DC's Office of Planning Expected to Raise Inclusionary Zoning Minimum

• January 3rd 2020

by Nena Perry-Brown

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As DC continues its efforts to update the Comprehensive Plan and facilitate construction of 36,000 new housing units by 2025, the inclusionary zoning (IZ) program is on the table.

This afternoon, the Office of Planning (OP) and Mayor Muriel Bowser's office announced plans to increase the mandatory IZ requirement for projects which seek to add density through a map amendment. Under "IZ Plus", projects which get zoning approval to add density will be required to provide IZ as 10 to 20% of the residential gross floor area.

The current IZ program creates minimum provisions of affordable housing for projects with ten or more residential units, ranging from 8 to 11% of the residential gross floor area. IZ units in projects approved after 2017 are affordable for households earning up to 60% median family income (MFI) for rentals and up to 80% MFI for for-sale units.

“IZ Plus would create more affordable units where additional density is granted, which is often in high opportunity areas,” OP director Andrew Trueblood said in a statement. 

OP is expected to submit a zoning text amendment for the Zoning Commission to codify the new IZ requirement this winter. The Comp Plan amendments are open for public comment through January 10th and for Advisory Neighborhood Commission comment through February 14th. The mayoral administration and OP expect the amended Comp Plan, as presented last fall, to add 15% to housing development capacity.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/office-of-planning-expected-to-raise-inclusionary-zoning-minimum/16296.