Land Use

The Third Church of Christ Scientist, which occupies a now-landmarked Brutalist modern building on 16th Street, has brought a civil rights lawsuit against the city after having their raze application denied by HPRB last month. According to the Post article, “the church says the landmark designation violates the First Amendment by limiting its ability to freely practice…  Keep reading…

Don’t they have better things to do? According to DC Wire, Council Chairman Gray found Dan Tangherlini parking in his spot, so he parked in Tangherlini’s spot, and then the mayor’s office threatened to tow Gray’s car. Having a playground spat over parking spaces is unseemly enough, but when elected officials make parking space pecking orders a major perk…  Keep reading…

Silicon Valley is not so unlike Fairfax and Montgomery Counties: a mostly very wealthy area, many jobs in addition to housing, and suburban sprawl as the main building form. But around Washington DC, both counties have in recent years (more recently in Fairfax’s case) been pushing denser, somewhat walkable, often transit-oriented development, including “town center”…  Keep reading…

The “end of the exurbs” trend narrative story has hit the Washington Post front page, with a very good article by Eric (”War on Drivers”) Weiss. As we well know, families just aren’t moving out to the fringe of the metropolitan area for cheap housing yet grueling commutes; “the days of building giant houses on former soybean fields on the outer…  Keep reading…

Last night’s zoning hearing stretched so late into the night that Office of Zoning staff started talking about what time the Metro closes, to ensure commissioners and audience members could make it home. That’s especially apt given the topic, modifying the zoning code to make it easier for more DC residents to live without a car. One of the superstars of the evening…  Keep reading…

Supporters of the zoning change vastly outnumbered opponents at tonight’s zoning hearing, with about 25 people speaking in favor to only 6 opposed. The Zoning Commission didn’t take any action, but they heard the message loud and clear, and many people made terrific arguments. I’ll write a detailed recap of the meeting tomorrow.  Keep reading…

If you’re reading this, please head down right now to the Zoning Commission, 441 4th St NW (One Judiciary Square). If you arrive before 6:30, I’ll be at Firehook (until 6) and then out front; everyone testifying in support of the rules gets a free Firehook cookie on me. Opponents: feel free to spend lots of time writing detailed comments on this post. :)…  Keep reading…

In the triangle bounded by New York Avenue, Florida Avenue, and Gallaudet University, near the Metro station named for all three, is the city’s largest wholesale food market, a key link in the economic system for restaurants and small grocery markets. Along Florida Avenue, in front of the market, is a vacant lot with a sign: “Pretty soon, you won’t recognize the…  Keep reading…

Like lawn gnomes in the nation’s front yard: The Examiner looks at “mall sprawl”, the constant pressure from interest groups (and caving by Congress) to put more and more memorials on the Mall despite a 2003 law that said they wouldn’t do it. Newer ones aren’t just a simple statue or wall, either: they come with visitors’ centers, that explain…  Keep reading…

Last month, I talked about buildings in the Dupont area in danger of “demolition by neglect,” which is when an owner, intentionally or unintentionally, lets a building rot away until it has to be torn down. That’s always a major loss to our historic building stock. DC has laws to prevent it, but they’re often not enforced very well.  Keep reading…