A Solution for the DC Height Debate

An article in the New York Times by Sabrina Tavernise recently documented the recent debate by Washingtonians about raising the height restriction on building in the District.  The city, as planned by the frenchman Pierre L'Enfant and memorialized by an act of Congress in 1910 limits building to about 130 feet.  The height restriction gives the city a uniquely European feel for an American city and provides a strong backdrop for the monuments and Capitol dome.  As stated in the article:

"Now, on the act’s centennial, a small tribe of developers, architects and urban experts are questioning the orthodoxy of the rule’s application. A modest change, they argue, would inject some vitality into the urban scene, would allow for greener construction, and could eventually deliver bigger tax receipts for the badly pinched city budget, currently in a hole of about $175 million."


Of course supporters of keeping the height limit are aghast at what "greedy" developers would do to their city and they are partly right.  While an enlightened developer should and would build something that integrates into the existing fabric of the city, there would certainly be those that would dot the skyline with eyesores.

Interestingly enough, a similar debate is taking place in Paris and the results of London's lifting of it's height restriction in the 60s has produced dubious results at best.  These cities, like our nation's capital had what you might call the millstone of a massive planning exercise that laid out their boulevards and established their precious covenants.  Cities built purely on commerce like New York grew more organically and while ultimately, in New York's case, there was a street grid laid out with certain allowances for light and air, height was more anything goes and it did, with barons of the roaring 20s looking to top one another in the race for the heavens.  

The funny thing is DC already has a high-rise district, across the river in Virginia.  Rosslyn, in Arlington County, while limited somewhat by the flightpath of National Airport allows 30-story buildings and has been expanding by leaps and bounds even through the recent recession.  Many companies who make their living in and around the federal government occupy these buildings.  If DC wants to capture some of this potential revenue it would be wise to allocate a zone that would allow for higher buildings.  One area that would work well for such a district is the portion of SE on the north side of Anacostia River in the vicinity of the Nationals baseball stadium. An area, still in the process of growing and improving would get a boost in development and create the opportunity for some denser development and create an area with more 24-hour, vibrant activity.