We wish to testify in support of Bill 20-707, the Land Disposition Transparency Act of 2014. We have tracked public land dispositions for several years and applaud the significant public benefits that have been delivered as a result of them. As laudable as many of these public land dispositions are, the process for how a public subsidy is provided to a private development to accomplish public goals is opaque. The process has often left the public wondering if it received the best deal.
Category: Affordable Housing
Support affordable housing in public lands, B20-594 & Amend bill to shorten affordability terms B20-604
Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG). The Coalition for
Smarter Growth is the leading organization working locally in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Our mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish.
Amend B20-604, “Affordable Homeownership Preservation and Equity Accumulation Amendment Act of 2013”
The “Affordable Homeownership Preservation and Equity Accumulation Amendment Act of 2013,” Council Bill 20-604, over time could reduce the amount of resources available for future housing needs by shrinking how much of the public’s investment in affordable housing is preserved. While the bill currently proposed would make several changes that would exclude many current affordable homeownership organization’s efforts, amendments to reverse these proposed changes have been agreed to by the key supporters of the bill with the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED).
DC AHA Briefing: Local Rent Supplement Program
LRSP is a tool being used to provide housing for District residents with extremely low incomes, including those with special needs. It does so by preserving and producing affordable housing, and by providing direct rental assistance in the form of vouchers.
DC AHA Briefing: Zoning for Housing Choices
After decades of decline, DC is growing rapidly. Last year, the city added 13,022 residents. Housing permits in the last few years have jumped — 3,200-4,600 units/year for 2011 to 2013, up from the peak of 2,800 in 2005.
DC AHA Briefing: Shared Equity – Ensuring DC homeownership benefits residents
Shared equity defined: A shared equity approach balances two competing but valid public objectives in affordable homeownership programs: wealth creation and preservation of housing affordability.
DC AHA Briefing: Public Land Dispositions
Over the last decade, DC has lost half of its low-cost rental units and more and more residents now pay more than 50 percent of the income on housing—a severe burden that leaves them more vulnerable to homelessness.
DC AHA Briefing: New Communities Program
The Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development administers NCP. NCP is the District’s major redevelopment initiative slated to re-develop four low-income public housing complexes in the following neighborhoods:
DC AHA Briefing: Inclusionary Zoning
DC Zoning Commission adopted Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) regulations, and the DC Council and Mayor enacted the program into law in 2006. The final regulations for the law went into effect on August 14, 2009. Due to the recession and grandfathering, IZ units did not appear on the market until 2012.
DC AHA Briefing: Commercial Linkage Program
Commercial linkage programs charge large commercial developments one-time fees which help pay for the affordable housing needed by the people employed by commercial developments. The cities of Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle as well as a number of Washington area suburban jurisdictions collect linkage fees from commercial developments that meet or exceed significant size thresholds. These fees are charged on a per square foot basis.