At 5601 and 5625 Connecticut Avenue, the Chevy Chase Library and Community Center sit on a single District-owned parcel. Tax records list it as Lot 823 in Square 1866, and the neighborhood calls it the Civic Core. About two miles south, the Cleveland Park commercial strip runs between Porter and Macomb Streets. It takes in the Uptown Theater, the neighborhood library, the fire station and a run of privately owned storefront parcels.
Both stretches of the avenue are being opened to more housing. Chevy Chase DC has one site, one selected developer and a specific building concept, and its timing depends on a Council vote and a court appeal. Cleveland Park has a proposed set of limits on how big buildings can be, still awaiting final Zoning Commission action, and whether anything gets built under them depends on owners who have not committed to building. A Chevy Chase buyer can already read the plan for the site that will change.
The Calendar Starts Next Week
Most of the near-term dates belong to Chevy Chase, and the first one comes up quickly.
| Date | What happens | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 9, 2026, 10:00 a.m. | Online registration to testify on B26-0801 closes | Chevy Chase DC |
| Nov. 12, 2026, 10:00 a.m. | Council public hearing on B26-0801, Room 412 of the Wilson Building and on Zoom | Chevy Chase DC |
| Dec. 3, 2026 | Second scheduled hearing on B26-0801 | Chevy Chase DC |
| Dec. 17, 2026 | Zoning Commission meeting on Case 25-09 | Cleveland Park and Woodley Park |
B26-0801 would declare the Civic Core property surplus and let the Mayor dispose of it. The Council's legislative tracker shows the bill under Council review. It was introduced Sept. 16, and no vote has been recorded. Councilmember Matthew Frumin, who chairs the Committee on Human Services, is convening the Nov. 12 hearing. ANC 3/4G's meeting page says members of the public can testify orally or in writing. The commission passed a resolution opposing surplus on Oct. 26 and held a special meeting on the disposition side of the bill on Oct. 27.
Cleveland Park's one date is Dec. 17, when the Zoning Commission has Case 25-09 on its calendar. The case record lists the case as active, with no final order posted.
Chevy Chase DC Has A Plan For One Site
The upper Connecticut Avenue zoning is already in place. The Zoning Commission approved Case 23-25, which created a corridor zone, NMU-4/CC1, for 41 lots roughly between Chevy Chase Circle and Livingston Street, plus a separate civic-site zone, NMU-4/CC2, for the library and community center property. The Office of Planning's zoning reviews page lists Case 23-25 as published in the DC Register on June 27, 2025.
The Office of Planning's hearing report set out the following limits for each zone.
- Corridor lots, CC1: a 50-foot height cap, 3.0 FAR with IZ Plus, bonus density for preserving existing facades, and design standards for ground-floor retail and street frontage
- Civic site, CC2: 3.0 FAR base or 3.6 with IZ Plus, a 1.5 nonresidential FAR cap, a 65-foot building height and 60% lot occupancy
On Jan. 16, 2026, Mayor Bowser selected Rift Valley Chevy Chase, LLC to redevelop the civic site. The announcement described a new library, a new community center and 177 homes. Of those homes, 54 would be affordable, split evenly between 30% and 50% of area median income, and 123 would be market rate.
The program has since changed. A Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development FAQ updated June 3, 2026 describes a 45% affordable and 55% market-rate mix, with 15% of all units at each of three levels: 30%, 50% and 80% of median family income. The same FAQ gives 80 feet as the zone's height limit. It describes the reduced-massing concept current at the time as about 55 feet, plus a 15-foot penthouse. It estimates construction at roughly 24 months and says a detailed construction-traffic analysis had not been completed.
This level of detail is what sets Chevy Chase DC apart. A buyer looking at a house a few blocks from Chevy Chase Circle can already see the proposed height, the unit count and the income mix for the one public site likely to change. During construction, the District's original solicitation requires library service to continue without a break, through a temporary facility approved by DMPED and the DC Public Library. That clause covers the library only. It sets no matching rule for the community center. Buses will keep the same schedule. The Wash reported in September that WMATA had no plan to change D70 service frequency because of the project.
