Posts about HousingRSS
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National Links: Go east, young man
If you're heading out of DC at rush hour, your best bet may be to drive east. Cities seeking to grow their nightlife are bringing in Night Mayors. And this weird quirk in the tax code explains why Vancouver builds way more condos than rental apartments. Check out what's happening around the nation and the world in transportation, land use, and other related areas. Keep reading…
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Ending this federal giveaway for rich homeowners could lower housing costs
The Republican-led Congress may be geared to take up tax reform after the summer recess, and it may affect policies related to housing for millions of Americans. Notably, the Trump administration has indicated that it supports eliminating the Mortgage Interest Deduction, which allows homeowners to pay lower taxes. Keep reading…
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National Links: This stuff is bananas
A proposed highway in Dallas finally dies after a decade-long fight. In Los Angeles, fans of a successful bus rapid transit line wonder why it needs to become a train. And did you know how complicated it is to deliver bananas to the grocery store? Check out what's happening around the nation in transportation, land use, and other related areas. Keep reading…
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Suburban neighborhoods are still struggling after the Great Recession. Here’s how we can fix that
Nearly a decade ago, the Great Recession wiped out house values across the region. Today, booming close-in, urban areas have basically recovered. But many further-out, suburban communities are still struggling. Here’s one example from eastern Montgomery County. Keep reading…
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Montgomery County rejects incentives to build more affordable housing in Bethesda
Montgomery County wants to encourage developers to build more affordable housing in downtown Bethesda. But due to pressure from neighbors, the County Council voted to allow less affordable housing and shorter buildings instead. Keep reading…
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Land use policy can push for an inclusive city. Ours does not.
DC’s Comprehensive Plan is a land use and policy document that is supposed to be a guide for inclusive growth in the coming decades. Unfortunately, it has too many parts that, in the hands of exclusionary and anti-development neighbors, are the means to push all of DC’s growth and change onto other, typically poorer, parts of the city. Keep reading…
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This 1958 ad shows how yesterday’s luxury apartments became today’s affordable apartments
There are thousands of new apartments being built around the DC area today, and most of them are high-cost “luxury” apartments. But they may not stay that way. A look at 1950s rental ads shows how yesterday’s luxury housing became today’s affordable housing. Keep reading…
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Buying a home in the Washington region is especially hard if you’re physically disabled
As a woman living in the Washington area, I know all about the tight housing market. But because I’m physically disabled, I’m frustrated by more than just high prices. Despite being pre-approved to buy, it’s extremely hard to find an accessible place to live. Keep reading…
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Gentrification in DC is a west-of-the-park issue, too
Let’s not forget a fundamental cause of gentrification: powerful people who use their privilege to prevent the place they live from changing, pushing the pressures of growth onto the less wealthy and less empowered. Keep reading…
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Alexandria has lost 90% of its affordable homes since 2000
Alexandria has 16,000 fewer homes that are affordable on the free market than it did 17 years ago, according to a recent report. That’s a loss of over 90% of what was available in 2000, and enough to house the entire population of Falls Church, and then some. Keep reading…
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Four ways to retain affordable housing in Prince George’s when the Purple Line comes
The Purple Line might put walkable neighborhoods and jobs near transit in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, but without the right housing policies to go along with it the project could also displace many Prince George’s residents. A housing trust fund, lower parking minimums, inclusionary zoning, and more housing density would stave off this risk. Keep reading…
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Building of the Week: River Park
Washington is home to myriad mid-century residential buildings by nationally known architects. The most unique among these is the River Park development, located on 4th Street SW between N and O Streets. Its aluminum details and barrel-roofed townhouses stand out in a sea of concrete and brick boxes. Keep reading…
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DC’s Comprehensive Plan needs to treat displacement as a serious problem
A growing Washington, DC is a good thing, but that growth done poorly can lead to painful changes for lower-income people who have made the city their home through boom and bust. The Comprehensive Plan could manage growth in a way that doesn't pit the needs of our burgeoning population and the needs of more vulnerable residents against one another. Keep reading…
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Will parking and density concerns block affordable housing at the Hebrew Home?
The former Hebrew Home, which has been vacant for years, has seen multiple attempted redevelopments. Eight proposals are now on the table. Will some all-too-familiar concerns from a few vocal neighbors might get in the way? Keep reading…
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Wealthy residents blame wealthy residents for housing woes… but the real culprits weren’t options
Whoever at the Washington Post wrote this headline should get a pat on the back: "Wealthy DC residents blame wealthy DC residents for city’s spiking housing costs, poll finds." It's a grabby headline for a fascinating poll, but the lead question doesn't really tell us much, because it didn't give people the important choices. Keep reading…
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I’m buying a home for the next phase of my life. Here’s what’s on my mind.
After two years of renting an overpriced apartment, I’m ready to get back into living in my own home. However, this time I’m in a committed relationship with near-term plans for children. Here's what I'm looking for in a new place to live. Keep reading…
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Cleveland Park residents are ok with more density if it means more retail
Two restaurants in Cleveland Park shut their doors this weekend because of slow business. With strong support from residents, two ANC commissioners submitted a Comprehensive Plan amendment that would help bring more commercial space to the area. They withheld a proposal that would make it easier to build more housing because it didn’t get quite as much support. Keep reading…
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Gentrification. What does that word even mean?!
DC is a much different place than it was twenty, ten, and even just five years ago. In fact, many might call it a national posterchild for "gentrification." But what does that word actually mean? Is it that wealthy people live where poor people use to? That retailers are different, or that vacant lots are now home to apartment buildings? Something else? We discussed in this week's contributor chat. Keep reading…
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Let’s protect PUDs, an important tool for ensuring communities benefit from development
Planned Unit Developments aren't a perfect process, but the benefits they do bring are now under threat for future buildings. If we’re not careful, communities will lose this tool due to some recent legal challenges. Part of the problem lies in contradictory readings of the Comprehensive Plan, and we have proposed ways to fix this in our Comp Plan amendment package. Keep reading…
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Rhode Island Center will get less housing thanks to lawsuits over PUDs
On Rhode Island Avenue, right next to the Metro, developer MRP Realty has plans to turn what's currently a strip mall into new housing. The company recently changed course on how it's going about its plans, essentially to make them less vulnerable to attacks from a vocal minority of neighbors. This has big ramifications for housing across the District. Keep reading…
