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Excerpt:
Posted by Lydia DePillis on Jan. 4, 2011 at 7:55 am

To foster that kind of development, the D.C. Council passed an amendment to the city's comprehensive plan that would change the zoning on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue at St. Elizabeths' west campus to allow commercial and residential uses, while providing exceptions for historic resources. A key phrase: "Mixed use development, including retail and service uses, should be promoted along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, should face the street and should be open to the public, other than security barriers and perimeters that may otherwise be required.

But the National Capital Planning Commission, which will review all the comprehensive plan amendments at its meeting this week, thinks that would be "contrary to the federal interest." In its recommendation to the Commission, staff reviewers determined:

"The provision of retail at a depth of 200 feet along the Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue frontage of the west campus would be inconsistent with the Master Plan and would require demolition of all or parts of the historic wall and portions of several historic buildings within the campus as well as conflict with the Department of Homeland Security's Level 5 Security requirements."

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