Category: Housing

Release: Chevy Chase affordable housing supporters urge DC council to act on long-debated mixed-income housing proposal

Release: Chevy Chase affordable housing supporters urge DC council to act on long-debated mixed-income housing proposal

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2026

Contact: Cheryl Cort, cheryl@smartergrowth.net

Chevy Chase affordable housing supporters urge DC council to act on long-debated mixed-income housing proposal

Today, a group of local affordable housing supporters called on the DC Council to authorize building affordable mixed-income housing along with a new library and community center for Chevy Chase. The bill was introduced this week and is anticipated to be heard by the DC Council in October. 

“We’ve been planning and debating this proposal for years. It’s time to act. Chevy Chase needs this affordable housing. It also needs a new library and community center,” said former ANC3/4G Chair Lisa Gore, President of Chevy Chase Forward, a community group that is advocating for affordable housing as part of the redevelopment.

Since the selected project was announced, the number of affordable homes has increased to more than half of the 177 units. Thirty percent of the homes will be deeply affordable at 30% and 50% of area median income, and 20% of the units will be affordable for households earning up to 80% area median income. A total of 90 new affordable homes are planned for this rare public site in Ward 3. The affordability term for all the affordable units is 99 years, which is also the term for the ground lease (which is actually an air rights lease).

“I want others to have the opportunity that I’ve been able to provide to my son by finding a nice place I can afford in this lovely community. That’s also what I hear from my constituents,” said ANC 3/4G-05 Commissioner Karrenthya Simmons.

With the severe downturn in housing construction, especially for affordable housing construction in DC, this project promises to be one of the few groundbreakings DC will see in the next few years. 

“This proposal fulfills two goals of the social housing ideal: mixed-income housing, and DC’s retention of control of the land to ensure permanent affordability for these new homes,” noted WIN Ward 3 Steering Committee member Barbara Kraft.

“Ward 3, but especially Chevy Chase, has been historically exclusionary for far too long due to redlining, racial covenants, and detached single-family zoning. The Chevy Chase Civic Site development is a step in the right direction towards rectifying these historical wrongs and building more housing at all income levels in DC,” said Dennis Jing, a volunteer organizer for the DC YIMBYs. 

“In a time when no one is investing in new affordable housing in DC, this project is a standout opportunity to bring needed homes to this sought-after neighborhood,” said Ron Eichner, Ward3Vision steering committee member and long-time Chevy Chase resident.

This housing is part of the plan to rebuild the library, community center, and outdoor public space. Planning is already underway for programming for these new public facilities.

“This is a rare opportunity to make the most of public land to bring much needed affordable housing to this community. After years of planning, now it’s time to build affordable, mixed-income housing along with beautiful new public facilities,” said Randy Speck, Chevy Chase Forward board member and former chair of ANC 3/4G.

The next step is for the DC Council to schedule a public hearing on the proposal. The hearing is expected to occur in October. Supporters of mixed-income housing are urging Councilmembers to quickly review and approve the legislation to allow the project to go forward. 

This coalition for Chevy Chase affordable housing includes: Chevy Chase Forward, Ward3Vision, Coalition for Smarter Growth, DC YIMBYs, WIN Ward 3

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Testimony: Amend CB 92-2026, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) requirements in Prince George’s County

Testimony: Amend CB 92-2026, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) requirements in Prince George’s County

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

September 14, 2026

Hon. Wala Blegay, Chair, PHED Committee, Prince George’s County Council

Wayne K. Curry Administration Building, 1301 McCormick Drive, Largo, MD 20774

RE: Amend CB 092-2026, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) requirements

Dear members of the Committee:

Please accept this testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. We also support and work closely with RISE Prince George’s, a group of county residents and allies advocating for policies and practices that build shared, sustainable prosperity in Prince George’s County by creating safe, walkable, inclusive and transit-oriented communities. 

We have several concerns about this bill which could create unnecessary barriers to creating an accessory dwelling unit on a single family detached house lot. 

