Breakfast links: New homes and homeless
Housing vs plaza
The Sun Trust building at Adams Morgan’s main corner could become a new mixed-use building. It adds housing, but some oppose it because it would use what’s currently an open plaza that hosts a farmer’s market. (Borderstan)
Maker space and more
Plans for a big development in Eckington include 695 residential units and a lot of new amenities that the Northeast DC neighborhood currently lacks, including a maker space. (GGWash, WBJ)
Homeless in Georgetown
Some of the District’s 7,000 homeless people choose to live in Georgetown because they feel safer there relative to other parts of the city. (Post)
Metro passes for students
American University students may soon all get unlimited Metro rail and bus passes. Students will vote on a proposal to charge a $130 per semester fee to all students, who will then get the passes. (The Eagle)
Click for paratransit?
Disability rights advocates aren’t too keen on transit agencies outsourcing paratransit services to Uber and Lyft, which have few or no wheelchair-accessible vehicles. But given traditional paratransit operators’ high costs, many agencies don’t have a choice. (Post)
Purple Line details
The nearly 900-page proposal for the Purple Line includes penalties and fines for poor service and disruptions. It moves the Silver Spring platform farther from Metro, which could be better for wind and cut down on construction-related Red Line closures. (WTOP, GGWash, Bethesda Beat)
Rail not welcome
Virginia Beach’s treasurer says a plan to extend a light rail line from Norfolk into his town is an overly expensive “freebie” service. Many other public officials and residents say plan is essential for attracting younger workers. (CityLab)
Where Williams works
Former DC mayor Anthony Williams is keeping busy as head of the Federal City Council, a little-known group that promotes economic development (and sometimes fights new social spending) in the District. (Post)
Crime down
MPD Chief Cathy Lanier says homicides are down so far this year and resemble pre-2015 levels. She also supports the mayor’s crime bill and wants body camera footage to be available to the public once it’s redacted. (WAMU)
Raiding the wrong house
DC police regularly raid houses of people they arrest, and they sometimes get the wrong house, with potentially terrible consequences. One past victim: GGWash contributor David Cranor. (Post)