Officials from UDC held a community meeting on October 19, 2022 to explain the upcoming Campus Plan process for UDC’s Bertie Backus Campus, which is located in Riggs Park at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE (between Galloway Street and Hamilton Street NE). UDC presented again at the ANC 5A meeting on November 16, 2022. ANC 5A did not notify residents that UDC would be presenting.

The Backus campus is UDC’s community college campus. It is also home to the university’s Bertie Backus Food Hub. University officials anticipate expanding the Backus campus in the future.

DC zoning regulations require universities to update campus plans every 10 years. According to UDC, the goal of the regulations are to ensure that university campuses “(1) are well-planned and designed; (2)have long-term facilities plans; (3) minimize any negative impacts the university may have on the surrounding residential neighborhood; and (4) are consistent and transparent with their planning processes.”

Link: UDC presentation 10/19/2022

Link: UDC presentation 11/16/2022

The two meeting presentations are largely the same. They outline the role of community stakeholders; UDC’s long-term vision for the Backus campus; planning considerations and priorities; and the campus plan process.

The ANC presentation contains a slide regarding discussion points UDC took away from the October meeting: facility improvements, more green space, traffic, parking lot abundance, infrastructure upgrades. A resident asked about installing solar panels. In my view, the October meeting was pretty unfocused because UDC did not communicate meeting objectives or provide any context about the planning process to residents ahead of time. I for one did not offer specifics. I moreso had questions about the process and suggestions about how UDC could get more meaningful input from residents. I imagine residents will have more to say after taking some time to think about things. To that end, anyone who cares about what happens to this campus should spend a little time thinking about what UDC identified as the role of community stakeholders as well as UDC’s long-term vision for the campus.

UDC’s Vision of the Role of Community Stakeholders

• Provide insight based on experience and familiarity with the Backus campus and surrounding neighborhood
• Help the consulting team think about current and future needs
• Identify ways to improve the Backus campus to better serve the community, the overall mission of the university, and better utilize the campus open sapce and other nearby resources such as Fort Circle Park.

UDC’s Long-term Vision for the Backus Campus

• Expand on the vision of the Van Ness plan to holistically address the needs and goals of the university across its various campaus
• Connect the campus to the neighborhood for a stronger institutional presence (e.g., community-based programming)
• Make the campus more accessible through better wayfinding, circulation, and landscape design and
• Explore how the campus might be redesigned to have more of a presence on South Dakota Avenue that improves its appearance, the pedestrian experience, and how it can better interact with and respond to the Art Place at Fort Totten development across the street from the campus.

UDC’s Planning Priorities & Considerations

• Buildings/Facilities
  • Consideration of classroom space; improving the “community feel”
• Transportation/Circulation
• Open Space/Urban Design
• Campus Programming and Use of Space
• Sustainability
• Utilities/Infrastructure

UDC’s Next Steps & Milestones:

• Continue community outreach throughout fall/winter
• January/February 2023: Submit Notice of Intent to file application
• March 2023: File Backus Campus Plan with Zoning Commission
• Summer 2023: Zoning Commission hearing

Residents have asked UDC to set up a webpage with information about the Backus campus plan process. UDC officials stated that should be ready next month in December. UDC also intends to distribute a survey, so keep an eye out for that.

At both the October and November meetings, residents asked UDC how they plan to reach residents who are not connected virtually. Unclear at this point.

Connection with Van Ness (Main Campus) Plan

Until UDC gets a webpage up and running for the Backus Campus Plan, take a look at the page for UDC’s Van Ness Campus Plan, which is the plan for their main campus. The Van Ness plan was approved in 2021. UDC emphasized in both the October and November meetings that one of their goals is to make sure the Backus Campus Plan aligns with the main campus plan.

At the October meeting, I asked for a fact sheet or highlights/summaries of the Van Ness plan that residents can review as we think about the Backus campus. I have not received that yet, but I will keep asking. In the meantime, if you want some reading to do over the Thanksgiving holiday, you can read the entire Van Ness plan or take a look at the Zoning Commission record for that plan process.

UDC Contact

If you have any questions or would like to share any thoughts about the Backus campus, contact Juanita Gray, UDC’s director of community engagement, at juanita.gray@udc.edu.

You can also sign up to receive university updates, including updates about the Backus campus plan, at the link.