D.C. Act 25-715. Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment (.

AN ACT

To amend the Safe at Home Act of 2016 to include modifications intended to improve the physical accessibility of an off-street parking space as an eligible accessibility modification under the Safe at Home Program; to amend the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Amendment Act of 2016 to require that the District Department of Transportation establish multimodal measures of effectiveness for assessing transportation projects, and to establish a Public Life and Activity Zones Program within the District Department of Transportation that will select 3 corridors in the District to be closed to personal vehicle traffic and advise the Mayor on the issuance grants to support efforts to close the designated corridors to personal vehicles; to amend the Block Party Act of 2012 to modify the requirements for existing block party applications and to create a process for submitting expedited block party application for blocks that have been preauthorized; to amend section 47-2862 of the District of Columbia Official Code to exempt expedited block party applications and block party preauthorization applications from the prohibition against the issuance of licenses or permits; and to amend the Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012 to establish interim requirements that people or entities engaged in autonomous vehicles ("AV") testing must meet until an AV testing permit application is made available by the District Department of Transportation, to allow DDOT to restrict testing for safety concerns related to an AV testing entity's failure to comply with its permit, to require that AV testing entities submit quarterly reports to DDOT, and to require that AV testing entities seek approval from DDOT before increasing the number of vehicles being tested.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may be cited as the "Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment ("PLAZA") Act of 2024".

Sec. 2. Subsection 2(c) of the Safe at Home Act of 2016, effective November 26, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-168; D.C. Official Code § 7-551.01(c)), is amended as follows:

(a) Paragraph (7) is amended by striking the phrase "; and" and inserting a semicolon in its place.

(b) A new paragraph (7A) to read as follows:

"(7A) Modifications to improve the physical accessibility of an off-street parking space; and".

Sec. 3. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Amendment Act of 2016, effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-155; 63 DCR 10143), is amended as follows:

(a) A new section 108 is added to read as follows:

"Sec. 108. Multimodal metrics of effectiveness.

"(a) DDOT shall not use automobile delay, as measured by vehicle level of service, vehicular throughput, or traffic congestion, as the primary metric of analysis for:

"(1) For the planning, design, and construction of transportation projects;

"(2) The selection of an approved concept and design of a street improvement project; and

"(3) The assessment of transportation impacts of new development, as may be required pursuant to Title 10 or Title 11 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations.

"(b) The Director shall establish multimodal metrics for analyzing the effectiveness of transportation improvements and design alternatives, to include the following considerations, as applicable:

"(1) Pedestrians and ADA compliance;

"(2) Bicycles and micromobility devices;

"(3) Transit;

"(4) Traffic calming and speed management;

"(5) Freight operations and curbside management; and

"(6) Related safety concerns.".

(b) A new section 202 is added to read as follows:

"Sec. 202. Public Life and Activity Zones Program.

"(a) There is established a Public Life and Activity Zones Program ("Program") within DDOT that shall:

"(1) Designate corridors in the District that shall be closed to personal vehicle traffic; and

"(2) Advise the Mayor on the issuance of grants to support efforts to close the designated corridors to personal vehicles.

"(b)(1) The Program shall publish on DDOT's website a report no later than December 31, 2025, selecting 3 roadways in the District, each no less than one-eighth of a mile in contiguous length, that are suitable for closure to personal vehicles ("designated corridors") for at least 24 cumulative hours per week.

"(2) At least one of the roadways selected for closure shall be in a neighborhood in Ward 5, Ward 7, or Ward 8 that suffers from high levels of traffic violence, air pollution, lack of safe access to public space, or low rates of physical activity.

"(3) Before publishing the report identifying the designated corridors, the Program shall solicit feedback from residents, business owners, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, Business Improvement Districts, Community Improvement Districts, Main Streets, and other entities within or abutting the designated corridor to personal vehicle traffic.

