Norton Introduces D.C. Zoning Commission Home Rule Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) introduced the District of Columbia Zoning Commission Home Rule Act today, which would give D.C. the authority to appoint all members of the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). Currently, the Commission consists of two federal officials (the Architect of the Capitol and the Director of the National Park Service), in addition to three members appointed by D.C.’s mayor with the D.C. Council’s approval, even though the Commission has no authority over federal property. Despite the D.C. Home Rule Act, which gave D.C. authority over local matters, 40 percent of the members of the Commission are federal officials, who are unaccountable to the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents.

"This bill is an essential step to increase home rule in the District of Columbia," Norton said. "Land use is the epitome of a local matter. The federal government loses nothing because the interests of the federal government in land use in the nation's capital are protected by federal law."

The Commission creates zoning maps and regulations, which must "not be inconsistent with the comprehensive plan for the national capital." The mayor is responsible for the local elements of the comprehensive plan, subject to Council approval. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which is the central federal planning agency for the federal government in D.C. and approves federal projects here, is responsible for the federal elements of the comprehensive plan. This bill would not alter the comprehensive plan process nor the authority of NCPC and the Commission.

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