At its public meeting on November 30, 2023, the DC Zoning Commission voted (4-0-1) to take final action to approve UDC’s Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan (2023-2033) (Zoning Commission case no. 23-16). The (-1) is a vacant seat. The campus is located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE in Riggs Park. UDC’s campus plan website is https://www.udc.edu/campus-master-plan.

Formerly known as the Bertie Backus campus, the Lamond-Riggs campus houses the university’s community college program and a few workforce development programs. UDC plans to gradually increase student enrollment at the campus from roughly 1,800 students currently to 3,000 students.

Phase 1 of the campus development plan will involve renovating the existing buildings on the campus. Phase 2 will involve constructing a new wing on the campus. Currently, there is not funding for Phase 2 activities. UDC will have to provide notice and return to the Zoning Commission before proceeding with construction of the new wing.

UDC’s hearing presentation contains the most up-to-date renderings and other nuggets of the planned renovation and expansion: UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Hearing Presentation.

On December 1, 2023, UDC issued a statement about the campus plan approval, stating in part:

The approved plan features five key changes to the Lamond-Riggs Campus, implemented in two phases:

1. Modernize and upgrade existing academic buildings and facilities
2. Strengthen enrollment opportunities and welcome an increase in students, faculty and staff
3. Promote the University’s distinct identity and wayfinding for public use of campus
4. Implement on-site urban design improvements along campus frontages
5. Construct a new wing to increase programs and provide an open-space courtyard for improved green landscaping and sustainable features

Questions about the campus plan may be directed to Avis Russell, UDC General Counsel, at avis.russell@udc.edu or Javier Dussan, UDC Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate Management, at javier.dussan@udc.edu.

Public Hearing

The Zoning Commission held a virtual public hearing on the plan on October 30, 2023.

DDOT Report
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) submitted a pre-hearing report stating that DDOT did not object to the plan with several conditions. DDOT requested that UDC develop a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan and a Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP). DDOT requested that UDC enroll students in Metro’s U-Pass program, that UDC address campus parking rates and enforcement mechanism, and that UDC provide covered or indoor bike parking for some of the bike spaces.

Office of Planning Report
The DC Office of Planning (OP) also submitted a pre-hearing report that recommended approval of the plan with the condition that maximum student enrollment be capped at 3,000 students and faculty capped at 118 faculty. OP requested that UDC work with the Office of Historic Preservation to document the history of the Bertie Backus Middle School to determine whether the school building is eligible for inclusion in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places. The school, built in the 1960s, was named after educator Bertha Arabella “Bertie” Backus. OP’s report included comments from other agencies such as the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), which had several comments about the operation of the food hub at the campus.

ANC 5A Letter in Support
ANC 5A submitted a letter in support that outlined several areas of concern based on input from residents (including myself) regarding the Transportation, Sustainability, Campus Relations, and Community Character elements of the plan.

UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Hearing Presentation
UDC presented its plan. New UDC president, Dr. Maurice Edington, attended the hearing and gave brief remarks. The zoning commissioners asked several questions (some of which residents previously asked UDC).

• Vice Chair Robert Miller asked about UDC’s response to DOEE’s comments about the food hub. UDC said they are working with DOEE.
• Commissioner Joseph Imamura asked why UDC plans to rebuild the parking lot on Galloway Street with new vegetation for Phase 1 and then seemingly plan to remove that newly planted vegetation in order to rebuild the parking lot again for Phase 2. Why not just construct the Phase 2 parking lot. UDC noted that there is not funding for Phase 2 and that they do not know when Phase 2 will be built. They said they are not planting trees in the Phase 1 parking lot islands that will have to be removed, but more so shrubbery.
• Commissioner Imamura asked UDC to clarify the plan for the chain link fence along Galloway and along South Dakota. Commissioner Imamura suggested using environmental design to define the campus edge rather than a fence. (Aside: I noted during my oral testimony that UDC would want a way to prevent people from accessing the parking lot without permission after hours and on weekends so that the people who decide to leave empty bottles and trash along the parkland do not decide to take their activities to UDC’s campus).
• Commissioner Tiffany Stidham asked about any plan for a shuttle to the metro station or other means of encouraging students/faculty not to drive to campus and also for safety reasons for late-night classes. After Phase 2, the parking lot on Galloway will eventually have just 100 parking spaces for cars and UDC plans to have up to 3,000 students and 118 faculty going to the campus. UDC said they did a survey (presumably during the pandemic) and that the survey did not indicate demand for a shuttle.

