Click here to watch the Conservation Cafe webinar held with Audubon Naturalist Society featuring eco-advocates from Northern Virginia, including our Northern Virginia advocacy manager Sonya Breehey.
Author: Emily Maurer
Environment Virginia Webinar Presentation
A presentation given for Environment Virginia’s webinar Getting Virginia to Destination: Zero Carbon on the link between transit-oriented development and reducing carbon emissions in Virginia.
Full webinar available for viewing here.
NoVA Conservation Cafe Webinar: Meet the New NoVa Eco-Advocates!
We are changing next Thursday’s Conservation Cafe: Meet the New NoVA Eco-Advocates to an online webinar in response to closure of Fairfax County facilities and the need for social distancing. Please join us online from the comfort of your home to meet the new local advocates, hear about 2020 priorities, and share your thoughts on how we can work better together for a healthier environment in Northern Virginia.
Smart growth, environmental and active transportation organizations are staffing up in Northern Virginia and we want to hear from you. The event is a panel discussion featuring new staff from the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, the Audubon Naturalist Society, and Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. Elenor Hodges, Executive Director of EcoAction Arlington will be our moderator.
This is a free webinar, but registration is required. Register today with our partners at the Audubon Naturalist Society.
Hope you can make it!
CSG in the News: Tenleytown Group Files Court Appeal Over 86-Unit Church Redevelopment
By Jon Banister | Bisnow, Washington, DC | March 18, 2020
A plan to redevelop a church in upper Northwest D.C. and add senior housing has received opposition from a neighborhood group, and it is now taking the project to court.
The Tenleytown Neighbors Association filed an appeal Friday with the D.C. Court of Appeals contesting the approval of the redevelopment of the Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church site at 3920 Alton Place NW…
The project was supported by Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E. In its resolution of support, ANC 3E said the applicant made changes in design and agreed to mitigation efforts around traffic and noise.
It was also supported by groups including Ward 3 Vision and Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG Policy Director Cheryl Cort submitted written testimony for the November 2018 hearing detailing the project’s benefits.
“We support this project given the need by Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church to renew its outmoded facility for religious uses,” Cort wrote in the letter. “We support the project because it is sensitively designed, requiring only modest relief from zoning requirements. We support the project because we believe it is important to provide assisted living and memory care for DC and DC area families.”…
Residents across the city have appealed dozens of projects in recent years, delaying projects that would create thousands of new housing units. The appeals come as Mayor Muriel Bowser is pushing toward a goal of building 36,000 new units in D.C. by 2025, with a focus on adding housing in upper Northwest neighborhoods like Tenleytown.
Read the full story in Bisnow here.
Follow-up to FY 21-26 CIP Sign-on Letter
March 4, 2020
Montgomery County Council
Council Office Building
100 Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850
Re: Follow-up on bus rapid transit projects in the FY 21 Capital Budget and FY 21-26 CIP
Dear Council President Katz and County Councilmembers:
The undersigned wrote a letter on February 26, 2020 requesting amendments to the FY 21 Capital Budget and FY 21-26 Capital Improvements Program regarding bus rapid transit (BRT). Since then, we have had discussions with decision makers and county officials that have clarified information and raised some important points for consideration.
The basis for our original letter was to find and recommend a path toward near-term transit service improvements due to the constrained fiscal environment. We were concerned about planning for new BRT routes like MD-355 without having a funding plan for construction, and sought to identify projects which we thought could be brought online sooner if we reallocated some of the funding from planning and design to design and construction of particular projects like having Route 29 BRT dedicated lanes in the southern section and the second entrance to the White Flint Metro Station.
We wish to work with the county to best prioritize existing funding and to support all efforts to identify additional funding sources for transit. Therefore, we would like to share revised recommendations:
Route 29 BRT needs additional dedicated lanes to be successful from the outset: The first line of the planned countywide BRT network is set to open this May without the fully dedicated right of way that is necessary for bus rapid transit to truly be rapid. We believe it’s important to get the first BRT line right — with the highest quality of service to show county residents what BRT can do, and why the rest of the network must be funded and built. We urge the Council to expedite review of the “Smoot-Emerson” proposal study for a reversible dedicated BRT lane south of Tech Road, to inquire with MCDOT the status of their follow-up activities, and to seek a defined timeline from MCDOT. We recommend that this dedicated lane be fully funded for design and construction.
