Category: Resources

Sign-on letter: CSG joins Transportation for America, 75 other groups in asking Biden administration to restore GHG performance measures

Posted on by Emily Maurer
2021_02_12_GHG-measure-LetterDownload

The Honorable Peter Buttigieg 

Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Secretary Buttigieg: 

Congratulations on your confirmation as the 19th Secretary of the Department of Transportation. We are grateful for your service and look forward to working with you. 

We are writing to urge the Biden administration to reinstate the greenhouse gas (GHG) performance measure. This can be done immediately through executive action initiating a notice of proposed rulemaking to reinstate the measure. 

Transportation accounts for the largest share of carbon emissions in the United States, and these emissions are rising. Yet in 2017, the Trump administration repealed the GHG performance measure that would have required states to measure and reduce GHG emissions from transportation. With the climate crisis worsening, we must take immediate action to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. 

In addition to those undersigned, reinstating the GHG performance measure is supported by 47 Senators and Members of Congress who, led by Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Earl Blumenauer, recently wrote to ask that you “urgently” restore this critical policy. 

Thank you for considering this request. We look forward to working together on this important issue. 

Sincerely, 

Beth Osborne, Director 

Transportation for America

RELEASE: DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate Change

RELEASE: DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate Change

Posted on by Emily Maurer
Release-DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate ChangeDownload

Coalition for Smarter Growth

February 12, 2021 

For Immediate Release 

Contact:  Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437 

“Voices of the Region” Survey Shows the Region’s Residents Want to Walk and  Bike More, Drive Less, and Prioritize Projects that Address Climate Change 

Points to Need for Less Road Building, and More Sustainable, Walkable Communities 

A recently completed survey asked the Metropolitan Washington region’s residents about their  travel before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that residents’ travel  patterns have changed as a result of the pandemic and that they would like to continue to walk and bike more and drive less post-pandemic. These results are similar to those from a national  survey project. 

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) will receive a presentation at  its meeting Wednesday, February 17, on the survey, which is intended to inform the update to  the regional long-range transportation plan. This survey was conducted using randomly drawn  addresses, covered all geographic sub-areas of the region and resulted in over 2,400 complete  responses, with a margin of error of +/-2.5%. 

“The findings of this survey are critically important and should be an important factor in the  Transportation Planning Board’s development of their next long-range transportation plan,  which is underway right now,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. 

“Recently, the TPB voted to prioritize projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled and  greenhouse gas emissions. This survey points to public support for telecommuting, walking,  biking, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is a bigger concern than traffic  congestion according to the survey,” said Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG. “Land use  must be a core solution to achieve people’s goals of driving less, walking and biking more, and  fighting climate change. In fact the survey showed the benefits of this approach in that people  living in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria, our most compact jurisdictions with the most transit oriented land use, expressed the least concern about traffic congestion.” 

“We hope that our elected officials and government transportation planners will take to heart  both the results of this survey and the urgency to reduce driving and associated greenhouse gas emissions when they create our next regional transportation plan,” said Schwartz. “In the  process there will be other significant benefits including meeting people’s desire to walk and  bike more, and create a world that future generations will thank us for.” 

CSG’s Summary of Important Findings from the Survey 

More Walking and Biking, Less Driving Anticipated for All Travel Post-Pandemic 

38% of respondents expect a change in their travel patterns (both work and non-work travel)  one year post-pandemic compared to their pre-pandemic travel patterns. 53% of all  respondents anticipate walking more and 26% anticipate biking more, in contrast to only 3%  who anticipate walking or biking less. While 34% of residents anticipate driving more, this was  more than offset by the 47% of respondents who anticipate driving less for daily trips, a 13  percent net difference of residents who anticipate driving less.  

Overwhelming Support for Expanded Pedestrian Zones, Bike Lanes, Bus Lanes 

Three quarters of survey respondents said they supported use of street space for expanded  pedestrian access and restaurant seating. 63% support more or wider sidewalks and bike lanes. 

