Breakfast links: Is Richmond the next DC suburb?
A block of rowhomes in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood by Tess Dixon licensed under Creative Commons.
Washington region residents are moving to Richmond at higher rates
Between 2020 and 2021, there was a 36% increase in migration from Northern Virginia to Richmond, compared with the period between 2012 to 2019. Train ridership between Richmond and DC also increased by 26% between 2019 and 2022. Some believe the relocations are driven by telework opportunities, lower housing prices and lower cost of living in Richmond. (Mimi Montgomery / Washingtonian)
Lake Accotink in Fairfax County could be returned to wetland
Fairfax County staff recommend turning Lake Accotink into a maintained wetland or floodplain forest complex rather than continuing to dredge it for hundreds of millions of dollars. The lake was first build as a freshwater reservoir in 1940, but development and climate change have deteriorated its condition. (Matt Blitz / FFXnow)
MoCo, Prince George’s water utility introduces new gas pipe safeguards
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the regional water utility that serves Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, will require new markings to identify gas pipes in new construction. Last March, a gas explosion in Silver Spring injured several and displaced 100 residents. (Steve Bohnel / MoCo360)
Washington region housing inventory returns to 2019 levels
Bright MLS reported that the inventory of homes for sale in the Washington region is up 43% compared to a year ago. In the District of Columbia, real estate supply is up 56% and is even higher in Montgomery and Prince George’s County. The gains in supply are driven by increased condo inventory. (UrbanTurf)
Virginia officials vie for the new FBI headquarters
Several Virginia elected officials gathered on Wednesday morning to campaign for relocating the FBI headquarters to Springfield, Virginia. The General Services Administration is currently choosing between a site in Springfield and two options in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The officials tout recent transportation infrastructure improvements in Fairfax County as a major selling point for the Springfield site. (Margaret Barthel / DCist)
MoCo’s efforts to decarbonize transit get a Biden shoutout
President Joe Biden highlighted Montgomery County’s zero emission bus program in remarks on Tuesday. The county plans to use a $15 million grant to purchase 13 hydrogen fuel cell buses, which is expected to reduce the county’s annual emissions by 640 tons. (Suzanne Pollak / Montgomery Community Media)
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.