Posts about HousingRSS
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Home ownership can still be a realistic goal for certain Washington-area renters
Housing in the Washington, DC area is undoubtedly expensive, but just how far out of reach is home ownership for current renters? A new measurement from the Urban Institute looks at the portion of renters who can afford mortgages, and found that despite high housing costs, many renters have enough income to buy. Keep reading…
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Bloomingdale’s ANC has voted against historic status, but the final decision is still out
The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) that includes Bloomingdale in DC has voted against supporting historic status for the neighborhood at a heated meeting this week. The main point of contention was over what the best measure of resident sentiment is: a non-binding postcard survey of homeowners, or the vote of Bloomingdale Civic Association (BCA) members. Keep reading…
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This vacant site could become 180 affordable homes, but it needs your help
A plan to convert vacant offices into affordable housing in Arlington's Buckingham neighborhood is up for debate this weekend. Opposition is fierce, and now is your chance to speak up in favor. Sign this petition to let the Arlington County Board know you support this badly-needed affordable housing. Keep reading…
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We like too many people running for Montgomery County Council at-large
Voters in Montgomery County will cast four votes for four at-large seats on the county council on June 26. That sounds like you could support everyone you like, but there are 33 (thirty-three!) candidates running in the Democratic primary alone. The competition for your four votes is intense. Keep reading…
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Despite outcry from residents and leaders, “call-up” moves forward in Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County is rewriting its zoning code, and hidden away in the reams of updated zoning procedures is one particular development review process that looks an awful like one the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled against in 2015 called “call up." Keep reading…
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Neighbors are fighting to stop this vacant building in Arlington from becoming affordable housing
This former Red Cross office building and its parking lot have sat vacant for more than a year. A nonprofit developer has a plan to bring nearly 180 homes to this area, almost all of them affordable to those making 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) or less. However, first they’ll have to overcome opposition from the surrounding neighbors. Keep reading…
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Upzone expensive areas to fund anti-displacement in poor ones? Should we push this?
Matthew Yglesias has a bold idea for DC housing and anti-displacement policy: Build a lot of new homes in areas like west of Rock Creek Park, Dupont/Logan, and Capitol Hill, and use some of the tax revenue to cut property taxes east of the Anacostia River. Keep reading…
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DC has spent hundreds of thousands on encampment removals. Now, people experiencing homelessness are suing.
Last month, several people experiencing homelessness filed a class-action lawsuit against the District, claiming that their belongings were being improperly thrown away during sweeps of encampments. As the lawsuit progresses through the courts, one thing is certain: until DC is able to provide mental health services and safe housing for all of those who need it, people will continue to live in encampments. Keep reading…
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Now’s the time to show up for accessory apartments in Prince George’s
Right now, it's largely impossible to legally convert basements, garages, attics, and the like into housing units in Prince George's. However, the county is currently developing a Comprehensive Housing Strategy that will outline what housing should look like in the coming years, and there's an opportunity to legalize these types of homes. Keep reading…
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How many homes are currently stuck in DC courts?
Right now in DC there are thousands of homes and hundreds of affordable homes stuck in the courts. Numerous recent lawsuits challenging approved Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) are winding their way through the DC Court of Appeals. Keep reading…
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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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Election links: Anita Bonds and her thousand-dollar donors
This week the impact of Anita Bonds' reliance on big money donors is scrutinized, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand endorses Aruna Miller in for Congress, Ed Lazere calls for HQ2 hearings, and Maryland gubernatorial hopeful Alec Ross gets embroiled in a scandal over insensitive language. 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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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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A lawsuit alleging a DC landlord uses discounts to circumvent rent control may have gotten a boost
Some DC landlords are giving tenants rent discounts, called “concessions,” then raising the price higher than the tenant might expect after the resident has lived in the building for a year. Now a lawsuit DC Attorney General Karl Racine (D) filed over this practice in a rent controlled-building is making its way through the court system, and may have picked up support from a DC agency decision. 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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Reactions from last night’s epic, historic, really godd*mn long DC Comp Plan hearing
Early this morning (3:41 am to be exact) the gavel banged on what proved to be a DC Council hearing of historic proportions. More than 275 witness were signed up to testify about amending the DC Comprehensive Plan, the second-most witnesses ever in the history of DC Council hearings. Keep reading…