While transit ridership has been impacted by the pandemic, a clear majority of the region’s  residents, 71%, which includes many non-bus riders, support dedicated bus lanes. And a  narrow majority (54%) are supportive of dedicated bus lanes even in situations that involve  removal of on-street parking. 

Additional Bicycle Infrastructure, Road Safety Measures, or Access to a Bicycle Would  Make Most of the Region’s Residents More Likely to Bike 

The survey asked respondents about improvements that would make them more likely to use a  bicycle. The proposed improvements with the highest percentages of residents more likely to  bike as a result were: more direct and complete bicycle lanes and routes (34% of respondents),  bicycle lanes separated from vehicles by a barrier (32%), and bicycle lanes or trails near home  (31%). Overall, only a minority (42%) of all residents indicated that no improvements would  make them more likely to use a bike. 

When broken down by age, the impact of bike infrastructure improvements for the region’s  residents under 30 was especially high. Almost half indicated that more direct and complete  bicycle lanes and routes or lanes near home would make them more likely to bike. Only a small  minority (24%) indicated that no improvements would make them more likely to use a bike.

Less Transit Use Anticipated, But Respondents Indicate Service Enhancements Would  Make Them More Likely to Use Transit 

While 13% anticipate using transit more, 38% anticipate using it less one year post-pandemic.  Only 5% of frequent transit riders pre-pandemic and only 26% of infrequent transit riders pre pandemic indicated that nothing would make them more likely to ride public transportation  after the pandemic.  

Most respondents cited measures that transit agencies can undertake to make them more  likely to ride transit. About half of frequent transit users pre-pandemic responded that more  frequent cleaning, more spacing of people on bus and train cars, and more frequent service  would make them more likely to use transit after the pandemic. (Of note, numerous studies  have shown that even during the pandemic, riding transit is relatively low risk. Also, transit  agencies in the region have implemented some of these safety measures already). 

“The survey shows that frequency and reliability of service and convenient real-time travel  information continue to be significant factors for making people more likely to use transit. Safe  and convenient routes to walk, bike or scoot to train stations and bus stops were also found to  be significant factors in transit ridership, where more improvement is needed across the  region,” said Schwartz. 

Climate Change is a Significant Concern and Residents Overwhelming Want Officials to  Address it in Transportation Plans 

84% of the region’s residents agree with the statement that elected officials need to consider  the impacts of climate change when planning transportation in the future. For residents under  30 years of age, those most impacted by our long-range planning decisions and climate change,  that percentage rises to 92%. 

Traffic Congestion is Less of a Concern Than Climate Change 

Less than half of respondents (44%) indicated that traffic congestion is a significant concern  that impacts their lives. 25% said congestion was somewhat a concern that impacted their lives  a little. 

Residents of core jurisdictions (Arlington, Alexandria, and the District of Columbia) reported the  highest satisfaction with the transportation system and least concern about congestion. 75% of  Core residents say that the regional transportation system meets their needs very well or  somewhat well, in contrast to 55% of Inner Suburb (Montgomery, Fairfax, Prince George’s)  residents and 38% of Outer Suburb residents. Likewise, only 27% of Core residents say that  congestion is a significant concern that impacts their quality of life, in contrast to 46% of Inner  Suburb residents and 54% of Outer Suburb residents. 

“What these survey results suggest is that the more compact development in the core doesn’t  reduce the satisfaction of residents when it comes to transportation, and may reflect the  variety of transportation options available (walk, bike, transit) and shorter commutes or trips to  the corner store. In contrast, people living farther out are being provided with fewer non driving options and face longer commutes in congestion generated by high-levels of auto dependent development,” said Pugh. “It points to the need for more housing options in the  region’s walkable communities near transit and job centers, along with more affordable  housing in these locations, and increased investment in transit.” 

