D.C. Council poised to rollback affordable housing at Southwest Waterfront
Coalition for Smarter Growth
D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth
202-244-4408 x 112
Ed Lazere, D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute
202-325-8811
D.C. Council poised to rollback affordable housing at Southwest Waterfront
Advocates ask D.C. Council to stop rush to reduce affordable housing in Southwest Waterfront public land deal
Affordable housing and smart growth advocates are calling on the D.C. Council not to rollback affordable housing requirements on city-owned land. Next Tuesday, December 21, the D.C. Council will cast a final vote on Bill 18-1075, the “Southwest Waterfront Redevelopment Clarification Act of 2010.” The bill would change the existing law governing affordable housing on city-owned land at the Southwest Waterfront, exempting some residential construction from agreed upon affordable housing requirements.
“At a time when the city desperately needs to expand its stock of affordable housing, and when city-owned land offers the best economic opportunity to increase the supply of new units, this action would set a terrible precedent for all city-owned land,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “The City should conduct an independent financial evaluation of the developer’s expressed reason for the change and should share that with the public, allowing the opportunity for experts in the non-profit affordable housing community to evaluate and comment on the proposal.”
Ed Lazere, Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute commented, “It is best for the city and for developers to set an affordable housing standard for public land and stick with it. If the standard is viewed as optional or changeable, the District inevitably will get less affordable housing.
The Southwest Waterfront development project is the result of a highly competitive bidding process conducted by the city to select a private development team from among more than a dozen bidders. Bids were predicated on meeting the city’s requirement for 30% of new units on public land to be affordable for residents of low income levels.
The bill to amend the original legal requirement was first advertised for public hearing on November 15th for a hearing just four days later on November 19th. It has been moved quickly forward amid the holiday season, with the final vote scheduled just before Christmas.
"The development of policy about the disposition of public land should be should be both deliberative and totally transparent. Unfortunately the Southwest Waterfront Clarification Act of 2010 is badly misnamed. It should not be passed until the public has a clear of idea of the implications of the legislation," said Elinor Hart, who advocates for affordable housing on behalf of the League of Women Voters.
“We are very concerned that this fast-tracked rollback of affordable housing requirements potentially opens up any city commitment to community benefits that we thought were settled in law.
Certainly, the election was determined in part by voter concerns about the need for greater attention to the needs of lower-income residents, including affordable housing. The Council should take more time to consider this bill and seek more input from the community,” concluded Cort.
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