Legal Definitions - National Capital Planning Commission

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) is a federal agency comprising 12 members. Its primary responsibility is to guide and oversee the long-term planning and development of federal properties and facilities within the National Capital region. This specific geographical area includes the District of Columbia and six adjacent counties: two in Maryland and four in Virginia. The NCPC ensures that federal projects are thoughtfully integrated into the region's overall planning, design, and environmental quality.

• Imagine the Department of Defense proposes to construct a new administrative building and expand its campus on federal land in Arlington, Virginia. Before any groundbreaking can occur, the plans for this significant development, including its architectural design, environmental impact, traffic flow implications, and how it integrates with the surrounding community, would be submitted to the NCPC for review and approval. This illustrates the NCPC's role in planning the development of federal facilities in one of the Virginia counties under its jurisdiction.

• Consider a scenario where the National Park Service plans a major renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and its surrounding landscape in Washington D.C., which is federal land. The NCPC would meticulously examine the proposed designs, considering factors like historical preservation, public accessibility, visual impact, and how the changes align with the broader urban plan for the National Mall. This demonstrates the NCPC's oversight of federal lands and significant development projects within the District of Columbia.

• Suppose a federal agency aims to build a new research laboratory complex on a large parcel of federal property in Prince George's County, Maryland. The NCPC would evaluate the proposed site plan, building designs, infrastructure requirements (like roads and utilities), and the project's potential effects on local ecosystems and community character. This highlights the NCPC's function in reviewing the development of new federal facilities and their impact on federal land located in one of the Maryland counties within the National Capital region.