In addressing requests by the ANC and residents, UDC noted several times that as a public university, its plan is constrained by funding that has to be approved during the city’s budget process.

DDOT gave a super short presentation as did OP. UDC stated that they were working with DDOT about which conditions would become final. UDC agreed to OP’s conditions. ANC 5A did not have a representative at the hearing.

By the time it was time for public testimony (myself), everyone was ready to call it a day. My written and oral testimony focused on (among other things):

1. The need for the campus plan to accurately reflect the state of food hub operations and include UDC CAUSES recently developed 5-year food hub strategic plan. Apparently this 5-year plan (which was not available to the public before the hearing) details changes to the food hub that CAUSES officials say are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides a portion of funding for the food hub. At an open house in October 2023, CAUSES officials said that Dept. of Ag wants UDC to focus on small farmer entrepreneurs. CAUSES officials said that is why the community garden was removed from the campus.
2. UDC’s need to work with DDOT to address the cluster that is the South Dakota Avenue/Hamilton Street NE intersection sooner rather than later, especially considering UDC is planning to relocate loading access to the Hamilton Street side of the campus.
3. UDC’s need for an actual community engagement plan, starting with an up-to-date campus plan website.
4. A need for the plan to address the role of the community college and campus in the workforce development ecosystem, particularly given the planned departure of the Department of Employment Services (DOES) from the campus.

Campus Naming

In between all of the presentations and reports, Zoning Commission Chair Anthony Hood mentioned more than once that he wants UDC to rename the campus after William Spaulding, the first person to represent Ward 5 on the DC Council following Home Rule. William Spaulding also has ties to UDC. Chair Hood said that he was sure that other people had mentioned this idea to President Edington, but President Edington said he was not aware of this desire. So that is apparently something brewing by folks that we might hear about in the future.

(Aside: UDC’s former president, Ronald Mason, Jr. is responsible for the campus name change, which was approved by university trustees in April 2023. He thought it was important to have a new name to reflect the community college rather than the old name of the middle school. Former President Mason decided to name the campus after the neighborhood in which it sits, just like UDC’s main Van Ness campus. The existing building on the Lamond-Riggs campus is still named the Bertie Backus building).

The Zoning Commission asked UDC to submit a post-hearing statement to address the testimony of the ANC (and myself). UDC also had to outline what conditions the university and DDOT agreed on for the preliminary order.

Zoning Commission Meeting & Decision

UDC Post-hearing Statement
UDC submitted a post-hearing statement. The submission includes UDC’s TDM plan, which they say is approved by DDOT. It also includes further revisions to sections of the campus plan.

ANC 5A Response to UDC Post-hearing Statement
ANC 5A submitted a response noting that UDC’s post-hearing statement did not address all of the ANC’s concerns.

At the public meeting on November 30, the Zoning Commission decided it was satisfied with UDC’s updates and responses to OP, DDOT, DOEE, and the ANC. Chair Hood said he was sure that UDC would work with residents on better communication and work on issues related to the food hub. He also mentioned one more time for good measure that he wants to see the campus renamed after Mr. Spaulding. Vice Chair Miller chimed in to say he worked with Mr. Spaulding on the council and that he too thought it would be a fitting name. (Aside: It is always interesting to see what Chair Hood decides to expound on extemporaneously during hearings).

UDC Proposed Draft Order
The Zoning Commission still needs to issue a final order. UDC submitted a proposed draft order outlining several conditions. UDC’s proposed conditions copied and pasted below:

Campus Plan Term

1. The Campus Plan shall be valid for a period of 10 years.

Enrollment

2. For the duration of the 2023 Plan, the maximum enrollment on the Lamond-Riggs Campus shall not exceed 3,000 students and 118 faculty.

