DC's Zoning Commission Approves Expansion of Inclusionary Zoning Requirements

• March 12th 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Over a year ago, DC's Office of Planning (OP) filed a zoning application seeking to expand the city's inclusionary zoning (IZ) program, which the agency estimates has facilitated production of over 1,200 affordable units since 2011.

Yesterday, the Zoning Commission voted that expansion into the zoning code. 

Under the new framework ("IZ plus"), any mixed-use and residential project that uses map amendments to add density or change a site's use from non-residential to residential must designate 10% to 20% of the residential space to IZ units.

The exact percentage of IZ space would be calculated on a sliding scale based on how much bonus density is used in the resulting development, and also based on the construction method used. The units would be affordable to households earning up to 60% of median family income (MFI) if for rent or 80% of MFI if for sale.

The full 20% IZ set-aside would always apply when an unzoned or PDR-zoned (production, distribution and repair) site is rezoned to ARTS, CG (Capitol Gateway), D (downtown), MU (mixed-use), R (residential), RA (residential apartments), or RF (residential flats). This would also be the case when a site's zoning has a residential FAR limit and is rezoned to a D zone (which has no such limit).

The new requirements would not apply to map amendment applications that have already been filed. 

“OP continues to find new ways to meet Mayor Bowser’s challenge to produce more affordable housing in a more equitable way across the District,” OP Director Andrew Trueblood said in a statement. “IZ+ is an important tool to complement the changes in the proposed Comp Plan update and help get more affordable units, especially in high-cost areas.”

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/zoning-commission-approves-expansion-of-inclusionary-zoning-requirements/17992.