The BRT network needs a comprehensive financing plan: With a stagnant capital budget, it is unlikely the county will find the resources it needs for the 81-mile BRT network under current funding structures. We have been briefed by Director Conklin about efforts to develop a funding approach for the 355 corridor, and applaud those efforts, but ask for transparency in how the county will address the funding needs for other corridors. Financing may be different depending on the corridor, but it remains vital that as we move forward with the network’s design, we also make progress towards financing its construction. Director Conklin’s updates to you on financing plans will be extremely helpful.
We should expeditiously implement better bus service: We reiterate our support for Ride On extRa service along northern 355 and Veirs Mill Road, as well as a system-wide redesign and upgrade of Ride On. Adding express bus service prior to BRT construction has been a stated priority of MCDOT and proven beneficial to a number of communities. Near term bus service improvements that result in increased ridership will help build support for additional investments. In the case of Veirs Mill Road, if the proposed system of queue jumps and other “BRT-light” improvements can be put in place faster than Ride On extRa, then let’s do so.
The White Flint second Metro entrance provides regional, not just local benefits: We support the northern White Flint Metro entrance, because it shortens walking distances, supports more rapid redevelopment, and provides improved access to long-time existing residents in nearby apartments. The northern entrance can spur much-needed economic development and support Vision Zero objectives. Investments like this that enhance transit-oriented development and make it more likely that people will use Metro represent a regional transportation solution. If it is now possible that WMATA has the capital funding to help pay for the second entrance, that is terrific, but we assume it will still require some level of matching funds from the county.
We wish to make clear that we support construction of the full 81-mile BRT network and near-term design and construction funding for the top priorities of Route 29 fully dedicated lanes, Veirs Mill Road, 355, New Hampshire Avenue, and the North Bethesda Transitway, in addition to the second entrance to the White Flint Metro and the tunnel for the Capital Crescent Trail. However, we recognize the challenge of a stagnant capital budget and the need to prioritize. Therefore, we have made our best efforts to recommend priorities to the Council as outlined above.
We believe this Thursday’s briefing from Director Conklin to the T&E committee will offer critically helpful information to the public and Council. Based upon Director Conklin’s input and other information available to the Council we hope that you will find a way forward that best prioritizes projects and ensures the public sees near-term improvements in service.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Denisse Guitarra | Maryland Conservation Advocate | Audubon Naturalist Society
Jane Lyons | Maryland Advocacy Manager | Coalition for Smarter Growth
Walter Weiss | President | Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
Michael DeLong | President | Montgomery County Young Democrats
Shruti Bhatnagar | Chair | Sierra Club, Montgomery County
Margaret Schoap | Organizer | Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Extended
CC: County Executive Marc Elrich, Department of Transportation Director Chris Conklin
CSG in the News: New transportation dollars will soon flow into Central Virginia. But, what will it be used for?
By Wyatt Gordon | Greater Greater Washington | March 4, 2020
With the unanimous blessing of the Virginia Senate’s Finance Committee, the creation of a new Central Virginia Transportation Authority is all but a done deal. The projected $170 million the tax hikes are expected to raise will transform the region, but will Greater Richmond use the money to fund smart growth or sprawl?
After the passage of a transportation funding deal for the I-81 corridor last year, Central Virginia felt like the hole in a donut with regions to its east, north, and west all raking in dedicated transportation dollars. To ensure the nine localities which make up Plan RVA—also known as Planning District 15 (Hanover, Ashland, Goochland, Powhatan, Richmond, New Kent, Chesterfield, Henrico, and Charles City)—did not get left behind, Delegate Delores McQuinn introduced HB1541 this session right before the filing deadline.
Central Virginia’s new transportation monies will flow in from increases in two taxes. Residents of the nine localities will pay an additional 0.7% on sales and use taxes and an extra 2.% on the wholesale gas tax. Half of those new dollars will remain in the hands of localities to do with as they see fit. Thirty-five percent will be disbursed under the auspices of a newly created Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA) and its 16 member governing board. The smallest portion of the new funding—just 15%—is allocated to transit.
