Breakfast links: Montgomery County just made it easier to build accessory apartments
An accessory apartment in Kensington, MD by BeyondDC licensed under Creative Commons.
Montgomery County passes an accessory apartments bill
The County Council unanimously passed a bill to ease some of the current restrictions on building accessory apartments, which the County Planning Director hopes will add about 100 more housing units per year to the area. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat. Tip: Chester B.)
Kamala Harris’ housing proposal could have limited success in DC
Kamala Harris put forward a plan to level housing inequality by giving money to longtime, low-income residents of formerly redlined neighborhoods to buy a house. The proposal would only cover houses up to $300,000 and DC’s high housing prices mean there are few eligible options. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
The driver who killed Dave Salovesh pled guilty
The driver who hit and killed longtime DC bike advocate Dave Salovesh on Florida Avenue NE pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter in court. DDOT is installing a protected bike lane on Florida Avenue, following an outcry over Salovesh’s death. (Natalie Delgadillo / DCist)
What will the reconstructed Blue and Yellow Line stations look?
The six stations that were closed for the summer will reopen with new information screens that are larger and easier to read. The platforms will also have USB charging ports, which some critics say may pose a security risk. (Jordan Pascale / WAMU)
Catering workers at National Airport are planning a strike
Airport catering workers rallied at National Airport and are planning a strike if their demands for better benefits and higher wages are not met. Virginia State Sen. Favola and Del. Lopez showed up to support the rally, as did and Sen. Sherrod Brown and presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Bill de Blasio. (Airey / ARLnow)
Exelon gives $5 million to a planned elevated park in DC
The utility company, which owns Pepco, donated $5 million to build an environmental education center in the future 11th Street Bridge Park. The park will span the Anacostia River as a bridge, but the final designs won’t be done until 2021. (Yasna Khademian / DCist)
Amazon’s new program connects homebuyers to realtors
Amazon announced a partnership with real estate services company Realogy Holdings Corp that will get more Alexa’s in people’s homes. Amazon will connect potential buyers to agents, and then the agents will supply clients who purchase a house with Amazon smart home products. (Jonathan Capriel / WBJ)
Last week’s heat wave set a new record for river temperatures
The Potomac River measured 93.7 degrees after twelve straight days of high heat. This is the hottest temperature seen since these measurements started in 2008. The Chesapeake Bay also had 80 and 90-degree water during this time, which is unhealthy for aquatic life and bad for water quality. (Post)
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