Breakfast links: As Amazon moves in, advocates say Northern Virginia must act on affordable housing
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Crystal City transitway by BeyondDC licensed under Creative Commons.
Housing advocates hope Amazon will compel local leaders to take action
Anticipation of Amazon's HQ2 move to Crystal City/National Landing has already begun to raise home values in the area. Housing advocates in Northern Virginia say local leaders must create and preserve affordable housing. (Ally Schweitzer / WAMU)
Can a Green New Deal secure federal transit funding?
The highway trust fund money allocated to transit is scheduled to run out as early as 2021. While increasing the gas tax remains unlikely, some policymakers believe an empty highway trust fund is an opportunity to rethink how Americans pay for transportation. (Laura Bliss / CityLab)
Delays have made the Purple Line more costly
Maryland’s Purple Line project will cost another $60 million to offset the price of delays, the contractor says. The project has been held up by a lawsuit and by the state lagging behind in acquiring rights of way for the line. (Katherine Shaver / Post)
The Exorcist steps and Georgetown Car Barn were designated as historic
The DC Historic Preservation Review Board voted to designate the steps featured in Father Damien Karras’s death scene and the Georgetown Car Barn, a remnant of DC's original streetcar network, as historic landmarks at its meeting on January 24. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
The Bethesda Urban Partnership will be around another five years
The Bethesda Urban Partnership, the nonprofit that manages and promotes programs and services downtown, just had its contract renewed for another five years. The BUP plans to install more public art and maybe add an east-west route to the Circulator. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
The official who oversaw Baltimore’s scooter program quit over harassment
Baltimore’s top bike and scooter planner has left the city Department of Transportation, saying he faced “bullying, intimidation, and outright harassment, originating from the highest level of leadership.” (Colin Campbell / Baltimore Sun)
Baltimore’s State Attorney will no longer prosecute weed-related charges
State Attorney Marilyn Mosby is a part of a “progressive prosecutor” movement of local district attorneys and prosecutors who are deciding not to pursue marijuana-related charges. Some question whether prosecutors should have this power in the first place. (Brentin Mock / CityLab)
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