Residents Say that Future Generations Will Thank Us More for Clean Transportation,  Transit, Walking, and Biking than for Wider Roads 

The survey asked “What transportation investments should we make today that future  generations will thank us for tomorrow?” and allowed respondents to provide their own open ended answers.  

The majority of the answers involved clean transportation, public transportation, and  improvements for walking and biking. A much smaller group cited roads, parking, and  congestion. 

● 259 responses mentioned expanding areas served by rail transit and bike infrastructure

● 172 mentioned clean transportation (electric vehicles, lower emissions)

● 72 responses mentioned improving the condition of (fixing and making more resilient)  existing roads and bridges. 

● Just 134 responses mentioned more or wider roads 

Increased Telecommuting 

33% of respondents anticipate telecommuting at least one day a week after the pandemic, up  from 16% who telecommuted at least one day a week pre-pandemic. Among the 60% of  respondents currently telecommuting during the pandemic, approximately half would want to  continue to telework 3-4 days per week.  

“Both national and local surveys of employers and employees predict sustained higher rates of  teleworking after the pandemic compared to beforehand. This means that many of the highway  and arterial expansion projects being planned in the region are based on outdated travel  forecasts. Many of these projects were based on the premise of addressing peak-of-the-peak  commuting congestion, but these trips may fall significantly. The Washington, DC region needs  to cancel or at least put on the back burner these major road expansion proposals,” said  Schwartz. “At the same time, we need to ensure that our transit system meets the needs of  people returning to work and addresses their concerns, especially people without personal  vehicle options.” 

Land Use and Affordable Housing are Key Solutions But Are Missing From the Survey 

“The Voices of the Region survey asked some great questions and provided lots of valuable  insights. However, one of the areas it missed was asking about the proximity of services and  destinations that are important to residents,” said Pugh. 

● Do residents live close to their basic needs and would they want to have them closer?

● What factors make that difficult, is it due to the lack of affordable housing in walkable,  mixed-use neighborhoods or due to job centers in isolated office parks? 

“We see that 75% of Core residents find that the region’s transportation system meets their  needs, and that has as much to do with the compact, walkable built environment as with the  transportation options available beyond driving in places like DC, Arlington and Alexandria,”  said Pugh.  

Pugh continued, “three fourths of the trips in the region are for non-commuting purposes, so  even if people are teleworking more, they will still want shorter and easier trips that don’t  always involve getting in the car. The best way to address the evolving travel needs and desires  of most residents to walk and bike more, is in our land use planning. Mixed-use, walkable,  compact neighborhoods offer safe and convenient options for accessing basic needs.”  

A Gap in the Survey — Failure to Reach Enough Low-Income Residents 

“Low-income residents were less well represented than other groups according to consultant  staff who presented the survey results at the TPB’s recent Technical Committee meeting. So it  would be good to understand from the focus groups and possible follow-up surveys how the  region can best meet the transportation and housing location needs of low-income residents  and workers,” said Pugh. While low-income residents expressed similar satisfaction with the  transportation system as non-low-income residents, staff said in their presentation that this  result may be due to the concentration of those low-income residents sampled in Core and  Inner jurisdictions.  

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RELEASE: Diverse group of housing supporters urges Chairman Mendelson & DC Council to pass the DC Comp Plan

RELEASE: Diverse group of housing supporters urges Chairman Mendelson & DC Council to pass the DC Comp Plan

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

Today, the Housing Priorities Coalition and allies urged the DC Council to pass the DC Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act. The letter cited the Comp Plan update as one of our most critical tools to address housing affordability, racial equity and a number of other challenges. The proposed legislation has been waiting for DC Council action since the Mayor submitted it in April 2020.

HPC Comp Plan February 2021 DC Council LetterDownload

The Housing Priorities Coalition formed four years ago to help update the DC Comprehensive Plan, the land use policy that guides development decisions in the District.  Learn more here.

