Breakfast links: Can’t build
No redevelopment talk
Protestors angrily shouted down a meeting for developers to present plans to change the Barry Farm low-income housing complex into mixed-use. People fear the change would permanently displace lower-income residents. (City Paper)
No road to your property anymore
When Montgomery approved 43 houses in 1999, it dropped another road from the maps, possibly inadvertently. Now nearby landowners (who are older African-Americans) can’t build on their property. (Post)
Who’s (matter of) right?
Neighbors of the ugly yet supposedly matter-of-right 5333 Connecticut Cafritz project filed a legal appeal, alleging it’s not really matter of right. The DC bar’s president-elect is representing them. (WBJ)
Build easier near PG Metros
Prince George’s will make it easier to build near transit stations and streamlines the review process. It allows the densest development right by the station and gives preference to projects with federal tenants. (Post)
In the DC Council
Legislators approved some food truck rules and gave themselves power to amend other, more controversial ones. (DCist) … Anti-truancy legislation passed, and it’ll also be illegal for school staff to cheat on tests. (Post) … 3 members want to let students ride the buses for free to and from school. (Examiner)
Tour de Changing DC
Last weekend’s Tour de Fat not only showed off great bicycles and beer, but also showcased the changes along the Anacostia River and in other more eastern parts of DC just since 2005. (Examiner)
Crime: Having pot while black
DC police arrest 8 times more black residents for marijuana possession, per capita, than they do white residents. Nationally, blacks are 3.73 times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana. (DCist)
Better predict trip generation
Standard engineering models over-estimate the number of car trips from mixed-use projects, which often means cities and counties ask developers to build too much new road infrastructure. Reid Ewing is trying to fix this; Virginia has adopted his new model. (Streetsblog)
And…
WMATA has trouble getting people to repair its escalators and elevators. (Examiner) … Vienna’s mayor wants bike access on Maple Ave. (FABB) … The reason Dorothy Rabinowitz hates Citibike isn’t because she’s a super-rich aristocrat. (Atlantic)