The GW community came one step closer to a final vote on the new 20-year Campus Plan Thursday afternoon as the National Capital Planning Commission unanimously passed the proposal, with some restrictions.
After hearing from GW officials, students and Foggy Bottom residents, the NCPC sent the Campus Plan back to the D.C. Zoning Commission for a final vote. The commissioners said the Campus Plan, which would guide new University development, is acceptable in its current form with the exception that it must adhere to a 1910 statute regarding building height restrictions.
The NCPC is a federal commission that reviews new development in the context of the historical and cultural intentions of the original city design. The Campus Plan had to be submitted before the NCPC because it affected such areas as 23rd Street and Washington Circle, which D.C. Grand Planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant considered integral portions of the city in his 18th century designs.
The 20-year Campus Plan calls for vertical growth of GW buildings as well as expansion of Gelman Library, several residence halls and the Marvin Center. The proposal also includes construction of a new science facility in place of the parking garage on 22nd and I streets and a cancer center near the hospital.
GW proposed the Campus Plan before the NCPC after receiving approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission in early February. The approval came after eight hearings starting in September, and the final decision should be made within the next month.
Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz made the case for GW Thursday night along with several students who voiced their support for the plan. Some Foggy Bottom residents also backed the proposal, while others testified in opposition to the plan.
Katz was very enthusiastic about the ruling, which put GW closer to a final decision.
"We believe the plan has received its broad support because of its lasting benefits to all stakeholders, instead of looking at our campus on a project-by-project basis it does so comprehensively for 20 years," Katz wrote in an e-mail.
After hearing from GW officials, students and Foggy Bottom residents, the NCPC sent the Campus Plan back to the D.C. Zoning Commission for a final vote. The commissioners said the Campus Plan, which would guide new University development, is acceptable in its current form with the exception that it must adhere to a 1910 statute regarding building height restrictions.
The NCPC is a federal commission that reviews new development in the context of the historical and cultural intentions of the original city design. The Campus Plan had to be submitted before the NCPC because it affected such areas as 23rd Street and Washington Circle, which D.C. Grand Planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant considered integral portions of the city in his 18th century designs.
The 20-year Campus Plan calls for vertical growth of GW buildings as well as expansion of Gelman Library, several residence halls and the Marvin Center. The proposal also includes construction of a new science facility in place of the parking garage on 22nd and I streets and a cancer center near the hospital.
GW proposed the Campus Plan before the NCPC after receiving approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission in early February. The approval came after eight hearings starting in September, and the final decision should be made within the next month.
Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz made the case for GW Thursday night along with several students who voiced their support for the plan. Some Foggy Bottom residents also backed the proposal, while others testified in opposition to the plan.
Katz was very enthusiastic about the ruling, which put GW closer to a final decision.
"We believe the plan has received its broad support because of its lasting benefits to all stakeholders, instead of looking at our campus on a project-by-project basis it does so comprehensively for 20 years," Katz wrote in an e-mail.
