Posts tagged Cat:government
-
Casey Anderson is Montgomery’s new Planning Board chair
Montgomery County’s new Planning Board chair will be Casey Anderson, a strong advocate for growing the county’s urban areas and improving its transit network. The County Council voted 8-1 to appoint him this morning. An attorney who lives in Silver Spring, Anderson has been a community activist on smart growth, transit, and bicycling issues, previously serving… Keep reading…
-
Cheh proposes hoverboard lanes and a Palisades stadium
DC may hire a dedicated person to help drivers read stop signs, build hoverboard lanes, and place the DC United stadium atop the Palisades Safeway, under budget recommendations from DC Councilmember and transportation chair Mary Cheh. As you might guess, these are a joke. April Fool’s Day was six weeks ago, but today is the day for joviality from Cheh and her staff, who put… Keep reading…
-
Mary Cheh wants to break up DC’s transportation agency
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has gotten too large and unwieldy to carry out all facets of its mission, says DC Councilmember Mary Cheh. Cheh has introduced a bill to reorganize transportation-related functions, create some new agencies, and abolish one. Keep reading…
-
Maryland occupies, intends to annex disputed District of Columbia territories
This article was posted as an April Fool’s joke. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley seized on instability in the small but strategic territory of Columbia today, where local elections could return a controversial leader, who may face indictment, back to power. Maryland-based construction contractors demanding access to District government projects… Keep reading…
-
Where is the DC tech hub? It keeps moving
DC officials are trying hard to woo technology companies to DC, and one strategy to do that is to establish a place in the city with a critical mass of tech jobs. But the location officials say they are focusing on keeps moving. Before 2002, DC offered a tax break to high tech companies, as long as they located in one of multiple “high tech development zones.” Those encompassed… Keep reading…
-
In the planning process, social media talk is often cheap
People who testify at long public hearings or write letters aren’t the only ones with opinions about important planning issues. A lot of conversation happens online, on Twitter and blogs, but commissions that make decisions often don’t see or consider this kind of public opinion. How can the old, formal processes mesh with new ways of communicating? Last summer,… Keep reading…
-
Harriet Tregoning looks back on her time as planning director
Harriet Tregoning, DC’s planning director since 2007, is leaving to take a job with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. During her years at the helm of the Office of Planning, she has pushed DC to adopt smart-growth policies touching nearly every aspect of the city: land use, transportation, the economy, and more. Her influence has been felt. If nothing… Keep reading…
-
Can affordable housing create wealth and stay affordable?
There is a debate raging in Washington, DC, about how to best balance two equally valid but competing public objectives with the city’s affordable homeownership programs: wealth creation and preservation of housing affordability. Homeownership is critical to wealth creation for low and moderate-income families. Home equity represents fully 60% of low-income households’… Keep reading…
-
Enough broken promises from DDOT
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) promised to complete a number of important projects by now or by the end of this year. Quick quiz: Can you identify which of these have met or will meet the promised deadline? Keep reading…
-
What drives the growth of DC’s tech sector?
DC has lavished attention and subsidies on a few tech companies to bolster its economy. But the growth of tech firms in and around Dupont Circle suggests that investing in an attractive urban space is a more effective way to grow a local tech scene. DC has a flourishing tech scene, as seen in the growth of several coworking spaces, where startups can get work done and find community. Keep reading…