Timing is what Chevy Chase buyers cannot pin down. Before the land can change hands, the Council has to act on B26-0801. The rezoning also faces a court challenge. The Superior Court dismissed a challenge from residents on June 5, 2026, and the Attorney General's office said an appeal had been filed by June 23.
Cleveland Park Has Proposed Limits And No Projects
Cleveland Park's process works the other way around. The Office of Planning's June 16, 2025 setdown report proposed a new zone, NMU-8A/CP, for the commercial parcels between Porter and Macomb. As first proposed, it allowed 75 feet and 5.0 total FAR, required IZ Plus and capped nonresidential space at 2.0 FAR. Woodley Park's companion zone, NMU-9A/WP, was proposed at 90 feet on the west side of Connecticut and 75 feet on the east side, at 6.0 and 5.5 FAR. The proposal also calls for street-facing retail frontage and bars parking and loading access from Connecticut Avenue.
Those figures are where the proposal started. It has been amended since. On June 25, 2026, the Zoning Commission voted 5–0 to take proposed action. The vote adopted every amendment in the Office of Planning's supplemental reports, plus new purpose-and-intent language worked out at the meeting, according to the meeting transcript. ANC 3C supported the case 6–1–0 in November 2025 and again 7–1–0 in February 2026.
Once final, a rezoning changes what an owner is allowed to build. It does not schedule anything. Each parcel along the strip would change only when its owner decides to build, and that decision still has to clear a second review. Cleveland Park and Woodley Park are historic districts, so the Historic Preservation Review Board would still review projects under the proposed zones. A Cleveland Park buyer near the Uptown Theater can find out the maximum height proposed for that block. Nobody can tell them what will actually be built there, or when.
Side By Side
| Chevy Chase DC | Cleveland Park | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | One District-owned site, plus 41 corridor lots already rezoned | Private commercial parcels between Porter and Macomb |
| Zoning status | Final rule published June 27, 2025; appeal pending | Proposed action June 25, 2026; meeting Dec. 17, 2026 |
| Named builder | Rift Valley Chevy Chase, LLC | None tied to the rezoning |
| Height on the table | Concept of about 55 ft plus a 15-ft penthouse on the civic site; 50-ft cap on corridor lots | 75 ft as first proposed, subject to amendment |
| Who sets the pace | The Council through B26-0801, and the court on appeal | Individual owners, then historic review |
| Public dates ahead | Nov. 9, Nov. 12, Dec. 3 | Dec. 17 |
What Each Clock Means During A Purchase
For a Chevy Chase DC buyer, the question is narrow and has a known address. If you are under contract on a house near Connecticut Avenue and Morrison or Livingston Street, the Civic Core documents tell you the proposed building's height and unit count. The Council hearings on Nov. 12 and Dec. 3 will show whether the land transfer moves forward. The roughly 24-month construction estimate tells you how long the library would operate from a temporary site. A seller near the site will see buyers asking about all of this, and the DMPED FAQ is the clearest document to hand them.
For a Cleveland Park buyer, the question is broader. The proposed zone would apply to a whole commercial block. Whether a particular storefront next to a house ever becomes a 75-foot building depends on an owner's private decision and on historic review, and the Dec. 17 meeting does not settle either. The useful work during a purchase is reading the adopted zone text for the block you are buying near once it is final, and remembering that the theater, the library and the fire station are among the sites the rezoning names.
This post is general information about public zoning and land-disposition processes, not legal advice. Confirm how any rule applies to a specific property with a land-use attorney or the relevant District office.
Questions We Hear
Does the Civic Core vote affect the rest of upper Connecticut Avenue? B26-0801 covers only 5601 and 5625 Connecticut Avenue. The corridor lots between Chevy Chase Circle and Livingston Street were rezoned separately under Case 23-25.
Does the Cleveland Park rezoning remove historic review? No. Office of Planning's proposal keeps Historic Preservation Review Board review in place for the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park historic districts.
Is every Woodley Park parcel on the strip included? Not as recommended. The Office of Planning recommended taking 2610 and 2612 Woodley Place out of the new zone and rezoning them RF-1.
If you are weighing a house near either stretch of Connecticut Avenue, District Property Group can go through the Civic Core documents or the Case 25-09 zone text for the block you are considering before you write an offer. Let's connect to discuss your real estate goals.
