Breakfast links: Blue and Yellow Line riders face their first shutdown commute
Image by Ben Schumin licensed under Creative Commons.
Riders brace for the first work week of the 6-station Blue and Yellow Line shutdown
As the riders face the first work week of the summer shutdown of six Blue and Yellow line stations south of National Airport, Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld acknowledged that it may take a week before both riders and Metro adjust to the closures. (Kery Murakami / Post)
A dispute threatens newly-proposed money for DC public housing repairs
DC's Chief Financial Officer is questioning the legality of the DC Council Chairman's proposal to move $49 million from the Washington Convention and Sports Authority’s reserves, and use half of it to renovate thousands of DC's public housing units. (Peter Jamison / Post)
Metro is wrapping up safety fixes for visually impaired riders
Safety features on Metro's 7000-series railcars are expected to be done this week to reduce the risk of a visually impaired rider mistaking the gap between cars for an open door. After two riders fell onto the tracks, the Federal Transit Administration required Metro add chains between every car. (Max Smith / WTOP)
The Scottish Rite housing development passes key historic preservation votes
The DC Historic Preservation Review Board denied an application to extend landmark boundaries which would have prevented the development of a four-story, 125- to 150-unit building behind the 16th Street Scottish Rite temple. (Nina Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
A MD bill may allow Rockville and Gaithersburg to tax short-term housing rentals
Rockville and Gaithersburg want to amend local ordinances to be able to impose a lodging tax on short-term rentals like those listed through Airbnb. A bill that cleared the state legislature would allow the municipalities to enact a tax for properties with 10 or fewer rooms. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
MD and VA senators introduce a bill to increase federal matching funds for Metro
All four senators from the Washington region introduced a bill to renew $150 million in federal matching funding for Metro with DC, VA, and MD, and provide an additional $50 million in matching funds. The bill would require safety reforms, strengthen the inspector general, prohibit buying from Chinese companies, and beef up cybersecurity. (Truman Lewis / Fairfax News)
DDOT plans to explore traffic calming measures northeast of Rock Creek Park
The District Department of Transportation will hold a second public workshop this summer examining traffic calming measures in Brightwood, Shepherd Park, Takoma, Colonial Village, Manor Park, and Lamond Riggs. A previous workshop looked at crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
Economic development tops mayors’ issues in national ‘State of the City’ report
In the National League of Cities' annual State of the City report, economic development is the top-reported issue by city leaders, followed by infrastructure, and health and human services. Regionally, housing appeared as a subtopic of concern, primarily in the country's northeast and west regions. (Brooks Rainwater and Anita Yadavalli / Citylab)
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