The Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) is an independent, quasi-judicial body. It is empowered to grant relief from the strict application of the Zoning Regulations (variances), approve certain uses of land (special exceptions), and hear appeals of actions taken by the Zoning Administrator at the Department of Buildings. The Board's five members consist of three Mayoral appointees, a rotating member of the District of Columbia Zoning Commission, and a designated representative of the National Capital Planning Commission. In cases where the Board is performing functions regarding Foreign Mission and Chancery applications, the composition of the Board shall consist of the three Mayoral appointees, the Director of the U.S. National Park Service or his designee, and the Executive Director of the National Capital Planning Commission.
Learn more about the history of zoning in the District of Columbia.
For more information on BZA-related items, please see the links below:
- Variance
- Special Exception
- Appeals
- Modification With Hearing
- Modification Without Hearing
- Foreign Missions
The BZA members are as follows:
- Michelle Pourciau - Chairperson Appointee
- Paul Goldstein - District Resident Appointee
- Vacant - District Resident Appointee
- Melissa Lindsjo, National Capital Planning Commission Designee
- Zoning Commission member in rotation
Public Hearings and Meetings are held on Wednesdays beginning at 9:30 am, virtually. For more information on virtual hearings and meetings, click here.
The BZA Schedule and Agenda are available on the BZA Calendar. Please note that Public Hearing Notices for all cases before the BZA are published in the District of Columbia Register.
Current Board of Zoning Adjustment Members:
Michelle Pourciau
Chairperson
District Resident Appointee
Term Expiration: September 30, 2028
Michelle Pourciau is a transportation and infrastructure professional with more than three decades of experience in public administration, planning, and municipal management. She previously served as Director of the District Department of Transportation and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, becoming the first woman to lead both agencies and the first African American to serve as Director of DDOT. During her more than 20 years with the District government, she held a variety of leadership positions involving transportation planning, capital programming, public space management, and infrastructure policy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in City and Regional Planning from Howard University. Michelle is a resident of Ward 4.
Paul Goldstein
Vice Chairperson
District Resident Appointee
Term Expiration: September 30, 2029
Paul is a city planner and attorney with nearly two decades of experience in land use, zoning, and development review in the District. He previously served as a Program Analyst in the Department of Buildings’ Office of Zoning Administration, as well as an Assistant Attorney General in the Land Use Section of the Office of the Attorney General, and he worked as a Development Review Specialist with the Office of Planning. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. Paul is a resident of Ward 3.
Melissa Lindsjo
National Capital Planning Commission Designee
Melissa Lindsjo is an urban planner in the National Capital Planning Commission’s Long Range Planning Division. She leads the Public Space Security Initiative, Memorial and Museums Master Plan update, and supports updates to elements in the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital including the Workplace Element. Prior to joining NCPC, she worked as a senior planner with Loudoun County focusing on zoning and transit-oriented development. Before that Melissa worked as a fiscal/economic analyst with a consulting firm and as a senior planner with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. She currently teaches a course with LCWS, titled “The Symbolic City” and serves on the board of the APA National Capital Area Chapter. She holds two master’s degrees from Ohio State University (City and Regional Planning and Public Policy and Management) and a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Wittenberg University. She resides in the Sixteenth Street Heights neighborhood with her husband and two kids.