Please accept these comments in addition to my oral testimony at the Oct. 22 hearing on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. We are a regional organization based in the District of Columbia focused on ensuring transportation and development decisions are made with genuine community involvement and accommodate growth while revitalizing communities, providing more housing and travel choices, and conserving our natural and historic areas.
Author: acustis
Connaughton’s Study is Part of Push for New Potomac Bridges
Today, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Connaughton issued a press release announcing a study of traffic across the Potomac. While seemingly an innocuous study, the Secretary’s intention — based on the news last spring that Governor McDonnell and Secretary Connaughton had been pressing Governor O’Malley and his staff on new Potomac River Bridges — is certainly to pursue new upriver bridges.
Lest we Forget … State of Virginia is at Fault for High Dulles Tolls
“The state has failed to provide a fair share toward Dulles Rail from its Transportation Trust Fund, saddling Northern Virginians with nearly the entire cost of Phase 2,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “Meanwhile, VDOT is channeling state funds to speculative and unnecessary rural highway projects.
Testimony on Babe’s Billiards Redevelopment in Tenleytown
The Coalition for Smarter Growth strongly supports this application. The site has sat vacant for many years and is one of the broken teeth of the streetscape along Wisconsin Avenue that mars the pedestrian experience. We welcome this thoughtful redevelopment and appropriate mix of uses to contribute to a better Wisconsin Avenue and Tenleytown neighborhood.
Remarks to Fairfax Bike Summit
I am absolutely inspired by today’s event and by the amazing presentations we’ve seen and heard! Collectively today’s speakers have covered a wide range of issues including “complete streets,” bike-sharing, Safe Routes to School, and transforming the suburbs. This summit has highlighted…
Passionate testimony fills 4-hour Housing Task Force hearing
Individual tenants and representatives of large organizations alike spoke about their experiences with District housing policy at a hearing on Monday. Those testifying overwhelmingly reflected the need for more affordable housing. Cheryl Cort, from the Coalition for Smarter Growth, argued for better use of public lands for affordable housing.
FABB Hosts First Ever Bike Summit at GMU Saturday
The first ever Fairfax Bike Summit is open to the public at George Mason University Saturday. “This event will be a powerful opportunity to learn from each other. Our goal is to build a coalition of local residents and work toward a bike future where people of all ages and abilities are comfortable riding on the streets,” said Bruce Wright…
GMU Report Flawed; Would Lead Region Down Unsustainable Path
Using funding from developers with significant interests in land in outer suburban locations, researchers at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis have issued a new report arguing for massive investment in highway infrastructure. Experts at the Coalition for Smarter Growth disagree.
Public Land for Public Good
The report chronicles how the District of Columbia has used the redevelopment of public land to provide affordable housing and other benefits.
Highlighting the significant accomplishments the District has made in creating affordable housing and integrating it into larger mixed-use development, the report also details areas needing improvement. Most importantly, the assessment points to recent reduced expectations in the level of affordability in future projects. The report calls for the District to recommit to making the most of affordable housing opportunities in public land redevelopment deals, as the District seeks to build a more inclusive city as housing prices rise and more affluent residents move in.
Coalition for Smarter Growth Releases Report on D.C. Public Land Use for Affordable Housing
Today, the Coalition for Smarter Growth released a new report on public land redevelopment in Washington, D.C., entitled Public Land for Public Good: Making the Most of City Land to Meet Affordable Housing Needs.