Opinion ID: 1527345
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Office of Planning Recommendations

Text: OP recommended approval of the plan subject to conditions. It expressed concern that the general nature of GWU's proposed construction plan did not adequately indicate the order in which projects would be built, and recommended that GWU submit a list of development priorities. A list subsequently submitted failed to address OP's concerns, and OP ultimately recommended that GWU be required to notify OP and ANC 2A of specific building proposals after it obtained internal University approval for funding and siting, but before detailed design and specifications became available. Acknowledging that the Council and DPWnot the BZAhad authority to approve street closings, [6] OP supported proposals to close certain streets but disapproved others. It further recommended that GWU replace with existing University parking all on-street parking spaces eliminated by street closings. OP categorically opposed the proposals for pedestrian bridges, finding them inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan, and that they would obstruct natural vistas along streets contemplated by the L'Enfant city design plan. [7] With the proviso that the affected area be scaled back, OP supported GWU's proposals for height restriction relief, noting that the proposed increases focused campus development where it belongedin the campus coreand that, because the Zoning Commission would have to approve the height increases as part of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) [8] application, the proposal's compatibility with surrounding uses would be thoroughly assessed in the future. With regard to interim leased space, OP recommended that GWU be allowed to continue leasing space, but that all such leasing be restricted to off-campus commercial zones.