Posts about Development
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A reset in Reston? Fairfax Zoning says “no thanks,” we’re going to allow new homes
Fairfax County zoning officials say they will not back off from commitments they’ve already made, despite pressure to allow fewer new homes in Reston. Officials recently responded to two groups that want to change or reverse zoning updates that would allow more density — changes that would mean going back on plans and compromises already made, some as recently as 2015. Keep reading…
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Three months of organizing urbanists, and one historic night (morning) - GGWash housing digest
We're through the first three months of the year and a lot has been happening. Take a moment to catch up on historic preservation, competition over a football stadium, growth in Reston, redlining, segregation, and more. Keep reading…
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Hey DC YIMBYs, need data for your arguments? Here it is.
Urbanists and YIMBYs in DC have been making some of the same arguments for a long time: we need to build more homes, studios and one-bedrooms help and don’t hurt, too much of DC is zoned like a suburb and that’s exclusionary. Ever wish you had more to back that all up? Well have we got a report for you. Keep reading…
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Events: Accessory apartments, deep dive into PUDs, and help the environment via transit
We've got some great events for you this week! Get the latest on accessory apartments in DC, dive deeper into the conversation on Planned Units Developments, get a second chance to attend a Bus Rapid Transit open house in Montgomery County, and advocate for our environment through transit. Keep reading…
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A tomato trellis popup is tearing this historic neighborhood apart
In recent years, some homeowners and small-scale developers have created infill density in DC by adding new floors to existing homes to convert single-family townhouses to multi-family structures. These “pop-ups” have been very controversial, and have triggered pushback from the DC Zoning Commission. Now, this building trend is expanding from residential to other land uses — and the controversy is riper than ever. Keep reading…
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Urbanists say the darndest things: Highlights from last week’s Comp Plan hearing
Last Tuesday the DC Council held a hearing on the Comprehensive Plan, and it was pretty epic. More than 275 people signed up to testify and the hearing lasted well into the morning of the next day. What was also epic was the fact that over 50 urbanists from across the city showed up to testify, many staying late into the night. Keep reading…
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Another business is closing at The Shay. Is North End Shaw over?
The Shaw location of Glen's Garden Market is closing after a little more than two years nestled in The Shay, a new mixed-use development. The locavore grocery is not alone. Over the past year there has been a series of retail closures there, leaving many to wonder about the utility of “rebranding” neighborhoods. Keep reading…
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What’s more important, “neighborhood stability” or affordable housing?
At the Comp Plan hearing Tuesday, many people spoke about the need for building homes, including affordable ones, and protecting residents against displacement. But the hearing also laid bare a fundamental disagreement about what's more important: Creating needed housing, or “protecting neighborhood character”? Keep reading…
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Richard Rothstein lays out the reality of government-mandated segregation in “Color of Law”
The government's explicit role in building and enforcing segregation has been largely obscured, and it has done comparatively little to rectify the harm it's caused to African-American communities — harm which deeply resonates into the present day. Keep reading…
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DC’s big “carbon neutral” pledge will require big changes around town
The District of Columbia will be carbon-neutral and climate resilient by 2050, under a pledge that Mayor Muriel Bowser made while attending the North American Climate Summit in Chicago last December. This ambitious pledge is just the start of a long journey ahead. Keep reading…