Posts about Planning
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I live car-free in Baltimore and work out in the county. Let me take you on my commute.
Baltimore resident Brian Seel shared the following thread about his commute through “Transit Oriented Development” in Maryland on Twitter. It was enlightening, so we're sharing a lightly edited version here. 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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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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Can Arlington make child care more affordable by embracing urbanism?
Anyone who is raising a kid in the Washington region—and probably many people who aren’t—know that paying for daycare can cost as much as rent. Arlington County has the highest child-care costs in the region, largely because we have high land values, tighter regulations, and affluent households. 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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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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Residents who don’t want more people in Reston are resorting to misinformation
The Fairfax County Planning Commission is about to take up a proposal to change some of the zoning in Reston and allow for more people to live in certain areas near transit. Known as “Planned Residential Communities (PRC),” the proposal would raise the person-per-acre cap across those areas from 13 to 15. Keep reading…
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Trails could better connect Huntley Meadows Park, but planners are worried about environmental impact
In Fairfax County, bike advocates and a state representative have teamed up to keep a pair of trails in Huntley Meadows park from being removed—well, sort of. The kicker is that one of these trails has been on part of the county’s Comprehensive Plan since the 1970s and the other has been in the plan since 2014, but neither has ever been built. 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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A stadium subsidy by any other name is still a stadium subsidy
Stadium subsidies are a waste of public funds, according to polls of both the general public and and economists. Amidst this nearly universal disdain, politicians have found inventive shell games that cloak colossal giveaways of taxpayer resources to billionaire sports team owners. Keep reading…