A recording of the April 7 Zoom program about the draft Chevy Chase Small Area Plan (CCSAP) titled “What’s In It? How Can We Improve It?” is now available. Sponsored by Historic Chevy Chase DC with Ward3Vision, the 60-minute talk brought together urban planning experts to help us add value to the plan during the public comment period that ends May 13.
Watch the April 7 discussion here.
The event featured HCCDC’s Carl Lankowski, Ward3Vision’s Matt Bell and Ellen McCarthy along with David Cristea. They discussed the draft plan, affordable housing options, and how an SAP gets implemented. Audience questions focused on how the plan does or does not control development along Connecticut Avenue, its apparent lack of integration with other concerns such as parking and school capacity, and a reference to future land use changes outside the narrow area of the SAP.
The Panel: Matt Bell is an award-winning architect, professor, and member of the DC Historic Preservation Board; David Cristeal is a city planner focusing on finance and land-use tools to expand housing affordability; and Ellen McCarthy is a neighbor, urban planner, and former director of the DC Office of Planning. As president of HCCDC, I’ll be moderating the discussion.
Why Now? After a year of engagement, the DC Office of Planning last month issued its draft Small Area Plan. Its goal is to address community ambitions for sustainable growth, retain Chevy Chase’s unique Main Street character, and provide opportunities to welcome new neighbors with increased housing choice and enhanced social inclusivity. Our question is, how does the SAP propose to make this happen? And how do we formulate next steps? The public comment period ends on May 13.
Background: The draft plan follows a year of assessment of the Chevy Chase DC Gateway and the commercial corridor between Chevy Chase Circle and Livingston Street. The neighborhood has been involved via a citizens’ advisory committee and myriad events organized by community groups including the Chevy Chase Citizens’ Association, Ward3Vision, Washington Interfaith Network, Historic Chevy Chase DC and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4 G.
HCCDC’s Role. HCCDC has enthusiastically welcomed the small area plan process as an opportunity to celebrate what we cherish while learning from our past and reconnecting with the rest of the city on which our livelihoods depend. Our role is not just to preserve our history but to reimagine our portion of the Connecticut Avenue Corridor for the generations to come, managing change in accordance with the values we espouse.
For more information, download the draft CC Small Area Plan Here.