NCPC Embraces the Height Act

Washington City Paper reporter Aaron Wiener's last Housing Complex blog before heading to Mother Jones included another plea to repeal the Height Act. He argues that the act puts an economic strain on the District, gives Congress too much control over residents, and makes the skyline boring. The National Capital Planning Commission begs to differ, the Washington Business Journal reports. The NCPC recently released an updated urban design element for its comprehensive plan, And in it the Height Act is mentioned eight times, quite favorably. The NCPC believes the Height Act's the reason for DC's "unmistakable and symbolic skyline." The original draft urban design element was released in 2012, before the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asked the NCPC and the District to look into Height Act revisions. A minor change was eventually included to allow for penthouses. Wiener also had several other final suggestions to improve DC:

1. More Metro lines
2. More infill stations
3. Separating streetcar lines and traffic 
4. Move MLK library back to Carnegie
5. Name the neighborhood north of Columbia Heights
6. Encourage diverse buildings
7. Preserve affordable housing
8. Pop the Ivy City bubble
9. More pedestrian zones
10. Non-soccer investments in Buzzard Point
11. Drop the subject of a new football stadium
12. Put homeless shelters in every ward
13. Put an end to "community benefits agreements" that only help a few residents
14. End parking minimums

[WBJ]