JOIN US: Ivy City Small Area Plan Community Office Hours

Join us for Office Hours on April 22, 23, & 24, OP staff invite Ivy City residents to come and ask questions, enagage in disucssion, and share their thoughts on the planning process. For more details about this event and others please click on the Events tab.

 

Ivy City Public Life Study

This summer, the OP Ivy City Small Area Plan team launched a Public Life Study data collection with support from 14 community volunteers. Community data collection days took place on June 13th and July 8th. Many thanks to our community volunteers for all their hard work, as well as Commissioner Rhodes and EmpowerDC for providing bathrooms, refreshments, and a cooling station for volunteers at the Ivy City Clubhouse. Public Life Study Summary findings are now available!

         

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About the Project:

Ivy City is a historically Black neighborhood located in Ward 5. The neighborhood includes a mix of commercial and industrial sites and smaller scale residential units. Ivy City is one of three anticipated focus areas of the larger New York Avenue Vision Framework study. The neighborhood is adjacent to the New York Avenue corridor which has already seen new development.

The Ivy City Small Area Plan (SAP) will consider how the future growth and redevelopment of large sites along New York Avenue will impact the existing residential area in terms of access, displacement, and economic impact. The Ivy City SAP will be developed through a collaborative planning process. Using a racial equity lens, the Ivy City SAP will explore opportunities and recommendations to advance the following:

  • Advance racial equity by understanding and respond to the ways Black and vulnerable residents have been impacted by land use and environmental decisions in the past and mitigate future impacts
  • Create guiding principles for active streets, open spaces and park environments that improve resident accessibility and pedestrian comfort and safety and contribute to community resiliency. 
  • Develop strategies, recommendations, and designs that improve the pedestrian experience of the street frontage throughout the site, and better integrate new development into the existing neighborhood.
  • Develop strategies to mitigate resident displacement and improve access to quality housing, especially affordable housing, in the community.
  • Develop strategies that protect and improve community health outcomes and strengthen community resilience to climate impacts.  

Contact Us:

Valecia Wilson, Senior Neighborhood Planner, Project Manager

Email:  IvyCitySAP@dc.gov

Phone:  855.925.2801 ext 7810

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Frequently Asked Questions

A Small Area Plan (SAP) is a guiding document that provides a framework for the strategic development, redevelopment and/or preservation of neighborhoods and corridors. The SAP supplements the Comprehensive Plan by providing more detailed recommendations and implementation strategies for the development of city blocks, corridors, and neighborhoods. The intent of these plans is to guide long-range planning and development that establishes future neighborhood improvements, identifies gaps and opportunities in neighborhood services and amenities, and advances social and economic benefits.

SAPs are developed through a collaborative process that entails significant community outreach and engagement, to both communicate the goals and milestones of the planning process as well as provide opportunities for community dialogue on strategic priorities in the planning area. SAPs are typically approved by resolution of the DC Council, and their key recommendations are subsequently incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan Elements.

Learn more about SAPs at planning.dc.gov/page/op-neighborhood-planning.

Ivy City is a triangular neighborhood bounded by New York Avenue NE, West Virginia Avenue NE, and Mt. Olivet Road. The neighborhood is surrounded by significant landmarks including Gallaudet University, the historic Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the Amtrak rail yard.

Study Area Boundary

We will have many opportunities for residents and the larger Ivy City community to get involved in the planning process. We will ensure that the community engagement process is inclusive and representative of Ivy City, and includes a variety of ways--virtual, in-person, hybrid--to get community feedback.

Check out the Events Tab for upcoming engagement events. Past meetings, comments, and meeting summaries will be archived on the project website, as well, for viewing at any time.