Further Processing

3. The University may construct the proposed Wing D as described in the 2023 Plan, subject to further processing review and approval pursuant to § 210 of the Zoning Regulations:

a. The location shall be within the area identified on (Ex. 3 and 2H2-2H3) of the University’s June 21, 2023 Campus Master Plan submission;

b. The number of stories, gross floor area, and lot coverage shall be generally consistent with the development summary indicated in the University’s June 21, 2023 Campus Master Plan submission;

4. The University shall provide the community with notice and an opportunity to review the proposed design of the new wing at least 60 days prior to filing of the application for further processing:

a. Notice of the University’s intent to file the application (“Notice of Intent”) shall be provided by U.S. Mail to ANC 5A and all owners of all property within 200 feet of the campus. In addition, the Notice of Intent shall be provided by U.S. Mail to all residents within approximately one block of Square 3757, Lot 802. The Notice of Intent shall state that the University intends to file an application to secure further processing approval to construct the new wing on University property, and shall provide the maximum square footage, description of common areas, and planned pedestrian and vehicular circulation adjacent to the new wing. In addition, the Notice of Intent shall provide a website address (URL) where more information about the proposed wing may be found, and the contact information (name, phone, and email) for a University representative that can be contacted for additional information. Finally, the Notice of Intent shall indicate the date, time, and location of the Preliminary Design Review meeting described below; and

Student Conduct

5. All students at the Lamond-Riggs Campus shall be required to comply with the University Code of Conduct.

6. The University shall use disciplinary intervention for acts of misconduct committed by students (i.e., ‘violations of the Code of Conduct) in the surrounding community (which shall mean within one mile of the University), even if the students are not in properties owned or controlled by the University. The University shall act on incident reports submitted by persons including residents, ANC 5A, community associations, tenant associations, building management, the University’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

7. The University shall establish and maintain a relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department to secure referrals on all reports of complaints, infractions, or arrests of University students. The University shall maintain a log of all referrals received and all actions taken.

Transportation and Parking

8. The University shall manage its on-campus parking supply and encourage all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to use transit and other alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle through the implementation of the TDM and PMP measures detailed in Exhibit 24 which reflects all of the commitments made by the University.

9. The University shall encourage all visitors attending special events on campus to use transit or park in University or other area parking facilities. The University shall work with area institutions and commercial parking operators as well as use attendant parking to provide additional parking as needed during these events.

10. The University shall direct all construction traffic to avoid routes through the adjacent residential neighborhoods through contract provisions or similar mechanisms.

Community Outreach

11. University representatives shall attend ANC 5A’s monthly meeting, providing updates on the 2023 Plan process and continuing a line a communication between University leadership and community members and stakeholders.

The Zoning Commission is having a public hearing on UDC’s proposed Lamond-Riggs campus plan on October 30, 2023, at 4:00 pm (ZC case no. 23-16). Instructions for how to sign up to testify orally or to submit written testimony are in the hearing notice. Note that the Zoning Commission encourages individuals to submit requests to testify orally at least 24 hours before the hearing. All written testimony must be submitted to the record at least 24 hours before the hearing.

ANC 5A voted to support the campus plan with conditions at the ANC meeting held on October 25, 2023. (I will link to the letter once I get a copy of it. Update 10/31/2023: ANC 5A Letter of Support).

UDC’s Lamond-Riggs campus, formerly known as the Bertie Backus campus, is located at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. The campus, which occupies a large city block between Galloway Street and Hamilton Street NE, houses the university’s community college program. UDC is proposing to double campus enrollment over 10 years, from a current enrollment of roughly 1,500 students to 3,000 by 2033. UDC is proposing a two-phase campus development process.

UDC’s campus plan website is https://www.udc.edu/campus-master-plan.

Phase 1 would involve renovating the existing buildings on campus. Edited to add: UDC is requesting to proceed with Phase 1 renovations as a matter of right. The university would return to the Zoning Commission to proceed with Phase 2 activities.

Phase 2 would involve constructing a new wing on the campus.

UDC has stated that they envision Phase 2 activities taking place during years 5-10 of the plan.

