Posts tagged Zoning
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Mount Rainier as we know it couldn’t be built under today’s zoning laws.
Mount Rainier is a historic streetcar suburb that is beloved by its residents. Its tree-lined streets, Sears Craftsman bungalows, garden apartments, and funky commercial corridor have unique and undeniable charm. And under Prince George’s County’s current zoning laws, almost none of it could be built today. Keep reading…
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Cleveland Park residents are ok with more density if it means more retail
Two restaurants in Cleveland Park shut their doors this weekend because of slow business. With strong support from residents, two ANC commissioners submitted a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would help bring more commercial space to the area. They withheld a proposal that would make it easier to build more housing because it didn’t get quite as much support. Keep reading…
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Let’s protect PUDs, an important tool for ensuring communities benefit from development
Planned Unit Developments aren't a perfect process, but the benefits they do bring are now under threat for future buildings. If we’re not careful, communities will lose this tool due to some recent legal challenges. Part of the problem lies in contradictory readings of the Comprehensive Plan, and we have proposed ways to fix this in our Comp Plan amendment package. Keep reading…
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National stories: Lyft swears its bus service is not a bus service
Lyft says its new service isn’t a bus even though I'm like 99% sure is, and not acknowledging that has negative effects. And it's natural for people to want to fight new projects in their back yards, but there are also rational points that should calm their nerves. Check out what’s happening around the world in transportation, land use, and other related areas! Keep reading…
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Not everyone who lives in our community gets to be part of it
Most of us say that we want our local organizations to be more diverse and that we need to do better outreach. But before we can build more inclusive communities and civic bodies, we must understand that there are real barriers that prevent some of our neighbors from participating equally. Keep reading…
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DC’s Comprehensive Plan, a document we use today, preserves the racial segregation of our past
In its current planning documents, DC classifies neighborhoods in a way that looks disturbingly similar to “redlining” maps from the past. By labeling large sections of DC as “stable” and creating policies that insulate these areas, the city appears to be preserving residential segregation. Keep reading…
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Redevelopment at Brookland Manor moves forward, but affordable housing challenges loom
Last week, DC’s Zoning Commission approved property owner MidCity Financial’s plan to redevelop the first of eight blocks at Brookland Manor. Two big questions that aren't going anywhere: How should DC regulate development, and what obligation does it have to care for low-income residents? Keep reading…
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Montgomery’s council chooses Tina Patterson over Dan Reed for Planning Board
Last Thursday, the Montgomery County Council chose Germantown consultant Tina Patterson for an open seat on the Planning Board. They selected her over Greater Greater Washington contributor and editor Dan Reed and other finalists Bruce Romer and Peter Myo Khin. Keep reading…
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On the Purple Line and beyond, judges are playing planner
The Purple Line may be dead after federal judge Richard Leon refused to lift his ruling blocking the project. He says the FTA hasn't looked hard enough at some facts he decided are important. But this kind of reasoning seems to give a judge nearly unlimited power to stop projects they personally aren't convinced about, despite rules they are supposed to defer to agencies' judgment. Keep reading…
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“We’re already in jail:” Evictions and private policing at Brookland Manor
Some tenants at Brookland Manor say management and a former security company mistreated them, and that the owner, who wants to develop the property, is trying to push them out. This post takes a look at those allegations. Keep reading…