Elena Sorokina, Author at Coalition For Smarter Growth

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), the leading organization in the DC region advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities. CSG appreciates the City of Alexandria’s efforts to develop an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) policy and writes to convey our full support of the proposal. CSG has become a leading expert on ADUs through our work in DC and our just-released DC ADU homeowners manual.

Accessory dwelling units can offer less expensive housing options than renting or buying a single-family home because of their smaller size. They are great for an aging parent you are caring for, offer a home for your recent college graduate, or a young professional just starting their career. ADUs can also offer a stream of income for homeowners, including lower-income homeowners and retirees on fixed incomes.

CSG is enthusiastic about the strong provisions being proposed that will help make the City’s program a success, such as allowing ADUs citywide, and enhance their feasibility and affordability by not requiring off street parking in our transit-rich, walkable city, and not requiring owner-occupancy on site.

An owner-occupancy requirement lacks flexibility for the homeowner and may limit one’s ability to build an ADU. It can make it difficult for homeowners to finance an ADU. This may serve to exacerbate income and racial inequities by limiting the ability of homeowners to construct ADUs to those with sufficient equity in their homes. An owner-occupancy requirement would also be limiting to people who must move on short notice, such as military and diplomatic families, who often choose to rent out their primary residence. We also note that single-family homes today are already frequently rented out by owners who are not living on site. The owner-occupancy requirement would be a barrier to constructing ADUs and undermine the goal of increasing the supply of ADUs in the city.

We encourage the city to include requirements for regular review, reporting, and recommendations by city staff on refinements to the program. This could include creating an affordability program for low-income renters or buyers, assessing size limitations and setbacks and their impact, whether or not the program has exacerbated or improved racial and income inequalities, and recommendations to address any other barriers towards creating new housing through ADUs.

We understand that some Alexandria residents who are opposed to ADUs and previously opposed the Seminary Road safety project have attacked CSG and our supporters as being outsiders. CSG is a longstanding, 24-year-old regional organization advocating for transit, safe streets, transit-oriented development, and affordable housing throughout the DMV and were honored with the Council of Governments’ (COG) Regional Partnership Award in 2017. Our staff live in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC and work with local advocates in each jurisdiction. We sent emails about the ADU program to our Alexandria members and subscribers encouraging them to participate in the ADU study process and to contact the City Council, and we remind our supporters that the emails on Alexandria issues are focused on Alexandria residents. At the same time, local elected officials meeting at COG have agreed that housing, like transportation, is a regional issue, requiring shared effort by every jurisdiction.

CSG believes the proposed ADU policy is a bold step forward in establishing a strong program that will help provide more housing options in Alexandria. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director

Sonya Breehey
Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager

The above presentation was given as part of a webinar on January 7th, 2021 with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network featuring Delegate Ibraheem Samirah (D-VA).

Smart Growth Business Council

Posted on January 5, 2021August 24, 2022 by Elena Sorokina

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading smart growth advocacy and education nonprofit in the Washington DC region. CSG’s staff and volunteers have been working for more walkable, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities for 25 years.

Opportunities for Corporate Sponsorship

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by Elena Sorokina

CSG-Corporate-Sponsorships-2021 Download

Why support the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG)?

CSG is the leading smart growth advocacy and education nonprofit in the Washington DC region, working in DC, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Northern Virginia. The Coalition’s staff and volunteers have successfully campaigned for walkable, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities for 24 years. We boast 24,000+ regional subscribers, a web of non-profit and business partnerships, and dozens of committed volunteers who turn out to support smart growth plans and projects. CSG provides the most respected voice in the DC region on the interconnected issues of land use, transportation, and housing. We offer a regional vision of a network of walkable, transit-oriented communities, earning official support, although uneven implementation. We have a well-established reputation for expertise, integrity, partnerships, local community engagement, and relationships with decision makers that have allowed us to successfully shape change.

Our effectiveness has been recognized by the Washington Business Journal three times in their Power100 list of most influential regional business leaders, four times by the Catalogue for Philanthropy, and by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 2017 Regional Partnership Award.

We have made transit-oriented development the priority focus of local governments and the Council of Governments, supported over 130 master plans and individual smart growth development projects, won the first-ever dedicated funding for Metro and nearly 100 miles of bus rapid transit corridors, campaigned for increased housing supply and affordability tools, and advanced urban “complete street” designs and reforms to parking requirements. Working years ahead of current trends, we helped create the plans and environment that have attracted the next generation workforce and companies to walkable, urban Metro station locations.

Amid the pandemic, we have led campaigns to save transit and fund affordable housing, while continuing to make the case for transit-oriented development as the most sustainable and equitable way for our region to grow. CSG’s advocacy is more important than ever for winning continued public support and for addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges of our time.

Without corporate support, representing up to 25% of our annual budget, we would be unable to provide the high level of grassroots, communications, and policy advocacy that we do today. CSG offers a variety of opportunities for businesses to support our work through membership in our Smart Growth Business Council and sponsorship of events and professional development.

Smart Growth Business Council (SGBC): $15,000/$10,000/$5,000

Firms that sponsor CSG’s Livable Communities Leadership Award reception at the $15,000, $10,000 or $5,000 level, or sponsor other CSG events at a cumulative level of $5000 and above, are recognized as members of our Smart Growth Business Council. Firms who provide regular annual sponsorship and membership in the SGBC provide important stability to our corporate fundraising. CSG staff meet with SGBC member firms during the course of the year, stay up to date on member projects, and discuss critical policy issues of mutual concern. CSG hosts an annual corporate breakfast or lunch each January with a guest speaker — typically a local elected official or senior government planner.

Sponsorship Opportunities

CSG provides a wide range of opportunities for firms to sponsor events and support programs. Our events in 2021 will be virtual, as they were in 2020, due to the pandemic, until the health emergency is declared over.

Signature Events:

Livable Communities Leadership Award $15,000/$10,000/$5,000/$2,500/$1,000/$500
Our main corporate fundraiser of the year, held in April, honors a local official or private sector individual and attracts a who’s who from the development, architecture, planning, and transportation sectors, along with elected officials and smart growth advocates. Sponsorships include logo recognition and hyperlinks in all promotional materials, which include our website, email list, social media, press outreach, and display boards. Individual ticket price — $100. Attendance – 150. (Virtual in 2021)

Smart Growth Social $5,000/$2,500/$1,000/$500
This fundraiser, held in October, has become the must-attend networking event of the year for the smart growth community, attracting a highly-engaged spectrum of supporters from elected officials to urban planning students to community activists. Usually held at DC’s Eastern Market, the event attracts up to 250 attendees. We feature locally-produced beer, wine, and food. Individual ticket price — $25. Attendance – 250. (Potentially a virtual event in 2021)

Other Events:

Sponsorships include logo recognition and hyperlinks in all promotional materials.

Walking tours $1,000 each, $5,000 for series
Our signature walking tours held in the spring, summer, and fall attract a broad cross-section of participants from downsizing empty nesters to young professionals, in addition to planners, architects and government officials. Participants learn from the experts about successful smart growth projects and neighborhoods. Ticket price – free; donations accepted. Attendance – 30 to 70. (Virtual until pandemic is over)

Forums: $1,000 to $2,500
Our educational forums address a range of policy topics and are usually tied to our advocacy campaigns. We attract leading national and local transportation, land use, and housing experts. Ticket price – free, donations accepted. Attendance – up to 100. (Virtual until pandemic is over)
Workshop: $500 to $1,000
Our workshops focus on specific technical planning issues. Ticket price – free, donations accepted. Attendance — 20 to 40. (Virtual until pandemic is over)