Posts about Development
-
A new hospital at St. Elizabeths could be a shot in the arm, but it won’t be a panacea
Last month, Ward 7 DC Councilmember Vincent Gray introduced a bill that would bring a new hospital to St. Elizabeths, a former psychiatric hospital near the Congress Heights Metro that the District plans to redevelop. The expectation is that a private management firm will want to take over the facility, and that it will be an economic spark plug for surrounding neighborhoods. Slam-dunk idea, right? Perhaps. Keep reading…
-
Sprawling metro areas are growing faster than anywhere else in the US
Across the US, people flocked to urban cores in the early 2010s. But lately, growth has picked up in outer, less dense suburban places, particularly in the nation’s most sprawling metro areas in the South and Southwest. Keep reading…
-
And the champion of Game of Zones is…
Today, at long last, we have a Game of Zones winner… Keep reading…
-
Money for new Hopscotch Bridge will trigger big expansions of Union Station & DC Streetcar
Mayor Bowser's latest DC budget proposal includes $165 million to replace the Hopscotch Bridge. Once a new bridge is open, an eyesore will become a prime public space, and long-awaited expansions of Union Station and DC Streetcar can finally happen. Keep reading…
-
Bogota has a world-renowned BRT system. What would it take to replicate it?
Bogota’s TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit system, which opened in 2000, is one of the largest and most heavily used in the world. In fact, the United States government even looked at how to mimic it. Creating a high-quality BRT system here is possible— it’d just require quite a bit of political will. Keep reading…
-
Let’s allow the Zoning Commission to do its job
DC's Comprehensive Plan should make it clear that the Zoning Commission has the authority to make the final decision about what the plan says can and cannot happen. Keep reading…
-
In our region, people are flocking to both cities and outer suburban areas
After years of booming growth, cities around the United States appear to be slowing down. But that's not quite the case in the Washington region. Here, new residents are simultaneously moving back to the city, and also further out into suburban areas. Keep reading…
-
The Housing Production Trust Fund is helping people, and its problems are fixable
Last week, we learned about some very serious problems with how DC runs its Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF), a financial tool used to create and preserve affordable homes across the District. That's bad news no matter how you slice it. The good news, though, is that these issues might not be as pervasive as they first seem, and that the problems that do exist are fixable. Keep reading…
-
The Townhomes on Capitol Hill are affordable no matter your income. Here’s how they work.
Our region is increasingly segregated by income. I live in a community where low-income people rent their homes without government subsidy, and they do so right next door to people who don’t need any housing assistance. You wouldn’t guess it by looking at it. Keep reading…
-
How Vornado’s Skyline portfolio tells the story of office vacancies region-wide
A giant office complex in Fairfax is sitting empty, and it recently sold for far less than its assessed value. This is becoming more common in our region’s outlying areas thanks to the economic shifts that have happened over the last decade along with a growing demand for office space near transit. Keep reading…