  1. Owner occupancy – we oppose this requirement as an impediment to creating ADUs. However, if this requirement is implemented, we ask that the provisions for exceptions be broadened to allow more time for an absent owner to rent out the property. We recognize the bill has created a path for new construction, which is welcome. 
  2. Notice – we oppose the provision for an informational notice. The purpose of this is unclear. It creates a new, special notice provision that is an unnecessary burden for an owner who is building and ADU. This notice provision treats the action like a partial variance or special exception process – yet a new process would have to be invented. 
  3. Short term rental – we oppose special restrictions on short term rental for ADUs. We recommend that ADU rentals be governed by county law on short term rentals. Short term rentals should be governed by rental licensing provisions. 
  4. Woodland, Wildlife Conservation and Tree Canopy Coverage ordinances – we oppose this special provision for ADUs to be restricted from variances, waivers. We recommend that the ADU be subject to the same standards in these ordinances. 
  5. Imperviousness surface requirements – we ask that the Council ensure this provision be consistent with existing treatment of single family residential uses. We suggest that the provision for adding a small amount of imperviousness could be addressed by setting a threshold under which new construction can comply with existing permitted imperviousness. We also recognize that the Planning Department comments recommend deleting this provision, as lot coverage can be assessed through the building permit site plan. 

We urge the Committee to support the creation of ADUs, without adding costly and complicated requirements that will have a significant impact on the ability of a resident to build an ADU. 

ADUs offer many benefits to individual families and to the community. ADUs help meet a variety of needs, and often help provide new types of housing close to in-demand locations like Metro stations and downtowns.

ADUs benefit the environment by providing smaller, less costly housing in an existing neighborhood already served by existing infrastructure. This creates more affordable housing options, while better utilizing existing public investments. These smaller homes help fulfill housing needs such as caregiver housing for an aging homeowner or for an adult child with a disability. An ADU can also help a young family afford to have a larger home by allowing them to rent out the unit until they are ready to use the expanded living space for themselves. 

We urge the Committee to remove the burdensome requirements from this bill so we can encourage this flexible type of housing.  It’s hard enough to build an ADU, it might be impossible with costly, complicated restrictions. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cort, DC and Prince George’s Policy Director

CSG in the News: Hopes are pinned on Viva White Oak to transform eastern Montgomery County

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Carrie Kisicki, the Maryland housing advocacy manager at the Coalition for Smarter Growth, said she hopes future projects in White Oak will exceed the county’s affordable housing minimum.

Still, she said, even Viva White Oak units that aren’t designated as moderately priced will help people live more affordably by shortening costly commutes.

ACTION ALERT: Support ADUs in Prince George’s

ACTION ALERT: Support ADUs in Prince George’s

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

On September 3, 2026, the Prince George’s County Council will consider a bill (CB 74) to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs). This bill is driven by a state law that requires local governments to ease restrictions on ADUs and allow them by right in single family zones. After years of talking about it, now something is finally happening! Send a letter of support to the County Council. Also take a short Council survey on the proposal. Tell them we want ADUs – without a lot of onerous restrictions. 

Send a letter, take the survey

Why we love ADUs

The bill would allow this flexible housing type on a single-family lot, diversifying housing options that can better meet the needs of families and the community. Here are some of the benefits:

  • Allows smaller, less costly housing in an existing neighborhood with existing services;
  • Helps an aging couple add a dwelling so that their adult children can live on the same lot;
  • Enables a family to add a unit for an adult child with a disability, providing both proximity and independence, or provides a caregiver living space;
  • Helps a young family cover the costs of homeownership by renting out a backyard cottage or basement apartment.

What’s in the bill 

The current bill (CB 74-2026) at a County Council committee will legalize ADUs with reasonable rules — which follow the state law which requires local governments to allow ADUs. 

The bill would allow an ADU as a matter of right that:

  • Is on the same lot with a single-family detached house;
  • Is not greater than 75% of the size of, and is subordinate to the principal house;
  • Can be a separate structure (e.g. garage conversion) or an addition to, or inside the existing house (e.g. basement apartment);
  • No taller than 22 feet, or shorter than the principal house;
  • Does not add more than 900 square feet of lot coverage as an addition to the principal house.

These are basic rules that still allow a one or two story accessory independent living unit that is smaller than the principal single-family detached house. This works!

Beware of excessive restrictions

ADUs are often stymied by excessive regulations such as owner-occupancy requirements, and complicated forms, extra reviews and approvals. Send a letter — say you want to welcome ADUs into Prince George’s neighborhoods, without a lot of onerous restrictions. 

Weigh in before the Council’s committee meeting on September 3, 2026