Split Aired on Development Guidelines

Whether Council Should Act or Wait At Issue in Hearing

Joy Howell, left, and Elizabeth Elliott belong to a Foggy Bottom group that opposes action on the plan this year. (By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)

The D.C. Council heard testimony yesterday from dozens of residents who think that the city needs a new Comprehensive Plan to guide development over the next 20 years.

About 90 people spoke before the council or submitted documents, and they all said the current plan, adopted in 1984 and last amended in 1998, is outdated.

But they split over whether the council should approve a 500-page draft document this year or action should be deferred until a new mayor and council take over in January.

The document advocates concentrating development around Metro stations, the construction of 19,000 affordable housing units and the creation of arts districts. It designates and analyzes 10 sections of the city, outlining planning options for each. In the Capital Hill area, for example, it recommends avoiding the development of fast-food outlets and mini-marts, and for the Far Southeast/Southwest, it says the city should try to attract family-style restaurants and supermarkets.

"It's a roadmap for the new mayor and council," said Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) at a news conference Monday about the comprehensive plan.

The council held two sessions yesterday and will hear testimony from the administration again Oct. 24 before making a decision.

Williams urged the council yesterday to approve the plan and said the new council and mayor could amend the document if necessary.

Residents who agreed with him noted that the plan is a result of two years of work. The city planning agency reviewed 2,000 pages of comments from residents and listened to the views of 1,500 at 24 public meetings.

The Committee to Adopt the Comp Plan, a consortium of groups advocating such causes as smart growth and affordable housing, contends that a delay now could mean another year before adoption.

Cheryl Cort, executive director of the Washington Region for Livable Communities, said the opposition of a small group of residents is based on the fear of change. "While some people fear change, our city is changing. This plan helps us manage that change," she said in an interview.

But other residents said the draft plan has serious flaws and that some aspects are based on unreliable data.

"This is a recipe for disaster," said George Clark, president of the Federation of Citizens Associations of D.C. "This comp plan is neighborhood unfriendly."

Among those who oppose the draft Comprehensive Plan are Foggy Bottom residents who object to the proposed expansion of George Washington University. In Tenleytown, some residents have expressed concern about high-rise development on Wisconsin Avenue. In Southeast, opponents are worried about plans to replace buildings with larger and more expensive structures.

"Why should we ram a Comprehensive Plan through the waning days of a lame duck council?" Joy Howell, president of the Foggy Bottom Association, said in an interview.

But council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) said: "Lame-duckness is not an excuse for not moving forward. Lame-duckness. What does that mean? It's a synonym for nonsense."

Council member Vincent C. Gray (D-Ward 7), the Democratic nominee for council chairman, said he does not know whether the council and the public have had enough time to review the final draft.

He also said he wants to consult with council member Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4), the Democratic nominee for mayor, who will likely head the city in January.

Fenty is on vacation, but in his last debate before the Sept. 12 primary, he said he favored a delay.

In a statement released this week, he said that he wants more time to review the plan but that he also respects the efforts of Williams and the task force working on the Comprehensive Plan.