Court Ruling Clears Path for Chevy Chase Civic Core Redevelopment

• June 23rd

by UrbanTurf Staff

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The DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said Tuesday that a lawsuit filed against zoning changes that would allow multifamily development along a stretch of upper Connecticut Avenue NW has been dismissed.

The zoning changes, proposed by DC's Office of Planning in 2023, affects over 40 lots along the northern Connecticut Avenue corridor, including the civic campus at 5601 and 5625 Connecticut Avenue NW that currently houses the Chevy Chase Library and Chevy Chase Community Center. The changes cleared the way for Rift Valley Partners' plan for new mixed-income housing on the District-owned site, as well as a new library and community center. 

The Zoning Commission moved the rezoning through a full public rulemaking process before approving it last year. Opponents filed their first lawsuit before that approval, and after OAG won dismissal of that initial challenge, the same plaintiffs filed a second suit following the Zoning Commission's final vote. That second suit is now also gone, although the plaintiffs plan to appeal.

The June ruling carries significance for the broader push to expand housing in the Rock Creek West planning area. As of 2018, just 1% of housing units in the area were classified as affordable, and those units represented only 1% of the District's total affordable housing stock. DC's 2021 Comprehensive Plan specifically called out the need to address that disparity, directing new housing development to well-resourced neighborhoods with access to transit, jobs, and amenities.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/court_ruling_clears_path_for_chevy_chase_civic_core_redevelopment/24755.