Vacant building in Lanier Heights DC by Adam Fagen licensed under Creative Commons.

More details emerge on DC’s housing voucher program misuse by landlords

A recent DCist/WAMU investigation in partnership with Spotlight DC has built on a recent Washington Post report on landlords using DC housing choice vouchers to provide inadequate shelter, and pocket most of the proceeds. This investigation follows one landlord in particular and maps his properties and their state of disarray. All of the projects are in Wards 7 and 8, which have the highest concentration of voucher users.  (Morgan Baskin / DCist)  

700 new e-bikes coming to Capital Bikeshare, 9th Street NW bike lane officially opens

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with representatives from the District Department of Transportation and Motivate, the company that operates Capital Bikeshare with Lyft, held a joint press conference Monday morning at the 9th and G Street bikeshare station to officially open the 9th Street NW bike lane and announce the addition of 700 grey e-bikes to the CaBi system. Some of the bikes will be placed in Fairfax and Arlington counties as well, with plans to expand.  (DCist)  

Mt. Rainier has a community food forest, and a plan for a native plant corridor

Mt. Rainier is the hub for a number of pollinator- and wildlife-friendly initiatives that seek to enhance life for bees and native plants, as well as the people who live around them. In addition to the Community Food Forest, where residents can forage in season for everything from wild fruits and berries to planted herbs and vegetables, the community is partnering with other organizations to turn yards into native plant oases. The effort is focusing on specific neighborhoods that are corridors between existing greenspaces, and also on bills in Annapolis that would complement those efforts, such as allowing more “weeds” to flourish underneath power lines and less mowing along state roads and highways.  (Roseanne Skirble / Maryland Matters)  

WMATA is increasing Metrorail frequency again as more riders get on board

WMATA is increasing the frequency of Metro trains on the Silver, Blue, and Orange lines this week, and next week will step up the frequency of trains on the Red line. This is possible because more 7000 series cars are now available for use. WMATA is also reporting more riders on Metro, and is setting records for post-pandemic use “almost daily.”  (Jacob Fenston / DCist)  

More new apartments could rise above the Pentagon City Costco

Kimco Realty Corporation, the developer who owns the site, has updated its plans for redevelopment with the Arlington County Board. The plan includes swapping out some office space for apartments and more green space while retaining Costco and other first-floor retail.   (ARLNow / Joe DeVoe)  

Capital Beltway expansion started two years ago; nearby residents just filed another lawsuit to stop it

Residents near the interchange of the Capital Beltway and the George Washington Parkway are trying again in court to stop expansion of the beltway in Virginia. They are arguing that recent changes to the plan are significant enough to warrent a new environmental impact assessment. They are concerned about changes to their neighborhood from new traffic patterns, ramps, stormwater retention ponds, and cell tower, as well as the impacts of the construction itself.  (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)  

Neighborhood associations speak out against proposal to increase housing density in Alexandria’s West End

The proposed development would replace a 3-story commercial building with a 6-7 story residential building, and add a public road. The neighborhood associations and other commenters expressed concern about adding too much residential density too quickly, and with development that is inconsistent with the “promises made” to the community and the Beauregard Small Area Plan.   (James Cullum / ALXNow)  

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