Posts about Zoning
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2016’s greatest hits: Not all density looks the same. Far from it, actually.
When we talk about dense housing, many think of New York City skyscrapers or Soviet blocks. But as images of different neighborhoods in DC show, not all density looks the same. Keep reading…
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Bow hunting in a suburban neighborhood: Is it wise? Safe?
When my family moved from Alexandria to West Springfield, we figured our home’s walk score would fall. What I didn’t expect was to stumble upon an official sign with a warning about county-sanctioned bow hunting in the middle of my neighborhood. Keep reading…
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A “basement” or a “cellar”? A legal case over the difference could mean less housing in DC
Zoning appeals at DC’s Board of Zoning Adjustment don’t usually make headlines. But in one case in Dupont Circle, an upcoming decision about the legal definition of a “basement” versus a “cellar” could mean far fewer apartments in the future. Keep reading…
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How exclusionary zoning limits poor families’ access to good schools
It’s a pattern so common we take it for granted: Good schools and expensive neighborhoods go together. If you want to send your child to a good public school, you’ll need to “buy into the school district.” But it’s not like this is a law of nature. It’s a byproduct of zoning laws we choose to put in place even though they systematically and needlessly harm low-income students. Keep reading…
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A court just halted DC’s McMillan development
DC’s highest court just blocked development at the McMillan Sand Filtration Site. This is a setback for the city’s effort to turn an empty yet historic field, which previously served to filter drinking water, into a complex of housing, offices, and more active parks. This may not be end of the project, but it’s added some significant new hurdles. Keep reading…
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A developer has agreed to build shorter and less dense than the law allows, but neighbors are still fighting it
An apartment building is slated to go up at the site of an old grocery store near American University. Some residents oppose the new housing and only want a grocery store to return there, but apartments are likely coming to the site no matter what. It’s the grocery store that the opposition could kill. Keep reading…
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Where is Falls Church, exactly?
A couple months ago, Greater Greater Washington editor Dan Reed wrote about how Silver Spring doesn’t have actual boundaries. That’s not the only place in our region where that’s the case: the question of where, exactly, Falls Church’s borders are is also an open one. Unlike Silver Spring, there is an official boundary in terms of the City of Falls Church (which is an independent… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Should DC block the Silver Line?
No money, no Silver Line?; Trim late night just temporarily?; Metro needs billions; Shelter limits; Fight for 15; New transportation top brass; Final ruling delayed for United; Dupont building rejected. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Back to the drawing board?
No more private parking; Transportation funding, redux; DC development lowdown; Zoning Commission’s newest member; Help in a changing Shaw; Charter school milestone; Dupont’s high-tech park; And…. Keep reading…
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These two maps are the guides to your neighborhood’s future. Here’s what you should know about them.
At over 600 pages, the DC Comprehensive Plan is massive document, and few people actually read through the text. It has two maps, though, that are very easy to understand. They are, arguably, the pieces of the Comp Plan that are most often cited in decisions about development, and it’s important that you know about them. Keep reading…