It is hereby declared that the free circulation of traffic of all kinds through the highways of the District is necessary to the health, safety, and general welfare of the public, whether residing in said District, or traveling to, through, or from said District in the course of lawful pursuits; that in recent years the greatly increased use by the public of motor vehicles of all kinds has caused serious traffic congestion on the highways of the District; that the parking of motor vehicles on the highways of the District has contributed to this congestion to such an extent as to interfere seriously with the primary use of such highways for the movement of traffic; that such parking prevents the free circulation of traffic in, through, and from said District, impedes rapid and effective fighting of fires and the disposition of police forces in the District, threatens irreparable loss in valuations of property in the District, which can no longer be readily reached by vehicular traffic, and endangers the health, safety, and welfare of the general public; that this parking nuisance can be reduced by providing sufficient off-street parking facilities conveniently located in the several residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental areas of the District; that adequate off-street parking facilities have not been provided by private enterprise; that it may be necessary to supplement private parking spaces by off-street parking facilities provided by public undertaking; and that the enactment of this subchapter, as well as the use of land for the purposes set forth in this subchapter, is hereby declared to be a public necessity.
§ 50–2602. Definitions.
When used in this subchapter, unless the context indicates otherwise:
(1) The term “District” means the District of Columbia.
(2) The term “Mayor” means the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
(3) Repealed.
(4) The term “parking facilities” means 1 or more public off-street parking areas for motor vehicles, including necessary structures.
(5) The term "motor vehicle" means any device propelled by an internal combustion engine, electricity, or steam. The term "motor vehicle" shall not include traction engines, road rollers, vehicles propelled only upon rails or tracks, personal mobility devices, as the term is defined in § 50-2201.02(13), electric mobility devices, as the term is defined in § 50-2201.02(6A), motorized bicycles, as the term is defined in § 50-2201.02(11A), or a battery-operated wheelchair when operated by a person with a disability.
(6) Repealed.
(7) Repealed.
§ 50–2603. Power of Mayor to acquire property; construct and maintain parking facilities; dispose of property; establish rates; install parking meters; make street improvements.
The Mayor of the District of Columbia is authorized to exercise all powers necessary and convenient to carry out the purposes of this subchapter, the said purposes being hereby declared to be the acquisition, creation, and operation, in any manner hereinafter provided, under public regulations, of public off-street parking facilities in the District of Columbia as a necessary incident to insuring in the public interest the free circulation of traffic in and through the District of Columbia and to promoting the economic growth and stability of neighborhood commercial centers. Such powers include, but shall not be limited to, the powers hereinafter enumerated:
(1) The power to acquire any property, real or personal, or any interest therein, by purchase, lease, gift, bequest, devise, or grant, or by condemnation under the provisions of Chapter 13 of Title 16 in any area of the District. In the case of neighborhood municipal off-street parking, condemnation powers, under the provisions of Chapter 13 of Title 16 of the District of Columbia Official Code, shall not be used to acquire residential property on which there are improvements or commercial property with improvements that are in use. Before acquiring any real property for neighborhood municipal off-street parking facilities or establishing such facilities the Mayor shall hold at least 1 public hearing and request any affected advisory neighborhood commission(s) for its comments and reports within 30 days of such request. Before acquiring any area for parking facilities the Mayor shall request the National Capital Planning Commission for its recommendations and it shall be the duty of said Commission to report thereon within 30 days of such request;
(2) The power to undertake, by contract or otherwise, the clearance and improvement of any such property as well as the construction, establishment, reconstruction, alteration, repair, maintenance, and operation thereon of parking facilities; to contract, by lease or otherwise, with competitive bidding, with any individual, firm, association, or corporation, private or public, for the operation of any parking facilities for such period, not exceeding 5 years, as the Mayor shall determine, and to terminate, without prior notice, any contract in the event of any failure or omission of any party thereto to observe or enforce the rules or schedules of rates made under authority of paragraph (4) of this section. The words “such property” in this paragraph shall include, in addition to property acquired under this subchapter, any other property, heretofore or hereafter acquired by the District, until needed for the purpose for which it was acquired, or if no longer needed for the purpose for which it was acquired, or upon which parking facilities may be established without impairing its use for the purpose for which it was acquired. Before establishing any parking facilities upon the property not acquired under authority of this subchapter, the Mayor shall request the National Capital Planning Commission for its recommendations and it shall be the duty of said Commission to report thereon within 30 days of such request;
(3) The power to sell, exchange, transfer, or assign any property, real or personal, or any interest therein, acquired under authority of this subchapter, whether or not improved; provided, that such action shall be in accordance with the general law covering the disposal of such property by the District of Columbia;
