Posts about HousingRSS
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How segregation in American cities shifts from day to night
After World War II, white Americans moved to suburban communities that explicitly barred black people, while many men continued to commute to their jobs in the city. But advances in civil rights, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, meant that workplaces became increasingly diverse. Keep reading…
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Lessons from an unlikely community organizer in River Terrace
In 2005, Malissa Freese took an eye-opening trip in search of a new home. Coming off DC’s Interstate 295, she hit the block of Benning Road NE that houses a Pepco facility and made a left turn on Anacostia Avenue into River Terrace, a cul-de-sac neighborhood that sits along the Anacostia River (where, full disclosure, this writer grew up). Keep reading…
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An American Legion project offers affordable homes for veterans in Arlington
In Arlington's intense housing market, a breakthrough project aims to provide housing-strapped veterans with an affordable place to live. However, the project has also illustrated how the county's planning process is limited by its reliance on sector plans, and brings forward some new ideas to the ongoing conversation about parking. Keep reading…
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How to build an accessory apartment from start to finish
“Where do I even start?!” is the first question I hear from people when it comes to building accessory apartments, also known as Additional Dwelling Units or ADUs. Here's a step-by-step list outlining how to bring your accessory apartment from dream to reality. Keep reading…
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Battle of Braddock: Dems want to flip a Republican-held seat in Fairfax County
In case you haven't heard, there are some important elections coming up in Fairfax County. The county's Board of Supervisors will have a lot of open seats up for grabs, and candidates are already lining up. In the Braddock District, that includes a race between two Democrats looking to flip one of the Board's two seats held by Republicans. Keep reading…
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Have a question for DC’s Planning Director, Andrew Trueblood? Come to our GGWash Open Forum!
In her second inaugural address, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser set a goal of adding 36,000 new housing units in the District by 2025. DC is working on updating the Comprehensive Plan, the document that guides growth and change throughout the District. Responsibility for these significant goals falls on Andrew Trueblood, nominated by Bowser to head the DC Office of Planning. Keep reading…
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10 things to look for if you’re considering creating an accessory apartment
You may be familiar with the typical “English basement,” an apartment at the bottom of a rowhouse that's particularly popular with interns and small families in DC. They’ve been around for decades, but now they’re gaining even more popularity as the result of housing shortage and other market realities, as well as the desire to live in close-knit communities. Keep reading…
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People experiencing homelessness are more frequently victims of hate crimes
Individuals experiencing homelessness are far more likely than the general population to be victims of violent crime, the National Coalition for the Homeless concluded in December. Keep reading…
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How well is the region doing at planning for growth near Metro?
The jurisdictions in our region have taken measurable steps towards implementing transit-oriented development by upzoning land near the region's 91 Metrorail stations. However, at many stations there is still room for improvement, and some stations/jurisdictions are doing much better than others. Keep reading…
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Soon Montgomery County renters could get greater protection from eviction
A Montgomery County delegate has just submitted a bill that would prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a good reason. That's good news for the approximately one third of county residents who are renters. Keep reading…
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Accessory apartments make money and increase the housing supply. Here’s how to build one.
In this generation, more people are staying single longer, are having fewer children, and frequently prioritize walkable urban neighborhoods over suburban ones. Those cultural shifts, along with the high cost of living in the Washington region, have forced politicians and residents to rethink where and how new housing should be accommodated. Keep reading…
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Here are seven ways Montgomery County is changing
More than 50 years ago, Montgomery County created a grand vision for how it would grow, called On Wedges and Corridors. It laid out the basic structure of Montgomery County, with development clustering around the Red Line and I-270, a big network of parks and open spaces, and a large agricultural reserve beyond that. However, our county looks very different than it did back then. Keep reading…
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Why is Elrich resistant to building homes for millennials?
One-fifth of Montgomery County’s residents are Millennials, or adults between 23 and 38, and the county has been working to attract and retain them so they’ll build lives here. But new County Executive Marc Elrich recently suggested that he’s not that interested in building homes for them. Keep reading…
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How could your DC neighborhood fit 121 more homes?
In her recent inaugural address, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called for more housing and revisiting the zoning code to handle the city's estimated population growth. Specifically, DC needs to produce 36,000 more homes by 2025. For people like me who represent communities where the market demands are already high, this is both a challenge and opportunity. Keep reading…
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Montgomery County needs more homes. Here’s how it can ‘densify’ with little disruption.
Affordable housing is in short supply in the Washington region. You'd think we could simply build more housing, but no aspect of development and land-use planning around here is easy. That's particularly true where I live, in Montgomery County. Keep reading…
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Housing gains urgency in Arlington as its budget falls short and Amazon moves in
The Arlington County Board is trying to figure out how to add more affordable housing and manage growth from Amazon as another budget shortfall looms. The Board rang in the new year with its first meeting on January 2, where newly-elected Board Chair Christian Dorsey cautioned that the county could face a budget shortfall of $70 million. Keep reading…
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Work here and help us organize for more housing and more affordable housing!
Do you think it’s imperative for DC and the Washington region to create enough homes for everyone, including affordable homes, and to grow equitably and inclusively of both new and long-time residents? Do you enjoy organizing community leaders and organizations? Do you want to work with our amazing team? Keep reading…
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Who’s hit hardest by the affordable housing shortage?
Whether we agree on the same solutions as a society, the fact remains that the United States has a deep affordable housing shortage that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable populations. Extremely low-income households are more likely to contain seniors, individuals with disabilities, and children. These households are also more likely to be black and Hispanic. Keep reading…
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Build more housing in Montgomery County using this one weird trick
My recent look at zoning in the DC region revealed that 82% of land in Montgomery County (not including Rockville and Gaithersburg, which both have local zoning control) is either protected open space (35%) or restricted to detached single family zones (48%). These are staggering numbers. Keep reading…
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Cemeteries use a lot of space and are terrible for the environment. Is there a better way?
In Berlin, cemeteries are being converted to parks, playgrounds, and housing. This reprioritizing reflects a change in attitude among some Berliners who see their city shrinking as its population increases—without the housing or recreation space to match. It also coincides with a decrease in conventional casket-in-ground burials, as cremations become more popular. Keep reading…