A few informational documents below

• General fact sheet: UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Overview Fact Sheet
• Campus development fact sheet: UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Development Plan Fact Sheet
• Presentation: Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Presentation (September 2023)

Filed Documents

• Office of Planning Report (October 2023)
• DDOT Report (October 2023)

• UDC Proposed Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan 2023-2033 (June 2023)
• UDC Proposed Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Supplemental Statement (October 2023)
• UDC Proposed Lamond-Riggs Campus Plan Comprehensive Traffic Review (CTR) (September 2023)
  • Technical Attachments to CTR (September 2023)
• UDC Institutional Campus Master Plan
• UDC Capital Improvement Plan
• UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Transportation Report (June 2023)

• UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Master Plan Diagrams 1-12 (June 2023)
• UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Master Plan Diagrams 13-18 (June 2023)
• UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Master Plan Diagrams 19-24 (June 2023)
• UDC Lamond-Riggs Campus Master Plan Diagrams 25-36 (June 2023)

Campus Plan Requirement

Universities are required to submit 10-year campus plans for approval by the Zoning Commission. When UDC submitted the most recent plan for its main campus (Van Ness) in 2021, the Zoning Commission told UDC that the university also had to submit a plan for the Lamond-Riggs campus. So that’s how we got to this point where UDC is submitting its first campus plan for the Lamond-Riggs campus.

The goals of the campus plan regulations are to ensure that campuses are:
1) well-planned and designed;
2) have long-term facilities plans;
3) minimize negative impacts that universities may have on surrounding residential neighborhoods; and
4) have planning processes that are consistent and transparent.

These factors are what we need to keep in mind when we think about UDC’s proposed Lamond-Riggs campus plan.

My thoughts

Recall from this post that a few years ago, a neighbor and I approached UDC about making some much needed improvements to the existing campus, and I worked with the council to get some money in the budget for some small improvements. I think UDC has done a good job about making the small improvements with the little bit of money budgeted–repairing broken windows, replacing the rusted chain link fence, repairing broken concrete, replacing faded banners, and other small fixes. It took some time to get these things done and more is needed still, but I think UDC has done a decent job so far. Even though this was separate from the campus plan process, I want to start off by saying something positive before getting into where I think UDC went off track with the campus plan process.

I think UDC officials could have done a much better job stewarding this campus plan process. I acknowledge that the pandemic was hard time for everyone and producing this plan during a pandemic presented challenges. The university was also going through a search for a new president during this period and that required a lot of time and attention.

So I think university officials treated this campus plan process the same way they treat the campus itself, like an afterthought. From the very beginning, it was unclear who at the university was really taking ownership of this process. At meetings, basic questions went unanswered or were met with either dismissiveness or defensiveness. Follow-up through “official” channels was terrible. The campus plan site was not kept up to date and even when I pointed out numerous times that it would be helpful to keep the site up to date, UDC officials still took several months to update it. None of this really engenders trust that when buildings start getting renovated and construction starts in earnest, that UDC will communicate effectively about anything.

I shared some thoughts about specifics in the plan with UDC officials and the ANC. They mostly concern the transportation, sustainability, community relations, and campus character elements of the plan. Summarized below.

Transportation

UDC and DDOT have to do something about the South Dakota Avenue & Hamilton Street intersection. UDC is relocating loading/servicing to the Hamilton Street side of the campus. UDC got around to letting us know that they plan to have trucks less than 30 feet servicing the site between 9:00 am & 4:00 pm, while requesting flexibility to adjust those hours. Currently, loading/servicing is accessed via Galloway Street.

UDC is proposing to add bumpouts at the intersections of South Dakota/Galloway and South Dakota/Hamilton in the second phase of the plan. I think if UDC wants to send trucks up Hamilton, they need to work with DDOT to address the fact that people going to the campus and the gym across the street from the campus continue to park all the way up to the crosswalk in the 500 block of at Hamilton and sometimes even partially in the crosswalk itself. I have alerted DDOT, the MOCR, the council office, and the transportation committee about this on several occasions. It took DDOT years to put in a “no parking/no standing” sign on the south side of the street and while appreciated, as we already knew would happen, people just ignore the sign and park wherever they want even though there is free validated parking for gym patrons in the garage across the street. DPW does spotty parking enforcement. Trucks are not going to be able to make that turn onto Hamilton if nothing is done about people parking their cars right up to the intersection.

UDC said they cannot install bumpouts in the first phase because of work DDOT is planning for South Dakota Avenue. But DDOT has not communicated what it is planning to do on South Dakota Avenue or a timeline for that work so it seems strange for UDC to say that a bumpout can be installed in Phase 2 but not Phase 1. UDC needs to work with DDOT to keep people from parking too close to the intersection at South Dakota/Hamilton sooner rather than later. And while they are at it, they should fix the crumbling curb outside the campus before a car ends up on the sidewalk.

