Subcommittees

What We Do

The Committee of 100 advocates responsible planning and land use in Washington, D.C. Our work is guided by the values inherited from the L’Enfant Plan and McMillan Commission, which give Washington its historic distinction and natural beauty, while responding to the special challenges of 21st century development. We pursue these goals through public education, research and civic action, and we celebrate the city’s unique role as both the home of the District’s citizens and the capital of our nation.

For each subcommittee below, click on the “READ MORE” button to learn more about the sub-committee. Click on either the picture or the Subcommittee Name to be taken to the Initiatives Page with that Subcommittees’ Initiatives preselected in the Initiatives search.

Black and white photo showing the building process of the US Capitol building.

Historic Preservation

Protects and preserves the significant historic properties, vistas, landscapes, and archaeology of Washington, DC.

Photo of Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments and Channing E. Phillips Homes.

Housing

Promotes an inclusive city by advocating policies and tools that will produce greater housing affordability.

Photo of blooming Lotus plants in Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC.

Parks & Environment

Preserves parks and open space in Washington, DC, in line with the principles of the McMillan Plan.

Planning

Concerned with the overall physical and economic pattern of Washington, D.C. in terms of land use, public facilities, and transportation routes and systems.

Aerial view of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Transportation

Promotes sound planning for commuter and passenger rail, streetcars, underground parking for neighborhood businesses and residents, and billboard and sign control.

Zoning

Promotes land use policies and practices that are in conformance with the city’s Comprehensive Plan.

Committee of 100
on the Federal City

945 G Street NW

Washington, DC 20001

(202) 681-0225

info@Committeeof100.net

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The Historic Preservation Subcommittee’s mission is to protect and preserve the significant historic properties, vistas, landscapes, and archaeology of the District of Columbia as they relate to the overall mission, goals, and policies of the Committee of 100.

We do this by:

Preserving and enhancing the historic preservation laws, regulations, and guidelines of the District of Columbia, and, as appropriate, the Federal Government.
Advocating for the appointment of highly qualified candidates to the boards and commissions of the District of Columbia that regulate or influence historic preservation.
Recommending for approval and adoption by the Committee of 100’s trustees (or membership when appropriate) actions and policies concerning historic preservation in the District of Columbia, and to keep them informed of significant developments in historic preservation.
Presenting to government councils, boards, commissions, courts, and other entities, through testimony and other means, the Committee of 100’s position on various historic preservation matters, including individual sites or projects that meet the Historic Preservation Subcommittee’s guidelines for involvement.
Providing advice and/or support, as deemed appropriate, for the efforts of other subcommittees of the Committee of 100 when government or other actions may impact historic preservation in the District of Columbia.
Supporting, when deemed essential, the historic preservation activities of other organizations and agencies that will achieve the goals and purposes of the Committee of 100.

Mission Statement: The Committee of 100 on the Federal City advocates for a racially and economically inclusive city through policies and programs that will produce greater housing affordability for low- and moderate-income people. We promote a broad range of simultaneous actions to stem housing loss and spur housing production through sound legislation, adequate funding, transparent and straightforward program implementation, and comprehensive community planning.

The Parks and Environment Subcommittee works in line with the principles of the McMillan Plan to preserve and improve federal and District public parks and other open spaces in Washington, D.C. as natural resource areas and for recreation.

The subcommittee also works toward protecting the environment by supporting planning for flooding, preserving the natural environment, conservation of species, and promoting dark skies.

The sub-committee is active with a number of projects and initiatives, including:

Anacostia Park
Environmental Protection Against Flooding
Proposal to Convert Pepco Power Plant at Buzzard Point to a Public Park
Protecting Migratory Birds
RFK Stadium Campus
Tidal Basin

No other city in America is more the product of purposeful planning than Washington, DC. Created de novo in the early 19^th century, today the Nation’s Capital is the very embodiment of planning concepts over a three-century period. Beginning with Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s 1791 plan, and through the 1902 McMillan Commission Plan, the 1899 and 1910 Height of Buildings Acts, to Urban Renewal in the 1960’s to the rise of historic preservation and environmental activism, planning has shaped the Nation’s Capital as we see it today.

