Breakfast links: What’s effective?

Tommy talks Metro & bags

New WMATA Board member Tommy Wells says the agency will likely pick a new GM by the end of January. He also said Metro needs to better justify the new bag inspections and that the bag fee has been more successful at curbing bag waste than anyone predicted. (TBD)

MD smart growth policies ineffective

Maryland’s landmark Smart Growth laws, which tried to incentivize rather than require smarter growth in the state, have been largely ineffective at curbing unsustainable sprawl and poor development patterns. (Baltimore Sun)

Councilmember Biddle

The DC Democratic State Committee picked Sekou Biddle over Vincent Orange, who had long been considered the frontrunner. The voting was tied until some Councilmembers “worked the room” to push members. (Post)

Another fight in Metro station

While Metro Transit Police are swabbing people’s bags at entrances, violence continues to plague the stations.  On Sunday, a man was beaten in L’Enfant Plaza by a group of teenagers. In a reactionary move, MTP will increase patrols at that one station. (Unsuck DC Metro, WUSA)

Metro to use 3-day weekend closures more

WMATA will be using 3-day holiday weekends to close stations for major track work more than they have in the past. The agency has found it can do in one long weekend what would otherwise take 6 weekends of single-tracking. (WAMU)

Developments in the works for 2011

Lydia DePillis previews the development
expected to take place in the District in 2011.  Major projects include the McMillan Sand Filtration Site, Walter Reed, Hill East, and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. (City Paper)

NY Ave redevelopment not held up by historic preservation

Matt Yglesias should not have listened to his neighbors, because it turns out the building he subsequently used as a foil to deride historic preservation laws as hindering development isn’t even on the historic preservation list. (RPUS)

Ohio puts interstate extension in multimodal plan

Ohio has marked more than $800 million to extend I-74 through Cincinnati, part of a larger plan to eventually connect the Midwest section of 74 with the section in North Carolina. The money is somewhat buried in a major “multimodal project” called the Eastern Corridor. (UrbanCincy)

And…

Douglas Development, which has 5 million square feet of vacant space, and owes DC lots of taxes,  was given a break on taxes for one blighted property for a year. (14th & You) … Did you know that DC actually has another subway system? (BeyondDC) … There’s a chance that fast growth actually leads to poorer cities than slow, methodical growth. (Streetsblog)