1 ________________________________ ________________________________
2 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Charles Allen
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5 ________________________________
6 Councilmember Zachary Parker
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10 A BILL
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12 _________________________
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15 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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17 _________________________
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20 To amend the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Amendment Act of 2016 to establish a Public Life
21 and Activity Zones Program within the District Department of Transportation.
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23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
24 act may be cited as the “Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment (“PLAZA”) Act of 2023”.
25 Sec. 2. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Amendment Act of 2016, effective October 8,
26 2016 (D.C. Law 21-155; § 50-1951.01 et seq.), is amended by adding a new section 202 to read as
27 follows:
28 “Sec. 202. Public Life and Activity Zones Program.
29 “(a) There is established a Public Life and Activity Zones Program (“Program”) within
30 DDOT that shall:
31 “(1) Designate corridors in the District that shall, beginning no later than January
32 1, 2026, be closed to personal vehicle traffic for, at a minimum, 24 daytime hours per week; and
33 “(2) Issue grants to support efforts to close the designated corridors to personal
34 vehicles.
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35 “(b)(1) The Program shall publish on DDOT’s website a report no later than April 1, 2025,
36 selecting three contiguous roadways in the District, each no less than one-quarter of a mile in
37 length, that are suitable for closure to personal vehicles (“designated corridors”), pursuant to
38 subsection (a) of this section.
39 “(2) Prior to publishing the report identifying the designated corridors, the Program
40 shall solicit feedback from residents, business owners, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions,
41 Business Improvement Districts, Community Improvement Districts, and Main Streets directly
42 affected by any proposal to close the designated corridor to personal vehicle traffic.
43 “(3) The report required pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection shall include
44 a summary of the corridors considered and its rationale for selecting the designated corridors,
45 including:
46 “(A) If the corridor has been closed to personal vehicle traffic for other
47 events, such as an Open Streets event, farmer’s market, or festival:
48 “(i) A description of the event and any challenges associated with
49 those prior events; and
50 “(ii) Recommendations for addressing challenges identified
51 pursuant to sub-subparagraph (i);
52 “(B) Notable safety concerns regarding the designated corridor;
53 “(C) Recommendations for any new or improved traffic infrastructure that
54 would promote:
55 “(i) Pedestrian travel to and within the designated corridor, such as
56 sidewalk extensions and curb bump-outs, developed in consultation with the Pedestrian Advisory
57 Council;
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58 “(ii) Bicycle travel to and within the designated corridor, such as
59 bike lanes or cycle tracks, developed in consultation with the Bicycle Advisory Council;
60 “(iii) Accessibility for multimodal users and persons with
61 disabilities or mobility challenges, developed in consultation with the Multimodal Accessibility
62 Advisory Council; and
63 “(iv) Access to public transit to or within the designated corridor,
64 including Metrorail, Metrobus, Circulator, and Streetcar service;
65 “(D) Plans for ensuring public transportation, government fleet, emergency
66 and first responder vehicles, and freight maintain access to locations within the designated
67 corridor;
68 “(E) The anticipated cost of closing personal vehicle traffic on the
69 designated corridor, including any traffic infrastructure described in subparagraph (C) or grants
70 issued pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section.
71 “(F) An estimate of the reduction in number of miles traveled by personal
72 vehicle resulting from closing personal vehicle traffic within the designated corridor;
73 “(G) The number of parking spaces eliminated by the proposal to close
74 personal vehicle travel within the designated corridor and its anticipated impact on businesses
75 within the designated corridor.
76 “(H) Feedback received from residents, business owners, Advisory
77 Neighborhood Commissions, Business Improvement Districts, Community Improvement
78 Districts, and Main Streets as described in subsection (b)(2) of this section, and the Program’s
79 responses to that feedback.
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 80 “(4) Following the publication of the report, in order to obtain community feedback
81 regarding the selected designated corridors, DDOT shall:
82 “(A) Publish on its website a form through which District residents may
83 provide feedback regarding which of the three designated corridors should be closed to personal
84 vehicle traffic;
85 “(B) Convene at least one public meeting, properly noticed in the D.C.
86 Register at least 30 days prior to each public meeting, for each designated corridor; and
87 “(C) No later than September 30, 2025, announce which of the three
88 designated corridors will be closed to personal vehicle traffic for, at a minimum, 24 daytime hours
89 per week, beginning October 1, 2026.
90 “(c) Beginning October 1, 2025, the Program may, with respect to the designated corridor
91 selected:
92 “(1) Issue grants to residents, businesses, and other entities not to exceed $2.5
93 million in total to support efforts to close the designated corridor to personal vehicle traffic and
94 promote the use of the designated corridor by residents and visitors, including grants to:
95 “(A) Install or expand Streateries;
96 “(B) Commission and install artwork;
97 “(C) Safely facilitate deliveries to restaurants and retailer during street
98 closures;
99 “(D) Construct venues to be used for public events; and
100 “(E) Reimburse residents, businesses, and other entities for permit fees
101 related to construction within the designated corridor.
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102 “(2) Dedicate $2.5 million within the Capital Improvement Plan for Fiscal Year
103 2026 to be used on infrastructure improvements within the designated corridor.
104 “(d) Beginning October 1, 2027, any updates to the District’s Multimodal Long-Range
105 Transportation Plan must include plans to close the remaining two designated corridors to personal
106 automobile traffic for, at a minimum, 24 daytime hours per week.”.
107 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.
108 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact
109 statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved
110 October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
111 Sec. 4. Effective date.
112 This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
113 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
114 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24,
115 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of
116 Columbia Register.
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