"(c) The report required by subsection (b)(1) of this section shall include a summary of the corridors considered and the rationale for selecting the designated corridors, including:

"(1) If the designated corridor has been closed to personal vehicle traffic for another event, such as an Open Streets event, farmer's market, or festival:

"(A) A description of the other event and any challenges associated with those prior events; and

"(B) Recommendations for addressing challenges identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph;

"(2) Notable safety concerns regarding the designated corridor as identified by DDOT or the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency;

"(3) Recommendations for any new or improved traffic infrastructure that would promote:

"(A) Pedestrian travel to and within the designated corridor, such as sidewalk extensions and curb bump-outs, developed in consultation with the Pedestrian Advisory Council;

"(B) Bicycle travel to and within the designated corridor, such as bike lanes or cycle tracks, developed in consultation with the Bicycle Advisory Council;

"(C) Accessibility for multimodal users and persons with disabilities or mobility challenges, developed in consultation with the Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council; and

"(D) Access to public transit to or within the designated corridor, including Metrorail, Metrobus, and Streetcar service;

"(4) Plans for ensuring public transportation, government fleet, emergency and first responder vehicles, and freight and delivery vehicles maintain access to the designated corridor;

"(5) How the street closure can be implemented without additional agency staffing, including the use of barricades;

"(6) The anticipated cost of closing personal vehicle traffic on the designated corridor, including any traffic infrastructure described in paragraph (3) of this subsection or grants issued pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section;

"(7) The number of parking spaces eliminated by the proposal to close personal vehicle travel within the designated corridor and its anticipated impact on businesses within the designated corridor;

"(8) The feasibility of permanently closing the designated corridor to personal vehicles; and

"(9) Feedback received from the residents, business owners, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, Business Improvement Districts, Community Improvement Districts, Main Streets, and other entities within or abutting the designated corridor to personal vehicle traffic, and the Program's responses to that feedback.

"(d) Following the publication of the report, in order to obtain community feedback regarding the selected designated corridors, DDOT shall:

"(1) Publish on its website a form through which District residents may provide feedback regarding which of the 3 designated corridors should be closed to personal vehicle traffic;

"(2) Convene at least one public meeting, properly noticed in the D.C. Register at least 30 days prior to each public meeting, for each designated corridor; and

"(3) No later than March 31, 2026, announce which of the 3 designated corridors will be closed to personal vehicle traffic for, at a minimum, 24 cumulative hours per week, beginning October 1, 2026.

"(e) Beginning March 31, 2026, the Mayor shall, in consultation with the Program, with respect to the designated corridor selected:

"(1) Issue grants to businesses and other entities not to exceed $2 million in total to support efforts to close the designated corridor to personal vehicle traffic and promote the use of the designated corridor by residents and visitors, including grants to:

"(A) Install or expand streateries;

"(B) Commission and install artwork;

"(C) Safely facilitate deliveries to restaurants and retailers during street closures;

"(D) Construct venues to be used for public events; and

"(E) Reimburse residents, businesses, and other entities for permit fees related to construction within the designated corridor; and

"(2) Implement the recommendations for any new or improved traffic infrastructure as described in subsection (c)(3) of this section.".

"(f) Beginning October 1, 2027, any updates to the District's Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan shall include plans to close the remaining 2 designated corridors to personal automobile traffic for, at a minimum, 24 cumulative hours per week.".

Sec. 4. The Block Party Act of 2012, effective October 23, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-190; D.C. Official Code § 9-631 et seq.), is amended as follows:

(a) Section 2 (D.C. Official Code § 9-631) is amended as follows:

(1) Existing paragraphs (1) and (2) are redesignated as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively.

(2) A new paragraph (1) is added to read as follows:

"(1) "Authorized resident" means a District resident who was listed on a block party preauthorization application, as described in section 3a(b)(2), that has been approved by the Department and can submit an expedited block party application for a preauthorized block on which they reside.".

(3) A new paragraph (4) is added to read as follows:

"(4) "Preauthorized block" means a section of roadway for which an authorized resident can submit an expedited block party application following the approval of a block party preauthorization application as described in sections 3a and 4.".

(b) Section 3 (D.C. Official Code § 9-632) is amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 3. Block party application and requirements.

"(a) The Department shall create a block party application and make it available for in-person pickup and online.

"(b)(1) Any District resident who is 21 years of age or older may submit a block party application requesting that a street on which they reside be closed for the purpose of holding a block party.

"(2) The block party application shall, at a minimum:

"(A) Be completed on the form provided by the Department;

"(B) Identify the street name and cross streets of the block to be closed;

"(C) The date and time of the closure; and

"(D) Include either:

"(i) A list of at least 51% of the residents, owners, or businesses abutting the section of the street requested to be closed who have consented to the block party, excluding any property that has been identified as a vacant building, as that term is defined in section 5(5) of An Act To provide for the abatement of nuisances in the District of Columbia by the Commissioner of said District, and for other purposes, approved April 14, 1906 (34 Stat. 114; D.C. Official Code § 42-3131.05(5)); or

"(ii) Approval from all of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions abutting the section of the street requested to be closed, in a manner to be determined by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

"(c)(1) A street closure conducted pursuant to a block party permit shall:

"(A) Not last longer than 12 hours; and

"(B) End by 10:00 p.m.

