Posts about Development
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Reston has two golf courses. Why not use that space for parks and homes?
Reston is home to not one, but two privately-owned golf courses. Both own property close to the Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop, making the sites lucrative spots for redevelopment. However, some residents have already organized against any changes. Keep reading…
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The old Lorton, Virginia prison is being turned into homes. Here’s its fascinating story.
The Lorton Reformatory is a prison in Lorton, Virginia that closed in the late 1990s. This May, it officially reopened as a sprawling complex of apartments called Liberty at Lorton about 19 miles outside of DC. The development is a great example of how a historical site can supply housing in a region that badly needs it, while still preserving a historical landmark with a storied history. Keep reading…
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No, Reston is not going to be denser than Manhattan
Reston is set to grow a lot over the next couple of decades as Metro's Silver Line is completed, transforming parts of the area from quiet, isolated office parks to denser office and apartment buildings. However, it's important to remember that density is just one measure of what a community feels like, and there are many ways to arrive at the same numbers of people per square mile. Keep reading…
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The Adams Morgan ANC moves to block new apartments, while styling itself as “an inclusive community”
Plans for a surprisingly contentious mid-rise apartment building near Meridian Hill Park on 16th Street NW hit yet another snag last week, as local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners voted unanimously in support of downzoning the site. That could mean even fewer homes in a neighborhood — and city — starved for places to live. Keep reading…
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Montgomery County says no new homes in Silver Spring because the schools are full
For decades, school planners assumed that families would move out to the suburbs once they had kids, and made projections for where and how to build new schools based on that. But as that trend begins to shift, Montgomery County is finding school enrollment harder to predict, which creates new challenges in and out of the classroom. Keep reading…
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Some in this gated community are trying absolutely everything to stop a new DC apartment building
Recently a group of neighbors along 16th Street NW, many from a gated community called Beekman Place, applied to downzone an area near Meridian Hill (Malcolm X) Park in order to stop a nine-story building from being built… despite the fact that the buildings across the street are almost the same height. Keep reading…
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“No vacancy” is a problem when people need homes
“Now Leasing” signs seem to be ubiquitous on apartment buildings across the region, from the eerily dark new high-rises downtown to well-worn mid-century garden apartments with colorful banners out front. Yet at the same time, experts agree that the area has a housing shortage. What gives? Keep reading…
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Why is that house or storefront vacant?
In an area like DC where the population is growing, one question often vexes neighbors: why is that house or storefront vacant? It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Why do landlords leave properties empty when they could be getting rent? Keep reading…
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McDuffie: To help you stay, we need to build homes for new residents
At a June hearing about a controversial development in DC’s Ivy City neighborhood, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyon McDuffie engaged in a series of meaningful exchanges with neighbors, and in the process made a clear case for why officials must keep pushing for new homes. Keep reading…
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At this abandoned school, can YIMBYs support fewer homes and more parkland?
The historic, long-abandoned Crummell School and the surrounding area in the Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast DC are planned for redevelopment. Out of the three proposals put forward, the city recently chose the proposal that builds the most new homes, including a significant number of affordable homes. Keep reading…