Introducing, the Downtown Action Plan
The District of Columbia’s Downtown Action Plan builds on the goals of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s DC Comeback Plan and recommends next steps for implementation, including high-impact investments, policies, and actions. It is a 5-year economic development strategy intended to make DC a place for successful businesses, opportunity-rich neighborhoods, and thriving people.
About the Report
The Downtown Action Plan report is 140-pages and details all recommendations, interventions, and investments. Published in June 2024, the report incorporated the decision announced March 27, 2024, by Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) to remain at Capital One Arena. A condensed version of the report, titled the Highlights Summary, was released in February 2024 and reflected MSE’s departure as announced in December 2023. MSE specifically cited the Downtown Action Plan as a key factor in its decision to stay in Downtown D.C., praising the plan’s vision “to ensure the long-term success of Downtown D.C.’s commercial core.”
Supported By
(re)Defining Downtown
This map shows the geographic area of the Action Plan. The plan boundary within the black outline was delineated as “downtown” in Mayor Bowser’s Comeback Plan. The area covered by the DowntownDC BID is in red. The area covered by the Golden Triangle BID is in yellow. There are additional maps that we completed during Action Plan development which further define the study area.
Collaboration at its Finest
Through an unprecedented collaboration among Mayor Bowser and her team, the Golden Triangle and DowntownDC Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), and the Federal City Council, we are seizing a once-in-a-century opportunity to reimagine D.C.’s downtown to equip leaders and stakeholders to invest in and transform D.C.’s downtown for the future.
Current Conditions
Downtown D.C. plays an important role in supporting the District as a whole.
In annual local fund revenues to the District
Today, Downtown D.C. finds itself at a post-pandemic inflection point. Once a bustling employment center, by 2023 Downtown D.C. faced an outflow of office workers in response to remote and telework trends, reducing the total number of workers to 55%-65% of pre-pandemic levels. Downtown has not added nearly enough visitors and residents to offset the loss of day-to-day activity, which has resulted in rising office and retail vacancies and declining tax revenues. In 2023, Downtown D.C. generated over $2.3 billion in annual tax revenue, which is now at risk unless the Action Plan recommendations are realized.
Impacts
The Downtown Action Plan embraces a redefined urban experience: One in which people come to Downtown D.C. because they want to spend time here, not because they need to.
Following implementation of the full suite of interventions for the foundational elements and key nodes, Downtown D.C. stands to generate approximately $2.69 billion in annual local fund revenues to the District, representing a $334 million increase from current levels, as well as a $528 million increase from the revenue the area would generate without intervention. Importantly, this annual fiscal contribution is also $92 million higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Process & Engagement
The Downtown Action Plan is the result of thousands of hours of research and analysis, as well as extensive community engagement. The five-month engagement process involved direct feedback, public surveys, and stakeholder meetings, organized around a steering committee of property owners, businesses, institutional leaders, government officials, and others.
Leveraging the insights gained from this research, the Downtown Action Plan team developed a forecast for the likely future trajectory of Downtown D.C., assuming no intervention. This analysis laid the groundwork for the strategies in the Downtown Action Plan by providing the analytical basis for understanding the potential impacts of various District actions on Downtown D.C.’s future trajectory.
Learn More
Download the Downtown Action Plan for more details.
Vision
Vision
To redefine the central business district of D.C. to be a resilient and adaptable mixed-use downtown that is welcoming and alluring to a diversity of people.
Goals
Ensure downtown’s recovery and reimagination into a vibrant, economically sustainable, diverse, and equitable area at the heart of the city that benefits all residents and businesses by offering jobs, various housing types, and a robust tax base for the District.
Physical Conditions
Public Safety
|Reduce violent crime per visit to pre-pandemic levels
Public Realm
|Improve five existing parks across Downtown D.C.
Transportation
|Create and implement a multi-modal transportation plan for Downtown D.C.
Key Demand Drivers
Office
|Reduce vacant office space by 10 million square feet by attracting new businesses and repositioning obsolete buildings
Visitors
|Generate an additional 25 million annual visits from daytime and overnight visitors
Economic Evolution
|Add 10,000 knowledge economy jobs to Downtown D.C.
Education
|Replace 3 million square feet of vacant office space with university or other university affiliated uses
Retail
|Lease 1 million square feet of retail and restaurant space
Residential
|Add 15,000 new residents to Downtown D.C.
New Catalysts
|Return five distressed and/or public assets to market
Foundational Elements
Key Nodes
Investments
The Downtown Action Plan lays out a roadmap for the improvements the District can make to facilitate the transformation of Downtown D.C. and realize associated fiscal and societal benefits. Some of these improvements include regulatory and process changes, which are unlikely to produce direct costs to the District. However, many of the most impactful improvements require investment. To kickstart the transformation of Downtown D.C., the Downtown Action Plan outlines the need for $401 million in new funding.
Implementation
The Downtown Action Plan is helping drive progress in public safety, business growth, residential conversions, and transportation. Here is a summary of some of the 2024 accomplishments
Investment progress:
- $2M for Safe Commercial Corridor Grant
- $7M Vitality Fund awards
- 385 residential units delivered
Node updates:
- Design charrette for Historic Green Triangle
- National Geographic opening new HQ and visitor experience in Downtown West in 2026
- University and tech business attraction efforts in Penn West Equity, Innovation, and University District
- Arena redevelopment, Safe Commercial Corridors Hub, and activation strategy underway in Penn Quarter/Chinatown
- Disposition of federal buildings and opening of Georgetown McCourt School in Downtown East
Initiatives underway for 2025:
- DMPED will commence a Downtown Transportation Study in Q2 2025
- Update TOPA and streamline regulatory process to support a residential base
- Grocery Store Tax Abatement in downtown boundaries
Learn More
Download the Downtown Action Plan for more details.