View and download the final 156-page report here
View a Powerpoint Presentation on the Report here
Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation Task Force
Shortly after entering office, in the fall of 2012, Councilmember McDuffie introduced the Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation Task Force Act. As a result the Ward 5 Industrial Land Transformation Task Force was announced in January 2013 to develop a strategic plan for the modernization and adaptive use of industrial land in Ward 5.
Ward 5 holds the majority of the city’s industrial land, which presents both opportunities and challenges. Residents who live near industrial land have for decades borne the difficulties arising from industrial activity. Notably, however, there are many responsible and successful industrial business owners who prize Ward 5’s industrial land as an affordable and flexible place to do business within the city’s borders. When envisioning the Task Force, easing the friction between these seemingly incompatible land uses – residential and industrial – and encouraging responsible companies, was the Councilmember’s top priority.
The 16-member Task Force was chaired by the former Director of the DC Office of Planning and its members included District of Columbia Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, five additional District agency heads, and eight community members. The Task Force met at a variety of sites across the Ward and held four focus groups.
In 2014, the Task Force released Ward 5 Works, a strategy to transform 1,000 acres of industrial land in Ward 5and create a hub of green, food, tech and creative businesses that creates jobs, community amenities and better environmental performance for District residents.
In addition to stakeholder feedback obtained through interviews and focus groups, Councilmember McDuffie hosted a Community Open House on the study on September 30, 2013, at Trinity University. The boards and information displayed at this meeting can be found on the Office of Planning’s website.