H.R. 4378 would give the District of Columbia greater control over its Board of Zoning Adjustment by having all five board members appointed by the D.C. Mayor with City Council approval, rather than the current mixed appointment system. Currently, the federal government appoints some members to the board, which reviews zoning disputes and applications in the District. The bill makes one exception: when the board considers zoning applications from foreign embassies regarding their embassy buildings (chanceries), the federal government would still appoint two members—one from the Defense Department, Interior Department, General Services Administration, or National Park Service, and one from the National Capital Planning Commission—to protect national security interests. The changes would take effect 90 days after the bill is signed into law, giving D.C. greater home rule authority over local zoning decisions while preserving federal input on sensitive foreign mission matters.
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