CSG Testimony to County Council in support of ZTA 20-07 and Bill 52-20

Posted on by Emily Maurer
2021.02.03-CSG-Testimony-on-ZTA-20-07-Bill-52-20-County-Council-Public-Hearing-FinalDownload

February 8, 2021 

Montgomery County Council 

Stella Werner Council Office Building 

100 Maryland Ave 

Rockville, MD 20850 

Zoning Text Amendment 20-07, R-60 Zone – Uses and Standards (Support) and Bill 52-20, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Protection Against Rent Gouging Near Transit  (Support with Amendments) 

Testimony for February 11, 2021 

Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager 

Council President Hucker and councilmembers, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony  on both ZTA 20-07 and Bill 52-20. My name is Jane Lyons and these comments are on behalf of the  Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading organization in the D.C. region advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the  DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. 

Montgomery County has a housing crisis, a crisis that stretches from those with the lowest incomes  to even those of upper-moderate incomes. There are too many people who spend over half their  income to keep a roof over their and their loved ones’ heads, and fear that next year’s rent increase  will force them to find a new home. There are also too many people who feel that they cannot  comfortably age-in-place in the communities they’ve called home for decades and too many young  families who find it impossible to put down roots. 

Montgomery County is a great place to live, which is why so many people want to be here, but we do  not have enough housing to meet the high and growing demand, especially in walkable, transit oriented neighborhoods. Wealthier households are able to out-bid others, pushing teachers,  healthcare workers, and other essential workers to farther and farther out, undermining our economy  and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. 

There is no easy answer to solve our housing challenges, but the two proposals before you this  evening are a step in the right direction. Neither proposal is perfect, but both are the beginning of  critical conversations about making sure the county’s housing opportunities are more inclusive,  sustainable, and affordable. 

First, ZTA 20-07: From various studies, reports, and plans over the past several years, missing  middle housing typologies such as duplexes and townhomes have emerged again and again as a 

Coalition for Smarter Growth smartergrowth.net 202-675-0016 

key tool that we continue to constrict. Building duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings  near transit needs to be much less onerous. To do this, they need to be allowed by-right with  appropriate requirements, although those requirements must ensure that middle housing types are  actually feasible to construct.  

We would also like to see this initiative expanded to include both R-60 and R-90 zones near Metro,  Purple Line, and along major transit corridors. However, targeting zoning reform only around transit  does not undo the legacy of inequitable land use policies and segregation. We encourage zoning  initiatives such as this to also enable a diversity of housing options in areas of high incomes and job  clusters. To that end, we also urge you to consider creative approaches for incentivizing affordability  in middle housing developments. 

Secondly, Bill 52-20: We support legislation to restrict rent gouging, but such legislation must be  carefully crafted to make sure that rent controls do not result in a reduction in new housing or  disinvestment in existing housing. To achieve a more balanced policy, we propose the following  amendments: 

1. Set the rate of allowed increase to three percent plus the rate of inflation. The voluntary rent  guidelines, while useful, are essentially just the rate of inflation – the most restrictive type of  rent control policy. The cost of labor, construction, and climate change mitigation/adaptation  measures are often rising faster than the rate of inflation. 

2. Apply the provision countywide so that all renters are protected and transit-oriented  development is not disincentivized. 

3. Increase the exemption period for new buildings to 15 years. Properties need to produce the  highest rate of return for the first 10-17 years in order to pay off construction loans. Without  an expanded exemption period, new construction is unlikely. 

4. Consider different treatment for small multi-family buildings (10 to 50 units) and exempt  buildings less than 10 units. Smaller buildings often have a more difficult time with capital  maintenance because financing costs are typically higher due to a lack of economies of  scale. 

5. Exempt already rent regulated units until that regulation expires. For example, overlaying  another rent regulation on top of existing ones could discourage Low Income Housing Tax  Credit (LIHTC) investments, resulting in lost lower-priced units. 

In conclusion, we urge you to take up the complementary issues of rent stabilization and missing  middle housing to help Montgomery County become more affordable, equitable, and sustainable. Thank you for your consideration.

