Posts about Zoning
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Will DC designate Kingman Park and Bloomingdale as historic despite community opposition?
Bloomingdale and Kingman Park might get marked historic whether or not the majority of the neighborhood supports becoming a historic district, because DC law doesn’t technically require taking public sentiment into account. Keep reading…
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Montgomery County Executive hopefuls discuss where you might be able to afford to live
Land use policies, including ones in Montgomery County, can freeze neighborhoods in amber and limit new homes. This means that today's millennial couples are less likely to be able to afford the kinds of homes their parents could in the same kinds of areas. Keep reading…
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Topic of the week: Johnson’s Garden Center in Tenleytown is closing. How should we react?
Tenleytown neighbors are demanding that American University reverse the garden center's rent hike and fees so the business can continue to operate in DC. Keep reading…
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What is a historic district, anyway?
Historic designation can be complicated, but since DC has more than 50 historic districts, it's important to understand. Here's a breakdown of what it actually does. Keep reading…
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Zoning laws are frequently abused. Here’s what they’re supposed to do.
Unfortunately, since zoning is ubiquitous throughout the development process, elected officials often try to use zoning legislation to coax developers in a different direction and to address community complaints — regardless of whether it's really the best mechanism to do so. Keep reading…
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Zoning can do a lot, but it can’t do it all
Some communities try to use zoning to force a specific type of business to be built in the neighborhood or to prevent too many people from moving in. Zoning laws can be a powerful way to shape neighborhoods — which means they're often abused. Keep reading…
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Prince George’s County wants greener development
Including green building standards in the ordinance will help ensure that new development in Prince George’s will meet a minimum level of environmental friendliness. This in turn will help protect natural resources, reduce emissions, and generally support better health for everyone in the county. Keep reading…
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2017’s greatest hits: How segregation shaped DC’s northernmost ward
DC's largest ward replaced historic black enclaves with whites-only neighborhoods, then segregated back following white flight. Today developers benefit from the artificially depressed housing prices in Ward 4. Keep reading…
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Prince George’s is making important updates to its zoning code. Friday is the last day you can submit comments.
There’s a lot urbanists should get excited about in the proposed rewrite, including better zoning for areas near Metro, for mixed use development, and for urban agriculture. There's one bad thing too though — a dubious public process called “call-up.” Today is the last day to submit comments! Keep reading…
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Why I oppose historic designation for Bloomingdale
Bloomingdale is in fact very historic, but a closer look reveals that this initiative is less about preserving history and more about limiting the kind of changes residents can make with their homes. Keep reading…