made with the long term in mind; i.e., an environment where real estate speculation and the potential for encroaching residential development does not threaten the continued viability of industrial businesses or districts. This underlines the need to provide greater predictability in targeted industrial areas, so that property owners and developers can be reasonable certain as to which areas are likely to change, and which will remain stable havens for PDR use. 3.3 SUB-AREA ANALYSIS In a mature and built-out city, the formulation of land use policy requires a detailed understanding of the current conditions on the ground. To this end, field surveys have been undertaken of all of the District’s industrially-zoned properties. The full results of these surveys are detailed on Existing Conditions maps, which appear in the Appendix to this report. The Office of Planning divided each of the District’s industrial zones 24 into sub-areas, named after defining features (such as CSX rail corridors); local landmarks (Fort Totten); and neighborhood names (Brookland). This report adopts these sub-areas as the organizing structure for the discussion of existing conditions. These sub-areas are illustrated on the key map in Section 2, with individual maps provided in the Appendix to illustrate existing uses and surrounding use patterns. Based on the field surveys and mapping, an Opportunities and Constraints matrix was prepared to assess particular attributes of each industrially-zoned sub area and to identify areas appropriate for retention strategies or for land use change, as well as to suggest specific strategies aimed at addressing identified issues. It was a useful tool in for weighing an area’s strengths, weaknesses, and any future development plans. The full matrix can be found in the Appendix to this report. - 74 -
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