And while Washington, DC may be the monumental world capital most citizens and visitors think of, it is also a city of neighborhoods – where over 700,00 people live and call home. The current foundation of planning in DC is the Comprehensive Plan which is composed of two parts—District Elements and Federal Elements. The Committee of 100 is engaged with plans, developments, and planning documents of citywide significance with particular attention to places that have small or no resident constituency, e.g., Downtown, the Mall, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Planning is such a broad topic, it often overlaps with transportation, zoning, parks, environment (flooding), and historic preservation.

The Transportation Sub-Committee focuses on sound policies, including those affecting commuter and passenger rail, streetcars, adequate underground parking for neighborhood businesses and residents, and billboard and sign control.

The 1910 Height of Buildings Act serves as the foundation of current zoning law. The Committee of 100 promotes zoning, land use and development policies and regulations that respect this foundation, and engages with the needs and aspirations of DC residents. C100 is active in the following zoning areas:

Corridor Plans

In the last revision of the Comprehensive Plan, large stretches of DC corridors like Connecticut, Wisconsin and New York Avenues were targeted for up-zoning, encouraging development to new heights and limiting community engagement. The Committee of 100 works ensure that as plans are developed and implemented that affordable housing needs, adequate supporting infrastructure, and neighborhood protection are addressed.

Comprehensive Plan

While the DC Council approved extensive amendments to the Comprehensive Plan in 2021, a complete revision is scheduled to begin in 2025. The Comprehensive Plan sets the framework that shapes changes to the City. For as long as DC has had a Comprehensive Plan, C100 has worked with the Office of Planning, DC Council and other organizations on the text of the Plan.

Downtown

Office buildings dominate DC’s Downtown. However, the shift in office habits prompted by the coronavirus has meant that Downtown is emptier than previously and, with the decline in the value of office buildings, Downtown is not the economic engine it has been in the past. As a result. Much attention is being given to revitalizing Downtown.

Height of Buildings Act

The 1910 federal law limits heights in DC based on the width of a street, with maximum heights set at 130 feet on commercial streets, 90 feet on residential streets, and 160 feet on parts of Pennsylvania Avenue. Height limits have established the District's iconic horizontal skyline, prioritized the primacy of the nation's capital monuments, and created incomparable views from many parts of the city. The Committee of 100 has joined with other advocacy groups to preserve the Height of Buildings Act when there are attempts to chip away at the act to allow private development to control the skyline.

Inclusionary Zoning

The Inclusionary Zoning Program (IZ) requires that most new and some renovated residential developments include a minimum number of affordable units for rent or sale. Those eligible enter a lottery that assigns these units. C100 in testimony on IZ urges its application in the Downtown; correction of flaws in the formula for the Expanded IZ program that could produce less affordable housing; lowering of eligibility maximums; and expanding the requirements to require a greater percentage of affordable housing in new developments.

Oversight of Office of Planning and Office of Zoning

The Committee of 100 participates in Council oversight of the Office of Planning, the Office of Zoning, the Zoning Commission, and the Board of Zoning Adjustment to convey how these agencies and bodies interact to support sound land use and development decision-making and the public interest. The Committee of 100 urges the independence of the regulatory bodies with a dedicated staff that would allow the Office of Planning to regain its primary function under the mayor. C100 links the Council’s interest in ensuring transparency, dissemination of disaggregated data, racial and economic equity and inclusion, and full public engagement in public processes with proposed zoning actions that often conflict with the Council’s goals as expressed in the Comprehensive Plan for the District of Columbia.

Racial Equity

The DC Council highlighted racial equity as a city-wide value and goal in the 2021 DC Comprehensive Plan. The Council specifically directed that land use decisions should include a racial equity analysis to account for past discrimination and avoid future outcomes that could lead to displacement and continue segregated patterns. The Committee of 100 supports transparent racial equity analyses of land use proposals, including planning documents, that are based on disaggregated data, community engagement, and clear goals.

Zoning Regulation Revisions

The Zoning Act of March 1, 1920 established the Zoning Commission for the District of Columbia. With impetus from the Lewis Commission of 1950, a more comprehensive set of regulations was implemented in 1958. These regulations were in use, expanded and revised until the DC Council ordered a code revision and appointed a ZRR Task Force to represent the city wards and various organizations in the rewrite process. A rewritten code was approved by the Zoning Commission in 2016.

Individual Zoning Cases

The Committee of 100 on occasion testifies or submits comments on individual zoning cases where the subject doesn’t fit under the topics above.