Author: Elena Sorokina

RE: Support for Accessory Dwelling Units in Alexandria

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

January 23, 2021

Alexandria City Council
301 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314


RE: Support for Accessory Dwelling Units in Alexandria

Dear Mayor Wilson and Members of City Council:

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

Opportunities for Corporate Sponsorship

Posted on by Elena Sorokina
CSG-Corporate-Sponsorships-2021Download

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)

STATEMENT: White’s Ferry Closure

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

Coalition for Smarter Growth
December 28, 2020


Statement on the Announced Closure of White’s Ferry


“We are disappointed by the announcement of the closure of White’s Ferry, which appears to be due to the failure of the operators to reach an accommodation with the landowners on the Virginia side of the river. We urge the State of Virginia and Loudoun and Montgomery Counties to seek a solution that restores this helpful service that carries an estimated 600 to 1000 vehicles per day.
We expect that longtime boosters of a new bridge over the Potomac will once again claim we need another bridge. However, this was rejected in the early 2000’s after extensive study (the Congressman Wolf study) showed the harm it would cause to neighborhoods on both sides of the Potomac and to the Montgomery Agricultural Reserve. 
In addition, the 2003-2004 VDOT/TPB Origin and Destination Study and the 2015 VDOT Potomac Crossings study showed that less than 5% of peak hour trips might benefit from a bridge between the American Legion Bridge and Point of Rocks. These studies showed that the real need is at the American Legion Bridge, where a high-capacity transit connection must be part of any solution.
Finally, employees and employers have now seen the advantages of telecommuting which is expected to lead to a significant reduction in peak hour work trips, allowing for existing facilities to handle projected traffic.”
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RELEASE: Historic Climate Win at Transportation Planning Board

Posted on by Elena Sorokina
2020.12.16-Release-TPB-votes-to-prioritize-cutting-VMT-GHG-emissions-1Download

Press Release

For immediate release:

December 16, 2020

Contact:

Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437

Historic climate vote took place today at Metropolitan Washington’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB) 

Elected officials agree to prioritize transportation projects and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Today, at the launch of the process to create the Washington DC region’s next multi-billion dollar regional transportation plan, Visualize2045, elected officials on the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) voted to “[require] (emphasis added) its member agencies to prioritize investments on projects, programs, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prioritize the aspirational strategies, and achieve COG’s land use and equity goals as they submit their input for inclusion in the TPB’s [Long-Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program].” The TPB also agreed to prioritize the aspirational initiatives they adopted in early 2018 including linking jobs and housing, a regional bus rapid transit network, Metro, demand management, bike/walk access to transit, and the capital region trail network.

“This is a historic vote. For the first time, regional elected officials committed to prioritizing transportation projects, programs, and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the region’s transportation plan,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG). “They also agreed on the need to reduce vehicle miles traveled to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reductions we need.”

During the debate, representatives of Prince William and Loudoun counties raised concerns about the challenges of reducing VMT in outer suburbs, and sought to soften the resolution from “requires” to “urges.” Their motion failed, and the vote on the full package of amendments passed 22 to 1 with 7 abstentions and 6 members absent. A full list of elected officials’ votes can be found below.

“In response to the concerns of the outer suburbs,” Schwartz said, “we believe that the outer suburbs can help tackle transportation emission, through better land use including walkable, mixed-use ’15-minute’ neighborhoods, commuter rail, and bus.”

The TPB’s action follows the commitment by the Council of Governments to reduce the region’s total greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030.

“Our analysis shows that adoption of electric vehicles is essential, but the timeline is uncertain, and we’ll have to do more – which means reducing how much we have to drive, through better land use – walkable, transit-oriented communities; addressing the east-west jobs imbalance; and investing more in transit, walking and biking infrastructure,” said Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG. Bill’s analysis for CSG is laid out in his recent post in Greater Greater Washington, and in a draft paper – Cutting Transportation Emissions by 2030 and Beyond: Smart Land Use and Travel are Essential submitted to the Transportation Planning Board by CSG.

THE VOTES:

Here is how Transportation Planning Board members voted on amendments to strengthen commitments to reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions (the full Technical Solicitation document can be found at a link here and amendments debated today can be found at Agenda Item 9; official vote tally should be confirmed with TPB staff).

Motion by Loudoun County Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, seconded by Manassas Park Vice-Mayor Pamela Sebesky to “urge” rather than “require” that jurisdictions prioritize projects, programs, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Through this technical solicitation input process the TPB urges/requires its member agencies to prioritize investments on projects, programs, and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prioritize the aspirational strategies, and achieve COG’s land use and equity goals as they submit their input for inclusion in the TPB’s [Long-Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program].”