"(2) The Department may publish guidance on its website or issue rules limiting the physical length of block parties conducted pursuant to a block part permit.".

(c) A new section 3a is added to read as follows:

"Sec. 3a. Block party preauthorization application; expedited block party application.

"(a) The Department shall create a block party preauthorization application and an expedited block party application and make it available for in-person pickup and online.

"(b)(1) Any District resident who is 21 years of age or older may submit a block party preauthorization application requesting that a street on which they live be designated a preauthorized block which, if approved, allows authorized residents to submit an expedited block party application requesting that the preauthorized block be closed for the purposes of holding a block party.

"(2) In addition to the requirements for block party applications described in section 3(b)(2), the block party preauthorization application:

"(A) Shall include

"(i) A list of District residents, accompanied by the residents' signatures, who are allowed to submit an expedited block party application for the block that the applicant is requesting be designated as a preauthorized block; and

"(ii) A description of the means the authorized residents will use to close the streets; and

"(B) May require any other information the Department deems necessary to consider the block party preauthorization application.

"(3)(A) The designation of a preauthorized block shall remain in effect for the purposes of requesting an expedited block party application for the following time periods:

"(i) For block party preauthorization applications approved within one year after the effective date of the Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment ("PLAZA") Act of 2024, as approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment on November 25, 2024 (Committee print of Bill 25-577), a preauthorized block shall be effective for 6 months after the date the block party preauthorization application was approved, or until the end of the calendar year during which the block party preauthorization application was approved, whichever occurs first; or

"(ii) For block party preauthorization applications approved on or after the date that is one year after the effective date of the Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment ("PLAZA") Act of 2024, as approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment on November 25, 2024 (Committee print of Bill 25-577), preauthorization shall be effective for one calendar year.

"(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the Department may:

"(i) Rescind the designation of a street as a preauthorized block for good cause, including noncompliance with the requirements of the permit; and

"(ii) Require that an authorized resident submit a new block party preauthorization application for good cause, including changes to the characteristics of the preauthorized block.

"(c)(1) A District resident may submit an expedited block party application with respect to any preauthorized block for which they are an authorized resident.

"(2) The expedited block party application shall, at a minimum:

"(A) Be completed on the form provided by the Department;

"(B) Specify the date and time of the closure;

"(C) Include:

"(i) A sworn statement that the authorized resident has posted or will post notice of the street closure, at least 72 hours before the date of the proposed street closure, in at least 4 locations on the preauthorized block; and

"(ii) Photographs of the posted notices.

"(d)(1) A street closure conducted pursuant to an expedited block party permit shall:

"(A) Not last longer than 12 hours; and

"(B) End by 10:00 p.m.

"(2) The Department may publish guidance on its website or issue rules limiting the physical length of block parties conducted pursuant to an expedited block party permit.

"(e) An authorized resident may submit an expedited block party application for any day that is not prohibited by the Department in the block party preauthorization permit as described in section 4(b-2) and is:

"(1) A weekend;

"(2) A District of Columbia holiday;

"(3) October 31; or

"(4) A scheduled day off for all students during the District of Columbia Public Schools school year.".

(d) Section 4 (D.C. Official Code § 9-633) is amended as follows:

(1) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the phrase "approving block party

applications" and inserting the phrase "approving block party, expedited block party, and block party preauthorization applications" in its place.

(2) Subsection (b) is amended by striking the phrase "a completed application" and inserting the phrase "a completed block party application or block party preauthorization application" in its place.

(3) New subsections (b-1) and (b-2) are added to read as follows:

"(b-1) The Department shall approve or deny, and notify the applicant of its determination, for:

"(1) An expedited block party application within 3 business days after receipt of the application;

"(2) A block party application within 10 business days after receipt of the application; and

"(3) A block party preauthorization application within 20 business days after receipt of the application.

"(b-2) When notifying an applicant of its approval of a block party preauthorization application, the Department may place additional reasonable restrictions and conditions on permits for expedited block parties, including restrictions or on the dates and times that the street is eligible for closure or conditions on the manner of closure.".