How we’re building a more equitable and sustainable region

Posted on by Emily Maurer

February has arrived, and the CSG team is continuing to incorporate equity into our work. We spent the past week tuning in to Smart Growth America’s Equity Summit, which featured great speakers and leaders from across the smart growth and urbanism community, and we’re excited to continue building a more equitable smart growth movement for a more equitable and inclusive DC region. Be sure to check out the videos and recommended reading from the Summit when available!

Transit Equity Day

Transit Equity Day is this Thursday, February 4, celebrated on Rosa Parks’ birthday! We’re joining advocates across the U.S. and DC region to highlight both the progress and challenges in achieving equity through better, more accessible transit.

We’re co-sponsoring the national Labor Network for Sustainability’s Transit Equity Day with virtual public hearings on February 3 and 4.  

In VA, we’re co-hosting with the Sierra Club – Virginia Chapter a lunch and learn panel on February 4 at 12pm, featuring transit champions from NoVA, Richmond, Charlottesville, and Hampton Roads.

In DC, we’re cosponsoring #TranspoBINGO! The bingo card will be revealed at a virtual happy hour (RSVP here) on Feb 3rd at 8pm and the game will run Feb 4 to 11, with another virtual happy hour on Feb 11 at 6pm to announce winners. It’s a great chance to connect with fellow transit advocates! Tweet your progress using #TranspoBINGO. Learn more here.

Virginia

Speaking of transit, Fairfax County continues public outreach for their Transit Strategic Plan, which is a county-wide review of bus service and a plan for future service. You can provide input here until February 19.

Meanwhile, Sonya is working across NoVA organizing and speaking up in support of inclusive and sustainable housing policies. Thanks to Alexandria residents and CSG supporters, the city passed a strong new accessory dwelling unit policy by a 6-1 vote last week! In Fairfax, Stewart and Sonya provided testimony to the Planning Commission in support of the county’s Workforce Dwelling Unit policy update and their zoning modernization (zMOD) updates to accessory living units. Both will go before the Board of Supervisors and needs your support. Arlington County extended the survey deadline to provide input on their Missing Middle Housing study to Feb 8, so there’s still time to support missing middle housing by filling out the survey!

Maryland

Missing middle housing is also up for consideration in Montgomery County! The county is discussing missing middle as part of their Thrive2050 General Plan update, as well as Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 20-07. The ZTA would allow missing middle housing on lots zoned for single family houses within a mile of Metro stations. To learn more, check out last week’s Montgomery for All meeting, hosted by Jane, with experts Lisa Govoni and Eli Spevak. The Council will hold a public hearing on the ZTA on Feb 11, so join the waitlist to testify or submit written testimony here. 

If you live in downtown Silver Spring, RSVP to a virtual meeting on Feb 9 at 7pm to learn more about the drafting of the Silver Spring Downtown and Adjacent Communities Plan, which will guide the area’s growth for the next 20 years.

DC

The fight continues for passage of the Comprehensive Plan! Cheryl is working with the Housing Priorities Coalition to organize support from DC residents, including submitting a sign-on letter from residents to urge passage. The updated plan removes exclusionary language, requires the use of a racial-equity lens when making decisions, increases affordable housing supply and sets goals for equitable distribution of housing opportunities. It would also allow construction of over 1,000 affordable homes stalled by the Comp Plan’s delay. Click here to send an email to Council!

Cheryl is also continuing to work on expanding DC’s inclusionary zoning (IZ) regulations, or IZ+, which would require additional affordable homes in developments resulting from upzoning. Stay tuned for our event on IZ+ later in February. And ICYMI, we released the long-awaited ADU DC Homeowner’s Manual: How to Build an Accessory Apartment or Second Dwelling in the District of Columbia with United Planning Organization and Citi.

