In partnership with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Office of Planning engaged the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Washington to host a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to provide a high level analysis of opportunities and challenges in Friendship Heights. The TAP explored opportunities for advancing transformative and equitable redevelopment in Friendship Heights, as outlined in Mayor Bowser’s proposed Comprehensive Plan update (https://plandc.dc.gov/). With a focus primarily on Friendship Heights DC, the panel was tasked with evaluating existing land use, transit assets and access, opportunities to increase housing options, and providing cohesive design and public realm recommendations.
The panel’s work and findings are an idea-generating exercise, whose recommendations are not binding on government, community, or property owners. The TAP is a valuable source of information for future planning efforts in Friendship Heights. An important part of the panel's activities were interviews with a range of individuals including the Ward Councilmember, ANC commissioners, community residents, local government staff, commercial property owners, Tenleytown Main Street, retail specialists, affordable housing developers, and housing justice advocates. The panel gave a public presentation of initial findings in April and completed a report in August 2021. Download the report HERE.
Other Recent ULI Panels in DC
2020 – DMPED and OP sponsored a ULI Advsiory Services Panel to explore actionable recovery and resilience strategies for DC’s Central Business District. It spurred a conversation about how investments in public space could support economic recovery by attracting people back downtown in safe, comfortable, attractive places to gather, shop, work, and recreate. Click here for an overview of the panel’s work with links to the presentation (video) and final report (pdf).
2019 – DMPED, OP, and DHCD sponsored a ULI Advsiory Services Panel to expand the conversation in DC exploring exclusionary housing policy in the Rock Creek West Planning Area and how investing in affordable housing in high opportunity areas could advance economic progress and equity. Click here for an overview of the panel’s work with links to the presentation (video) and final report (pdf).