Motion failed with 16 no, 14 yes (with 6 members absent)

Voting yes (for “urges”)

1.     DDOT represented by Mark Rawlings

2.     MDOT represented by Asst Secretary Jeffrey Hirsch

3.     Charles County – Jason Groth (staff)

4.     City of Frederick Alderman Kelly Russell (TPB 2020 Chair)

5.     City of Laurel – represented by staff Phil Goddard (?)

6.     Virginia Department of Transportation

7.     Fairfax County Supervisor Walter Alcorn

8.     Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw

9.     Loudoun County Supervisor Kristen Umstattd

10.  Loudoun County staff representative Bob Brown

11.  City of Manassas Vice-Mayor Pamela Sebesky

12.  City of Manassas Park Mayor Jeanette Rishell

13.  Prince William County Chair Ann Wheeler

14.  Prince William County Board Member Victor Angry

Voting no (favoring “requires”)

1.     DC Office of Planning – Kristin Caulkins

2.     DC Councilmember Charles Allen

3.     College Park Councilmember Denise Mitchell

4.     Frederick County Alderman Kai Hagen

5.     City of Greenbelt – Mayor Emmett Jordan

6.     Montgomery County Executive – represented by Gary Erenrich 

7.     Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass

8.     Prince George’s Councilmember Deni Tavares

9.     City of Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton

10.  City of Takoma Park Councilmember Kacey Kostiuk

11.  Maryland Delegate Carol Krimm

12.  City of Alexandria Councilmember Canek Aguirre

13.  Arlington County Board member Christian Dorsey

14.  City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer 

15.  City of Falls Church Councilmember David Snyder 

16.  WMATA represented by Shyam Kannan

Absent:

1.     DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson

2.     DC Councilmember Brandon Todd

3.     City of Bowie 

4.     City of Gaithersburg

5.     Prince George’s County Executive represented by Victor Weissberg (Dept of Transportation)

6.     Fauquier County

Motion to adopt all six amendments (found at Agenda item 9) first proposed by Falls Church Councilmember David Snyder with final drafting by TPB staff including amendment B with “requires.” Motion made by Mayor Bridget Newton of the City of Rockville and seconded by Councilmember Charles Allen of DC.

Motion passed with 22 yes, 1 no, 7 abstentions (with 6 members absent)

Yes (for the amendments on VMT and greenhouse gas emissions)

1.     DC Office of Planning – Kristin Caulkins

2.     DC Councilmember Charles Allen

3.     MDOT represented by Asst Secretary Jeffrey Hirsch

4.     College Park Councilmember Denise Mitchell

5.     Frederick County Alderman Kai Hagen

6.     City of Frederick Alderman Kelly Russell (TPB 2020 Chair)

7.     City of Greenbelt – Mayor Emmett Jordan

8.     City of Laurel – represented by staff Phil Goddard (?)

9.     Montgomery County Executive – represented by Gary Erenrich 

10.  Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass

11.  Prince George’s County Executive represented by Victor Weissberg (Dept of Transportation)

12.  Prince George’s Councilmember Deni Tavares

13.  City of Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton

14.  City of Takoma Park Councilmember Kacey Kostiuk

15.  Maryland Delegate Carol Krimm

16.  City of Alexandria Councilmember Canek Aguirre

17.  Arlington County – Dan Malouff for Board member Christian Dorsey

18.  City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer 

19.  City of Falls Church Councilmember David Snyder

20.  Fairfax County Board Member Walter Alcorn

21.  Fairfax County Board Member James Walkinshaw

22.  WMATA represented by Shyam Kannan

No

1.     Virginia Department of Transportation

Abstentions

1.     DDOT represented by Mark Rawlings

2.     Loudoun County Supervisor Kristen Umstattd

3.     Loudoun County staff representative Bob Brown

4.     City of Manassas Vice-Mayor Pamela Sebesky

5.     City of Manassas Park Mayor Jeanette Rishell

6.     Prince William County Chair Ann Wheeler

7.     Prince William County Board Member Victor Angry

Absent:

1.     DC Councilmember Phil Mendelson

2.     DC Councilmember Brandon Todd

3.     City of Bowie 

4.     City of Gaithersburg

5.     Fauquier County

6.     Charles County

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The Coalition for Smarter Growth advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.