The central planning agency for Washington D.C. and the surrounding communities, NCPC formulates initiatives to guide future development and considers about 150 submitted proposals a year, with the objective of ensuring that projects comply with Commission policies, meet the highest design standards, preserve and enhance historic sites, and safeguard natural resources and open space.
In 1924 Congress established the agency that would eventually evolve into NCPC, the National Capital Park Commission, which was given responsibility for the development and planning of the park, parkway, and playground system in the Washington D.C. area, as well as for acquiring necessary land, preserving forests and other natural scenery, and preventing pollution in rivers and creeks. Two years later, it was re-named the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and its role was expanded to include comprehensive planning for the capital. In 1952 Congress passed the National Capital Planning Act, which re-named the agency again, and it became the National Capital Planning Commission, with the Act designating NCPC as the central planning agency for the federal government, responsible for all property in the District of Columbia and all federal property in the 2,500 square miles of the National Capital Region (NCR). Congress also reiterated its charge to NCPC to preserve the region’s natural and historical features. In 1973 the D.C. Home Rule Act delegated the planning responsibility for the District of Columbia to the city’s mayor, and gave the District an advisory role for certain land use decisions, while specifying NCPC as the central planning agency for all federal lands and facilities in the NCR.
NCPC reviews all plans and projects related to federal development in the National Capital Region, which consists of the District of Columbia and the surrounding counties and cities within the states of Maryland and Virginia. NCPC studies proposals for various entities, including museums, memorials, office buildings, and perimeter security projects, and also analyzes District of Columbia public projects, like proposed street and alley closings and Zoning Commission actions. When raising questions and making decisions, NCPC utilizes The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: Federal Elements, which the agency was mandated to prepare when it was created. NCPC also continually formulates new long-term plans of its own for the area, on topics ranging from addressing ways to meet 21st century transportation challenges to how to ensure that all quadrants of the city benefit from the federal presence. NPCP’s most recent initiatives include “ CapitalSpace,” an open space plan for the District of Columbia, and the “ National Capital Framework Plan,” a strategy to encourage the location of future memorials and museums beyond the National Mall. Among its other past plans: “ Extending the Legacy: Planning America’s Capital for the 21st Century,” and the “ National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan.” The Commission is also required to prepare, adopt, and amend a capital improvements program every year that contains recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget and other Federal agencies and departments on proposed land acquisitions and development projects that will be considered for funding over the next six years. The twelve people on the Commission represent a variety of constituencies, to ensure a balance between local and federal interests: The Washington D.C. Mayor and two citizens he appoints, three citizens the President appoints, the Chairman of the D.C. City Council, and an assortment of other government officials. Once a month, they hold a public meeting to discuss regional planning policy, review development projects, and address concerns from the public. Before voting, they consider public testimony, as well as recommendations from the Agency staff, which includes architects, urban planners, and technology experts. Among the laws and authorities NCPC operates under: the National Capital Planning Act, Commemorative Works Act, District of Columbia Zoning Act, the Foreign Missions Act, International Center Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, District of Columbia Home Rule Act (PDF), the Capper Cramton Act of 1930 (PDF), and the Height of Buildings Act of 1910 (PDF).
From the Website of the NCPC
Worthy of the Nation: Washington, DC, from L’enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission
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Founded: 1924
Annual Budget: $8,136,066
Employees: 45
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National Capital Planning Commission
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John Cogbill was appointed by President Bush in June 2001 and is now in his second six-year term. He earned a B.S from the U.S. Military Academy in 1970 and a J.D. in 1979 from the T. C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. From 1970 to 1976 he served in the U.S. Army, and through 1982 in the Army Reserve. In 1979 Cogbill joined McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia, as a real estate and land use attorney. He is currently a managing partner. Cogbill was a consistent contributor to the Bush-Cheney ticket, and has also given to the Republican National Committee, the Senate campaigns of George Allen (R) and Mitch McConnell (R), and the Congressional campaigns of Randy Forbes (R) and Eric Cantor (R).
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