Introduction of the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment Home Rule Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment Home Rule Act. This bill would give the District of Columbia the authority to appoint the members of the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (Board), except when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to a chancery. The Board issues special exceptions, or variances, to the regulations issued by the D.C. Zoning Commission (Commission). The Board has no authority over federal property. This bill would not alter the authority of the Board.

Under current law, in general, the Board consists of a representative each from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), which is a federal agency, and the Commission, each of whom may be a federal official, and three appointees of the D.C. Mayor, subject to D.C. Council approval.

Under current law, when the Board is performing functions regarding an application by a foreign mission with respect to the location, expansion or replacement of a chancery, the Board consists of the Executive Director of NCPC, the Director of the National Park Service (or, if the President so designates, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services) and the three mayoral appointees. This bill would not change this composition.

D.C., like every other jurisdiction in the United States, should be free to set its own local land-use policies. This bill is an important step to increase home rule for D.C. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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