On October 21, the D.C. Council voted unanimously to ensure that the long delayed Inclusionary Zoning affordable housing law is implemented. Championed by Chairman Vincent Gray and Councilmember Jim Graham, the bill fully reflects the position of the Campaign for Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning, which has repeatedly requested implementation by the Mayor since original legislation was approved in December 2006.
Category: District of Columbia
DC – Comments on the Brookland Plan
These comments were submitted to the DC Department of Planning regarding the proposed Small Area Plan (SAP) for the Brookland Metro Station. CSG strongly supports the redevelopment, but also offered suggestions for improvement.
3,000 DC Area Residents Pledge a Car Free Day
The recent surge in gas prices exposed the high cost of driving and sparked a sea change in thinking about how we get around and even where we live. Now, over 3000 area residents have signed a pledge to test car free living for a day, as part of the Washington DC region’s participation in “Car Free Day.”
DC: Proposed Changes to Parking Regulations
At the time that our city instituted its zoning code in 1958, urban planners of the era, including Harold Lewis, who wrote the new zoning plan for the city, envisioned a very different future. The Lewis plan cited the need to require off-street parking for all new development hoping for“…the eventual removal of curb parking and the subsequent freeing of the traffic arteries.”
Update to D.C.’s 1958 Zoning Code for Parking Offers Better Choices for Residents and Commuters
The location, amount and pricing of parking directly affects driving habits, traffic congestion, air quality, and the urban fabric of our city. Tonight’s public hearing before the D.C. Zoning Commission provides the opportunity to voice support for the Office of Planning’s proposed comprehensive reform of parking regulations. The proposed changes protect walkable historic neighborhoods, promote transit-oriented development, help make new housing more affordable, and help improve commuting conditions for all.
WalkScore Ranks DC In Top 10 Most Walkable Cities
Today WalkScore.com released its national rankings of the most walkable and unwalkable communities in the United States, highlighting the District of Columbia’s neighborhoods as the 7th most walkable city in the country.
Ward 3 Vision Lauds Tenley Library Partnership
Today, residents of Ward 3 were excited to hear that Mayor Fenty established a public private partnership to rebuild the Tenley Friendship Library.
Smart Growth-Conservation Group Honors Business Leader Robert Peck
Last night at a special reception in the revitalized U Street neighborhood, the Coalition for Smarter Growth recognized long-time business-leader Robert Peck with its fifth annual Livable Communities Leadership Award. Mr. Peck, former president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, was introduced by Alex Orfinger, publisher of the Washington Business Journal.
D.C.: FY2009 Budget Support Act of 2008
I am here today to speak on two specific tax policy issues, both of which could be targeted to more efficiently support those communities they were created to serve, and to appeal to the City Council to remain especially prudent and careful in exercising tax relief during lean economic cycles such as we are experiencing at the current time.
Pedestrians Unsafe on Washington Region’s “Mean Streets”
A few days before a regional pedestrian safety summit, the Coalition for Smarter Growth released a new study of pedestrian safety in the Washington, D.C., region. The report finds that suburban jurisdictions are the least safe for walkers, especially Fairfax County, Virginia, and Prince George’s County, Maryland. While jurisdictions are taking steps to improve safety, the Coalition is calling on our region’s leaders to redouble their efforts to ensure that walking is a safe means of travel, and to commit to reducing by half the number of pedestrian crashes that result in death and severe injury in our communities.