Inclusionary zoning’s effect in a C-2-B district (added height).

The Fenty Administration has completed the last step to implement DC’s inclusionary zoning law. Today’s DC Register contains the “maximum rent and price schedule” (scroll to page 53), which computes the actual rents and purchase prices for units of various sizes that comply with the income thresholds in the law.

Under the program, new residential developments of 10 units or more must to set aside 8-10 percent of the new housing for families making between 50 and 80 percent of area median income (AMI). For a family of four, that’s a household income of $51,000 to $82,000.

To compensate developers, they are allowed to build about 20% more housing. In some zones, like neighborhood commercial corridors, that means higher lot occupancy, letting the building cover a bit more of the total lot. In row house neighborhoods, IZ allows projects to build more, slightly narrower townhouses than regular zoning requires (though the same size as many existing townhouses). And in districts with taller buildings, it lets developers add a bit of additional height. IZ won’t apply in the low-density residential zones, or in two historic districts (Georgetown Waterfront and Historic Anacostia) where the IZ changes would have forced buildings that didn’t fit with the existing historic neighborhood character.

A presentation from DHCD has more details. A 2006 presentation from OP is better at illustrating the program, though there have been some changes. For example, the original plan excluded R-2 zones (denser single-family detached and semi-detached houses), but IZ now applies there as well.

The Inclusionary Zoning law was first passed in 2006, but the Fenty Administration delayed implementation for about two years. That sacrificed many affordable units and in some cases forced developers to plan smaller buildings than they otherwise would have. Still, this program is better late than never, and joins similar programs in Montgomery, Fairfax, and Arlington Counties. This program will ensure that, as the economy recovers and residential construction picks back up, moderate-income families aren’t completely left behind.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.