A transit conundrum
Twenty-five million in dedicated dollars is an exciting prospect for a transit system that has for decades been fully reliant on year by year funding decisions from the localities it serves. The changes outlined in HB1541 will mark the first time the Greater Richmond Transit Company will achieve any level of budget autonomy. However, the bill fails to fully free GRTC from the caprices of the localities. In fact, HB1541 creates a surreal loophole that could tank transit funding for what is already America’s worst-funded public transportation system per capita.
In exchange for the CVTA’s two tax increases, the bill mandates all nine localities continue to spend at least half of what they currently alot for transportation expenditures. The benchmark date to determine their 50% “maintenance of effort” is July 1st, 2020.
By signing off on a date in the future, lawmakers established a loophole through which the County of Henrico or the City of Richmond (the only two localities that currently fund GRTC) could scrap their transit funding altogether in this spring’s budgets and lock themselves in with no obligation to continue locally funding transit at all.
The anticipated $25 million GRTC will receive from their 15% allocation in the CVTA bill isn’t even enough to cover even half of their current budget. If that happened, Richmond’s award-winning, trend-bucking transit system could face service cuts this summer.
Spending on sprawl
What is guaranteed to receive funding out of the CVTA bill is sprawl. The original version of HB1541 included language which only allowed the new regional authority to spend its budget on new road construction. Lacking any mandated provisions for bike, pedestrian, or multimodal infrastructure—let alone maintenance of existing roadways—Delegate McQuinn’s bill could potentially result in 85% of the new funding flowing directly into new highways.
That means as much as $145 million annually could go to build out further sprawl. Chesterfield County, the largest locality in Planning District 15, already has a litany of new highway projects it plans to fund with the new tax dollars. A proposal to extend Powhite Parkway out to US Route 360 is projected to cost a half a billion dollars alone.
In an op-ed in the Virginia Mercury, Stewart Schwartz— Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth—warned lawmakers, “We are not confident that Richmond’s suburban jurisdictions are yet committed to transit-oriented land use and the rural land conservation necessary to reduce traffic and preserve the livability of the region. Instead, with a big infusion of tax dollars for road expansion and accompanying auto-dependent growth, the region could repeat the mistakes of traffic-choked Northern Virginia.”
View the full story in Greater Greater Washington here.
Testimony supporting Modest Homes Choice Act of 2020
March 4, 2020
Environment and Transportation Committee
House Office Building, Room 251
Annapolis, MD 21401
HB 1406, Land Use – Development – Middle Housing (Modest Homes Choice Act of 2020) (Support)
Testimony for March 4, 2020
Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager
Thank you, Chair Barve, Vice Chair Stein, and Environment and Transportation Committee members. This testimony is on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading organization in the D.C. region advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities. We are strongly in favor of the Modest Homes Choice Act, a bill that will increase housing options throughout Maryland.
HB 1406 legalizes multifamily housing in neighborhoods with higher incomes, an abundance of job opportunities, and access to good public transit. This is the core of smart growth: targeting growth in the right places so that our neighborhoods are more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous.
Economic: An abundant housing stock is critical to Maryland’s economic competitiveness. A 2016 economic competitiveness report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments found that high housing costs is one of the three major trends threatening our regional economy. Allowing more housing options will give the market the ability to respond to major job growth. Furthermore, housing closer to jobs will reduce travel times on Maryland’s famously congested roadways.
Equity: Right now, owning a home is prohibitively expensive for many families for many reasons, including that the supply of housing in high-demand areas hasn’t kept pace with demand. For example, 47 percent of land in Montgomery County is zoned for single-family detached housing only, restraining the amount of new housing allowed and limiting the diversity of housing options.
The difference between a $600,000 single family home and a $400,000 duplex can be the difference between a family being able to afford access to better jobs, better schools, healthier food, and so much more. It’s time for our zoning to reflect our inclusive values.
Sustainability: Housing in the right location is a climate solution. When families can’t afford to live close to where they work, they “drive until they qualify,” searching farther and farther out for affordable housing. This results in both increased traffic congestion and increased greenhouse gas emissions. In California, increases in vehicle miles traveled completely cancelled out any environmental benefits of more electric vehicles. At a time when transportation is our largest source of emissions in Maryland, we need to allow more housing in places that will result in less driving.
