I really think our housing politics would be much better if more people simply realized that many beloved buildings would literally be illegal to build today because of zoning restrictions
@MayorBowser You canceled protected bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue after a multi-year process with well attended public meetings that netted support from every impacted ANC and initially yourself-reverse this blunder before you leave office & you can claim bike infra as part of your legacy.
Incredible that these communities think we should have 4 story buildings here.
One binding element notes the height limit of multifamily buildings along Willard Ave was set at 4 stories, & recent plans call for the buildings to be 6 to 7 stories tall, according to the complaint.
Friendship Heights, Brookdale community file lawsuit against developers seeking to redevelop former GEICO campus
Complaint argues new plans do not adhere to initial 1998 development requirements
A jewish congregation in Edgewater is working on redeveloping their property into 600+ apartments, and a temple. A couple weeks ago, a local NIMBY paper published an anti-semitic article decrying the proposal.
The community is now rightfully outraged about the anti-semitism
Great story by Pete Rodrigue in @ggwash about how DC's current single family zoning is in large part a legacy of racism. The guy who designed our original maps talked about how he designed St Louis' maps to prevent "colored people" from moving into "dinner residential districts"!
This is absurd from @kenyanmcduffie . Our historic preservation laws are insane. The bar for preservation is very low - you don't even need the permission of the property owner! I know this because someone in 1E almost had their home historically preserved by someone else. (1/3)
This is actually a perfect example of NIMBY delay leading to project failure. Lawsuits held this project up for years. These homes could have been built under the PUD agreements when they were financially viable, but instead we get nothing. Good job, NIMBYs!
“Are we kinda bein’ pricks?” a Massachusetts man asked at a town meeting, drawing attention to a housing plan that seemed to intentionally avoid adding much housing https://t.co/W46d44BBf4
“What would be better is if people built some fucking housing. People a lot smarter than me have been talking about it for years…
We should all be vocal. Otherwise we think we’ve reached a consensus that we haven’t. When we speak out, we give permission to others to speak out.”
“We are the luckiest bastards alive,” he says of living in Marblehead. “We can’t also be the most self-interested bastards alive. They can’t be the same thing.”
Incredible @ggwash article about Ward 3's history of racial exclusion, how zoning perpetuates it, and what we can do to fix it (build more homes).
The history here is particularly ugly. Not just keeping people off color out but forcibly evicting an entire black neighborhood.
NEWS: The D.C. Council has given final approval to @BrianneKNadeau's bill that would allow for smaller buildings to be built in D.C. with a single stairwell, instead of two as currently required. Proponents say it would allow building on small lots, and bigger units.
Chevy Chase Forward is a new grassroots organization built on the belief that an equitable, inclusive community is one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. That vision starts in our neighborhood. We’re advocating for a thoughtfully redeveloped Chevy Chase Civic Core