(e) Section 5 (D.C. Official Code § 9-634) is amended as follows:

(1) The lead-in language of subsection (b) is amended to read as follows:

"(b) A block party application or expedited block party application shall not be denied unless:".

(2) A new subsection (c) is added to read as follows:

"(c) An application for a block party preauthorization shall not be denied unless the Department determines that:

"(1) The application fails to meet the requirements of section 3a;

"(2) Frequent closures of the block would create significant public safety concerns or traffic problems; or

"(3) There is substantial neighborhood opposition to the application.".

Sec. 5. Section 47-2862(d) of the District of Columbia Official Code is amended by striking the phrase "to an applicant for a block party permit pursuant" and inserting the phrase "to an application for a block party permit, an expedited block party permit, or a block party preauthorization permit pursuant" in its place.

Sec. 6. The Autonomous Vehicle Act of 2012, effective April 23, 2013 (D.C. Law 19-278; D.C. Official Code § 50-2351 et seq.), is amended as follows:

(a) Section 2(1D) (D.C. Official Code § 50-2351(1D)) is amended by striking the phrase "means a person applying" and inserting the phrase "means a person or entity applying" in its place.

(b) Section 3a (D.C. Official Code § 50-2352.01) is amended as follows:

(1) Subsection (d) is amended to read as follows:

"(d) A person or entity shall not test or operate an autonomous vehicle on a District roadway without an AV testing permit, unless the Department has not yet made an AV testing permit application available and:

"(1) There is a test operator physically present in the vehicle who is performing the dynamic driving task or is prepared to take over the dynamic driving task from the autonomous driving system;

"(2) The person or entity complies with other local and federal laws and regulations; and

"(3) The person or entity provides the Department with electronic notification at least 10 business days prior to commencing testing or operating in the District, including the following information with respect to operations in the District, the:

"(A) Number of autonomous vehicles;

"(B) Model, make, and type of autonomous vehicles;

"(C) Operator training and license information;

"(D) Geographic testing or operation locations; and

"(E) Time period of testing or operation.".

(2) Subsection (f)(1)(E) is amended to read as follows:

"(E) An increase in the number of vehicles tested;".

(c) Section 3b (D.C. Official Code § 50-2352.02) is amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 3b. Restrictions on testing.

"(a)(1) The Department may order an AV testing entity to temporarily restrict testing on select roadways, or District-wide, under certain circumstances identified by the Department through rulemaking, including a person or entity's failure to comply with the requirements of this act or other applicable laws, emergencies, special events, or specific roadway conditions that raise safety concerns.

"(2) To the maximum extent practicable, the Department shall provide an AV testing entity with reasonable notice about how, where, and when testing will be restricted, and the reasons for such restriction.

"(3) This subsection shall only apply to associated autonomous vehicles when under autonomous operation.".

(d) Section 3c (D.C. Official Code § 50-2352.03) is amended as follows:

(1) Subsection (a) is amended by striking the phrase "a semi-annual basis" and inserting the phrase "a quarterly basis" in its place.

(2) Subsection (c) is amended as follows:

(A) Paragraph (1) is amended by striking the phrase "An AV testing entity shall" and inserting the phrase "An AV testing entity, or a person or entity engaged in AV testing as described in section 3a(d), shall" in its place.

(B) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase "AV testing entity shall" and inserting the phrase "AV testing entity, or the person or entity engaged in AV testing as described in section 3a(d), shall" in its place.

(e) Section 3e (D.C. Official Code § 50-2352.05) is repealed.

(f) Section 3f(a)(1) (D.C. Official Code § 50-2352.06(a)(1)) is amended by striking the phrase "An AV testing entity" and inserting the phrase "A person or entity" in its place.

Sec. 7. Applicability.

(a) Sections 3(b), 4, and 5 shall apply upon the date of inclusion of their fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan.

(b) The Chief Financial Officer shall certify the date of the inclusion of the fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan and provide notice to the Budget Director of the Council of the certification.

(c)(1) The Budget Director shall cause the notice of the certification to be published in the District of Columbia Register.

(2) The date of publication of the notice of the certification shall not affect the applicability of the provisions identified in subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 8. Fiscal impact statement.

The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).

Sec. 9. Effective date.

This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review as provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)).