(4) The power to establish and from time to time to revise, with or without public hearings, uniform schedules of rates to be charged for use of space in each such parking facility; to provide rate differentials between said parking facilities for such reasons as the amount of space occupied, the location of the facility, and other reasonable differences; and to prescribe and promulgate such rules and regulations for the carrying out of the provisions of this subchapter as may be necessary to keep said parking facilities subject at all times to public regulation, and to insure the maintenance and operation of such parking facilities in a clean and orderly manner and in such a manner as to provide efficient and adequate service to the public. The rates to be charged for parking of motor vehicles within said parking facilities shall be fixed at the lowest possible rates, consistent with the achievement of the purposes of this subchapter, that will defray the cost of maintaining, operating, and administering the parking facilities; liquidate within such time as the Council shall determine the cost of acquiring and improving the required property for parking-facility purposes; and provide for the acquisition and improvement of other necessary parking facilities, but without any purpose of obtaining for the District any profit or surplus revenue from the operation of said parking facilities. There shall be no discrimination in rates or privileges among the members of the public using said parking facilities;
(5) The power to secure and install mechanical parking meters or parking devices on the streets, avenues, roads, highways, and other public spaces in the the District under the jurisdiction and control of the said Mayor, such meters or devices to be located at such points as the Mayor may determine, and the said Council is authorized and empowered to make and, the Mayor to enforce, rules and regulations for the control of parking of vehicles on such streets, avenues, roads, highways, and other public spaces, and as an aid to such regulation and control of the parking of vehicles the Council may prescribe fees for the parking of vehicles where meters or devices are installed;
(6) The power to lease on competitive bids for terms not exceeding 50 years, any property acquired pursuant to this subchapter, or any other property heretofore or hereafter acquired by the District if no longer needed for the purpose for which it was acquired, and to stipulate in any such lease that the lessee shall erect at his or its expense a structure or structures on the land leased, which structure or structures and property shall be used, maintained and operated for the purposes of this subchapter, including purposes incidental thereto, subject to regulation as provided in paragraph (4) of this section, except that the rates for use of space in parking facilities covered by any such lease shall be fixed and regulated by the Council so as to allow to the lessee a fair return, as fixed by the Mayor, on the cost of such structure or structures, together with an amount sufficient to amortize within the term of any such lease the cost of such structure or structures. Every such lease shall be entered into upon such terms and conditions as the Mayor shall impose including, but not limited to, requirements that such structure or structures shall conform with plans and specifications approved by the Mayor, that such structure or structures shall become the property of the District upon termination or expiration of any such lease; that the lessee shall furnish security in the form of a penal bond or otherwise to guarantee fulfillment of his or its obligations, and any other requirement which, in the judgment of the Mayor, shall be related to the accomplishment of the purposes of this subchapter;
(7) The power to use moneys in the fund established by § 50-2607 for the purpose of widening or channelizing streets or making other street improvements to correct or improve traffic conditions in the vicinity of off-street parking facilities, and to correct traffic conditions resulting from a lack or shortage of parking facilities.
(8)(A) For fiscal year 2014, and each year thereafter, 100% of the amount collected from the parking of vehicles where meters or devices are installed shall be used in accordance with this section to fund the general operations of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, with the exception of the portions required to be transferred to the Parking Meter and Transit Services Pay-by-Phone Transaction Fee Fund, in accordance with § 50-921.14, the DC Circulator Fund, in accordance with § 50-921.33, and the Performance Parking Program Fund, in accordance with § 50-2531.01.
(B)(i) For fiscal year 2013, $35,264,948 shall be dedicated to paying a portion of the District’s annual operating subsidies to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
(ii) Repealed.
(C) Repealed.
§ 50–2604. Motor Vehicle Parking Agency; creation and composition; term; powers. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 50–2605. Establishment of parking facilities.
Parking facilities may be established in any section or portion of the District except that no parking facilities shall be established upon any property zoned residential without the approval of the Zoning Commission of the District. The Zoning Commission may grant such approval only after public notice and hearing in accordance with § 6-641.03. Neighborhood municipal off-street parking facilities shall not be located in districts zoned C-3-B and C-R, nor shall they be established on lots on which housing currently exists.
§ 50–2606. Records and data available; additional surveys.
The National Capital Planning Commission and the Highway Planning Survey Unit shall make available such records and factual data and make such additional surveys as the Mayor may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.
§ 50–2607. Deposit of fees and moneys into General Fund.
All moneys derived from the sale or assignment of any property, real or personal, shall be transferred to the Capital Improvements Program and used to fund the renovation, repair, and maintenance of local transportation infrastructure.
§ 50–2608. Appropriations; employment of director; salaries of members of agency.
The Mayor shall include in his annual budget such amounts as may be required from the highway fund established in § 47-2301 for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this subchapter.
§ 50–2609. Acquisition of new parking facilities prohibited; operation and expansion of existing facilities; exempt facilities. [Repealed]
Repealed.
§ 50–2610. Rulemaking; Council review for 18 DCMR § 2407.
(a) The Mayor is authorized to make fee increases and to promulgate rules necessary to implement section 2407 of Title 18 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (18 DCMR § 2407), entitled Temporary and Emergency Parking Restrictions.
(b) Any proposed fee increases, rules, or regulations shall be submitted by the Mayor to the Council in a proposed resolution for a 45-day period of review, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve or disapprove the proposed resolution within this 45-day period, the proposed resolution shall be deemed approved.