We have also asked about installation of a bikeshare station on or near the campus grounds on the east side of South Dakota Avenue. DDOT has said for a couple of years now that a bikeshare station will be installed on the west side of South Dakota Avenue near The Modern but my understanding is that that plan has been held up. Seems like a bikeshare station could go on the east side of the street.

Sustainability

I think UDC should have recycling cans outside its campus near Hamilton & near Galloway. There are two 7-Eleven stores in the vicinity. People going to the campus and to the gym or just generally walking by sometimes just drop bottles, cans, and trash along the street. I know UDC has recycling receptacles inside the building. I think they should put a couple outside the building. UDC said this request is out of scope of the plan. That is really an odd thing to say when there is are two public trash cans outside on the campus grounds and UDC could simply make accommodation for a recycling can next to them. The same way public parks and schools in the city have outdoor public trash and recycling cans, I do not see why UDC thinks it is too much to ask for there to be an outdoor public recycling can on the campus.

UDC also talks a lot about the activities of the food hub on the campus but I would not exactly describe what is written in the plan as accurate. I will just say that I think the food hub is a great civic asset to the neighborhood and I think the university needs to do a much better job of managing the food hub at this particular location.

Also, I think the university can be a good neighbor by picking up trash daily along Hamilton, South Dakota, and Galloway, and also picking up trash along the parkland in the 500 block of Galloway. UDC is planning a new wing that will embrace views of the parkland so might as well help to keep the parkland clean.

Community Relations

I think UDC needs an actual outreach and communications plan. It is weird to me that UDC did not have an open house about the campus plan at the campus at all. Nor did UDC put any information about the plan at the campus itself. It is clear from this process that UDC does not have an actual plan about how it will conduct outreach and it is honestly baffling. The most obvious places to start are the ANC, civic association, and Main Street. Information could be placed at the campus itself and at the Lamond-Riggs Library. Once they have a plan, again someone really needs to take ownership of that piece so that it is done effectively.

Campus Character

UDC has big plans for the campus development. I think the university should think about ways to connect the university with the surrounding neighborhood. That can be done through signage, programming open to the public, internship opportunities at this particular campus, highlighting educational opportunities at the campus, and connecting the dots between the community college and pathways to careers that offer family-sustaining wages.

Other thoughts

Building upon these suggestions, other recommendations that residents made were for UDC to have a transportation demand management plan, provide information about bicycle access, seek ways to improve pedestrian connectivity to the campus and nearby destinations, and outline steps to reduce waste.

If you would like to let the Zoning Commission know your thoughts, instructions are in the hearing notice.

[Ed. Note: The volunteer coordinator for UDC CAUSES passed along the following note regarding volunteer opportunities at the university’s food hub located on the Lamond-Riggs campus at South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE]

From UDC CAUSES

My name is Michele Bassler and I am the Volunteer Coordinator at the University of DC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES). I would love to help connect you in a meaningful way with the Lamond-Riggs Urban Food Hub (formerly Bertie Backus) at 5171 South Dakota Avenue.

There are regular volunteer opportunities at Lamond-Riggs where you can support urban and sustainable agriculture projects that address food insecurity, healthy nutrition and quality of life in DC. Please click here to learn more and sign up in our volunteer platform, Golden Volunteer.

Also, I want to announce that next week we are holding a Volunteer Program Information Session for any community members who are new to volunteering with CAUSES or are interested in learning more. There are two options to attend:

• Tuesday, September 26th, 5:00pm-6:00pm (in person at UDC Van Ness Campus)
• Thursday, September 28th, 6:30pm-7:30pm (via Zoom)

The agenda includes an overview of all of our volunteer opportunities in areas such as food security, healthy nutrition, youth mentoring and urban agriculture that actively contribute to the DC community. You’ll learn how to search and sign-up for opportunities, as well as next steps and the support that you can expect from us. Snacks and giveaways will be provided at the in-person event. Feel free to forward this announcement.   

Pre-registration is required.  Please RSVP by Friday, September 22nd by clicking here.    

If you have any questions or concerns about our volunteer platform, the Volunteer Program Information Session, or the CAUSES Volunteer Program in general, feel free to reach out to me. I am here to help and am happy to chat by phone or via Zoom. I also love visitors to my office on the Van Ness Campus of UDC. I hope to connect with you soon!