The Coalition for Smarter Growth thanks the Montgomery County Council for voting today to pass the University Boulevard Corridor Plan.
Category: Affordable Housing
WIN! Montgomery County Council approves the University Blvd Corridor Plan
On Tuesday, December 9, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve the University Boulevard Corridor Plan by a vote of 7-3. The plan creates a strong framework for safer streets, a wider variety of housing options, a connected bike network, and new homes and retail near transit.
Take Action: Tell the DC Zoning Commission to upzone Wisconsin Ave. from Friendship Heights & Tenleytown Metro stations
On December 11, 2025, the DC Zoning Commission will consider a major upzoning for the upper Wisconsin Avenue corridor near the Friendship Heights and Tenleytown Metro stations (Zoning Case 25-13) which could bring thousands of much-needed homes to this high opportunity area.
Voice your support for a more inclusive Ward 3! The opponents are coming out strongly against it – so we need you to step up! Here’s how:
- Send a letter of support by December 10 — click below & personalize it!
- Sign up to testify virtually on 12/11, 4 pm. Live, virtual testimony at the Zoning Commission is crucial to countering the number of forceful opponents we expect. Sign up & get tips on testifying here. Or ask us! Cheryl@smartergrowth.net.
The upper Wisconsin Avenue Corridor with two Metro stations and many local services is the perfect place to provide the housing our city needs.
Image source: DC Office of Planning
Want more background on the Wisconsin Av. rezoning? Check out our explainer here.
New Carrollton station area walking tour
On Dec. 2, 2025, we met up to take a look at what’s been happening around the New Carrollton Metro station. It’s a Metro station, a bus station, an Amtrak station, a MARC station, and coming soon: a Purple Line station! We got a bird’s eye view from the top of the Metro parking garage and saw lots of progress and preparation for new housing, transit facilities, and even a bit of retail around the New Carrollton Metro station. Check out the Metro handout on all the building around the Metro station.
Tour Speakers:
Nia Rubin, Acting Vice President, Office of Real Estate and Development, WMATA
Matt Sanchez, Director of Development, Urban Atlantic Development
Vic Weissberg, Prince George’s County Dept. of Public Works and Transportation
Karen Guzman, Office of Prince George’s District 3 County Council Member Eric Olson
Ray Biggs, II, Senior Project Director, Purple Line, Maryland Transit Administration
Scott Gottbreht, PhD, Assistant Secretary of Policy, Maryland Dept. of Housing & Community Development
Alan Lederman, Managing Director of Development, Urban Atlantic Development
Pictured: Matt Sanchez, Urban Atlantic, speaks to the group, overlooking the site for the new affordable senior building located across Garden City Drive. Photo by Dan Behrend.
Co-sponsors: CSG, WMATA, MDOT & RISE Prince George’s
Pictured: Ray Biggs, II, Senior Project Director, Purple Line, Maryland Transit Administration, and Cheryl Cort, CSG. Background: Purple Line station under construction and the IRS building.
Webinar: Maryland housing needs & solutions
Join us December 8 for a conversation about two important housing reports—and where we go from here
Beyond Luxury: How New Housing Affects Affordability. Virtual Screening + Q&A with Justine Underhill
Join us as we explore this question through a virtual screening of the video, What Luxury Housing Does to Homelessness, followed by a Q&A with creator and Falls Church City Councilmember Justine Underhill.
DC Alert: Support more homes for Cleveland Park and Woodley Park
Send a letter of support by Dec. 1, 2025 to the DC Zoning Commission in support of upzoning along Connecticut Avenue, Zoning Case No. 25-09.
Tell the DC Zoning Commission that you support the proposed new mixed-use zones (Zoning Case No. 25-09) to permit taller buildings to allow for more homes, including affordable homes, above shops for the Cleveland Park and Woodley Park business districts on Connecticut Avenue. Any new buildings would be subject to the design guidelines adopted by the Historic Preservation Review Board. The zoning proposal would also remove the cap on restaurants in these business districts, which will help fill in vacant storefronts and attract new businesses. Send your letter before December 1.
Sign up in advance to testify on Dec. 1 at 4 pm. The hearing is virtual!
Image by DC Office of Planning, ZC No. 25-09.
DC Testimony Workshop: Preparing for Wisc. Ave. Rezoning
Date: Nov. 10 2025, 7 – 8:30 pm
AGENDA
Introductions – name, neighborhood, motive
How to testify
- Sign up & what to expect at virtual hearing 4pm, ~5pm proponents start
- Principles for testifying
- Proponent with or without recommended improvements
- What’s motivating you to be here
- Tell your personal housing story, don’t worry about details, don’t be an expert
- Dos/Donts – don’t oppose because it’s not good enough, instead support & urge to make it better; do make it personal rather than being an expert; only speak for allotted 3 minutes; always be polite & respectful of commissioners & all others – including opponents; don’t worry – Commissioners want to hear from you they are not are not out to get you
- Sample testimony- below
Peter Shapiro – How to have the most impact
How to testify – check in
- Ask participants: What’s your main argument – why do you care about approving this upzoning? (one sentence)
3. Q & A – resource people
Resources
Support transit and inclusive housing options in the University Boulevard Corridor Plan
The University Boulevard Corridor Plan envisions a community with safer streets, thriving local businesses, better public transit, and more housing choices to meet people’s needs at all ages and stages of life.
Visit our landing page at smartergrowth.net/ubc to take action and learn more about the plan.
Ward 3 Smart Growth & Affordable Housing Happy Hour
Residents and community activists got together in Tenleytown on October 7 to socialize and talk about opportunities to build more sustainable inclusive and walkable neighborhoods, especially in Ward 3.