Photo by Cickatoes

After months of debate, public meetings and one proposed Council resolution, the National Capital Planning Commission voted last night to recommend no significant changes to the Height Act to Congress.

The vote comes two days after the NCPC’s staff released a proposal to allow for taller buildings in targeted areas outside of the L’Enfant City with congressional approval. Shortly after last night’s meeting began, NCPC commissioner and National Park Service representative Peter May moved to strike that proposal, labeled recommendation two. While this move was tabled so that the 47 witnesses in attendance could speak, it eventually passed by a vote of seven to three.

The intermediate hours were, once again, filled with testimony against any changes to the Height Act. This included the notably heated testimony from ANC 5D Chair Kathy Henderson, who lodged the most direct attack on Office of Planning director Harriet Tregoning. After reading an email from a constituent and ANC commission member India Henderson (who she failed to mention is her daughter), Henderson said, “We are so furious with the Office of Planning under Ms. Tregoning’s leadership that if given the opportunity to rate our … city agency right now … the Office of Planning under Ms. Tregoning’s leadership would get a big, fat zero.”

Henderson then called for Tregoning to resign: “The next thing we’ll be asking for is Ms. Tregoning’s resignation.” A commissioner then asked Henderson not to “make this personal.”

“It is personal. She has come to us with a process that is illegitimate. It is offensive, and we protest it,” she continued.

After the testimony was over, debate began on whether to remove recommendation two from the proposal. Tregoning made the case that the vote in favor of the proposal was about giving D.C. a say in the Height Act process, as opposed to leaving it completely in the hands on Congress.

“We talk about capital cities, and how important and unique our capital city is. It’s unique in another important way: We are the only citizens in the free world of a capital city that doesn’t have representation in the Congress,” she said. “We do not vote on matters that affect us. And we’ve been given previous few opportunities over the years to claw back any of our autonomy.”

“This is a rare occasion,” she continued. “We may never be asked by the Congress again.”

“Good,” many witnesses replied.

Tregoning continued: “I don’t understand why we would leave it to congressmen who are all too often indifferent, and in the future may never entertain any interest in advancing our issues of Home Rule. Would a future Congress care if longterm residents couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore?”

Council Chair Phil Mendelson disagreed, saying that Home Rule is about congressional representation, adopting laws without legislative review and budget autonomy.

“I think of the Height Act as being in a sense like part of our Constitution. It’s something that’s very hard for us to touch and change. And that’s a good thing, and it should be that way,” he said.

While the NCPC voted to send Congress a proposal with no significant changes to the Height Act, the Office of Planning could still send a separate set of recommendations. An OP spokeswoman says they’re still considering their options.