Does DC Have Enough Vacant Land for a Growing Population?
According to an estimate by the DC Office of Planning, the city will need an extra 175,000 housing units occupying 200M SF by 2040, reports District Measured. To get an idea of where all this space will come from, DC’s Office of Revenue Analysis took a look at vacant land across the District that has development potential and found 300M SF of vacant land (14% privately owned; 24M SF owned by nonprofits; 34M SF owned by the city; and 197M SF owned by the US government, 133M of which is east of the Anacostia River). If only privately owned land is used, it could be a tight squeeze to meet the needs of the population 25 years from now, requiring a floor-to-area ratio of four or greater. But on the bright side, there are still parking lots, older buildings and underutilized properties that can be used.