This bill is part of a larger “Homes for All” legislative package, which includes two other bills: HB 1149, which creates a program to finance social housing projects, and HB 744, which is an omnibus renter’s rights bill. Our housing crises is multifaceted, and it’s vital to attack it with a variety of tools since no solution is a silver bullet. Zoning is one of the most powerful tools we have to increase the supply of housing and assure abundant, diverse housing options for Marylanders in all stages of life and at all ranges of income.
Therefore, we urge you to support HB 1406 and legalize more housing and more housing options where they are most needed. Thank you for your consideration.
CSG in the News: “Could free Metro in D.C. be expanded to Maryland and Virginia?”
“A ‘transformative’ plan has transit advocates looking beyond D.C. Council“
By Pete Muntean | WUSA9 | March 3, 2020
WASHINGTON — D.C. Council will now decide if it will pay for its residents to ride Metro for free.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen officially introduced his plan on Tuesday. If it passes, those in the District could get a hundred dollars on their SmarTrip cards each month.
“It’s great for businesses, great for employees,” said Allen of the Metro For D.C. 2020 Amendment. “But really, most important for those who have the least amount of access but have to pay the most for Metro, this can be transformative for working families.”
Allen says the program would be rolled out in stages.
He says low-income families would be able to apply first. A family of four making less than 80-thousand dollars a year would qualify. Those behind the plan stress it includes extra bus service putting the total cost between $50 million and $150 million each year — a cost city council supporters say D.C. can afford.
“It’s an innovative approach that Councilmember Allen has proposed,” said Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. He said the idea could be expanded to Maryland and Virginia, but neither state legislature has proposed such a bill.
“We have to bring Virginia and Maryland on board,” said Schwartz, who said that free transit regionwide will benefit everyone with less traffic and cleaner air. He said that is the next step, but the District has the chance to take the first step.
“I’d love to be able to get to that,” said Allen. “This is going to be incredibly important to District of Columbia residents, but to be able to do free fare, we’re going to have to get Maryland, Virginia and the District all on the same page.”
Metro has not said what it thinks of this idea.
Those behind this bill also cannot say when this would go into effect. They tell WUSA9 this is a big effort — and say it could take a year and maybe longer.
Testimony supporting Purple Line Marketing Program
February 27, 2020
Environment and Transportation Committee
House Office Building, Room 251
Annapolis, MD 21401
HB 876, Transportation – Purple Line Marketing Program (Purple Line Marketing Act) (Support)
Testimony for February 27, 2020
Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager
Thank you, Chair Barve, Vice Chair Stein, and Environment and Transportation Committee members. This testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading organization in the D.C. region advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities. We support HB 876 and the development of a sound marketing plan that will help maximize usage of the Purple Line.
HB 876 would require the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) along with certain stakeholders to create a marketing plan that would attract interest in the Purple Line before operations begin and promote usage of the Purple Line after operations begin. This bill would also require the Governor to dedicate $1,000,000 from the Transportation Trust Fund toward marketing efforts over three years.
Maryland residents experience some of the longest commute times in the nation, with high levels of traffic congestion and a steady increase in vehicle miles travelled each year. This is why sustainable transit options, such as the Purple Line, are necessary. The Purple Line will decrease the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the road, decrease traffic congestion, and encourage the development of transit-oriented communities, all of which are important for spurring economic development along the Purple Line corridor and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
A sound marketing plan is crucial to ensuring that the benefits of the Purple Line are adequately relayed to potential riders. A marketing plan will help frame the Purple Line as an attractive alternative to single- occupancy vehicle use, influencing commuting decisions and attracting new customers. Marketing for Richmond, Virginia’s Pulse Bus Rapid Transit system contributed to a record increase in transit ridership.
Maryland has invested a significant amount of time and resources into planning, constructing, and operating the Purple Line. To maximize the return on this investment, the next practical step would be to develop a marketing plan that focuses on spreading information about the benefits of this modern rail service.
Therefore, we ask you to vote in favor of HB 876. Thank you for your consideration.