Climate

Transportation is our #1 source of emissions, but officials aren’t doing enough to reduce the amount we have to drive. Thanks to Bill, we won a vote at the Transportation Planning Board to require projects to be prioritized to reduce vehicles miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. But we’re seeing delays by staff and aren’t convinced some jurisdictions will do their part to select transportation projects that reduce emissions, so we sent a joint sign-on letter to every local government. Multiple CSG staff are also providing input to local government climate action plans under development in Virginia and Maryland.

Want to volunteer for CSG?

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We’ve recently received several inquiries from supporters who are interested in volunteering their time to support CSG’s advocacy. If that describes you, please fill out this form to let us know how you’d like to help. Two key projects — local photography and monitoring local government meetings.

Thanks for all you do,

Stewart, Cheryl, Jane, Sonya, Emily, and Bill

CSG Testimony in Support of PG 416-21: Finish the Countywide Rezoning

CSG Testimony in Support of PG 416-21: Finish the Countywide Rezoning

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

RE: Testimony in Support for PG 416-21: Prince George’s County – Public Ethics – Definition of Application

Click here for CSG testimony in support of PG-416-21Download

At the Virtual Delegation Bill Hearing on Local/Bi-County Legislation By The Prince George’s County House Delegation, February 2, 20201

By Cheryl Cort, Policy Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Dear Members of the Delegation:

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization working locally in the Washington, DC 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.

We are pleased to provide testimony in support of PG 416-21. This bill provides a legislative adjustment needed to complete the Prince George’s County Zoning and Subdivision rewrite. A uniquely Prince George’s County ethics law has tripped up the Countywide Zoning Map Amendment (CMA), which is the last step in the zoning rewrite process. This ethics law doesn’t exist anywhere else in the state including in Montgomery County or Baltimore City which has already updated their zoning regulations.

The County’s zoning rewrite was adopted by the Prince George’s County Council in December 2018. After the late 2018 adoption, the Countywide Zoning Map Amendment (CMA) process was initiated. The CMA is the final stage where the rewritten zoning regulations are implemented by applying the new or updated zones to the County’s zoning map.

Over the course of a number of years, we worked with stakeholders and community activists to engage in the public process to update the county’s outmoded zoning and subdivision regulations. We have advocated for the adoption of the modernized regulations through various public fora, and hearings by the County Council.

We made this a priority because this zoning rewrite is a significant advance for the county. The zoning rewrite and CMA are worth the effort because they replace the county’s current obsolete and cumbersome zoning regulations which are holding back the county. Here are some of the ways the zoning and subdivision process will improve:

  • Design and building form standards: the document establishes transit-oriented zones at the local and regional scales to support the goals of walkable urbanism, creating walkable, and bikable areas that are well-connected to transit;
  • Parking standards for urban and transit-oriented areas: the zoning rewrite reduces excessive minimum parking requirements in transit-oriented centers in order to support more multimodal designs and uses.
  • Street designs: the revisions require interconnected streets, shorter blocks, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. It implements newly adopted urban street design standards that support walk and bike friendly streets.  
  • Transportation demand management: the regulations also establish progressive traffic reduction measures that emphasize encouraging more people to ride transit if available, bicycle, share rides and walk.
  • Ease of use: The zoning and subdivision regulations are presented in a more readable format providing tables and graphic illustrations to better understand and visualize the standards.
  • Ending perpetual approvals: The zoning rules establish limits on approvals after a number of years. Today, approvals are allowed to live on forever, despite significant changes that may occur after initially projected conditions. While some of the provisions seem overly generous, setting the proposed limits would be a big step forward for the county.

The proposed legislation is clear — this is specific to the CMA, not for everyday zoning and development review matters that come before the Council. For all these reasons, we urge the delegation to adopt the bill to accommodate the Council’s role and responsibility in adopting the CMA. We believe implementation of the zoning and subdivision rewrite is a tremendous improvement for the county and the community. It is a once in a generation opportunity.

Thank you for your consideration.