Category: Take Action

Speak up for a walkable, housing-rich Duke Street 

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

Join us at the upcoming Sep 25th community meeting to support a more vibrant, inclusive Duke Street! Alexandria is updating its Duke Street corridor land use plan from west of Old Town to Landmark/West End. This plan will guide future redevelopment, housing, public spaces, and the general character of Duke Street. 

Duke Street Land Use Plan Community Meeting #2
Thursday, September 25, 2025
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Bishop Ireton High School, 201 Cambridge Rd, Alexandria

Meeting details

Please attend to support a more vibrant, walkable, inclusive Duke Street – including more housing options and more affordable housing. The land use plan will link to the “Duke Street in Motion” bus rapid transit (BRT) approved in 2023.

Duke Street can and should be transformed with more homes and with BRT stops as community hubs for housing, shopping and neighborhood amenities.

The meeting will summarize community poll results and discuss guiding principles for the plan. If you cannot attend in person, you can register to participate via zoom.

Attend the meeting!

CSG in the News: The W&OD Trail is a Northern Virginia treasure at risk

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

September 11, 2025 | Sonya Breehey, Kevin O’Brien | Greater Greater Washington

The W&OD is a popular 45-mile linear park and trail, providing communities from Arlington to Purcellville a vital connection to active transportation, recreation, and conservation. Yet Dominion’s clear-cutting and a potential long-shot commuter rail proposal could significantly change this important corridor.

As we enjoy and celebrate the W&OD, let’s not be complacent or take it for granted.

Together with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, CSG co-authored an op-ed for Greater Greater Washington explaining why we must act now to protect the trail.

The op-ed has been supported by Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Friends of Holmes Run, FairfaxForward, Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, Nature Forward, and Bike Loudoun.

Read the full story!

Get Involved: Sign the petition demanding that Dominion halt its clear-cutting plan and return to the negotiating table with NOVA Parks, and stay informed about the campaign.

TAKE ACTION: The last, most important step to defeat Mid-County Highway Extended (M-83) is here

TAKE ACTION: The last, most important step to defeat Mid-County Highway Extended (M-83) is here

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Mid-County Highway Extended (M-83) wouldn’t relieve traffic upcounty long-term—but it would cut a divide through existing communities and destroy farmlands, forests, and sensitive wetlands in its path.

The County Council is finally considering removing M-83 from county plans this month, and we need you to weigh in.

Take action: Support passage of MD transportation reforms!

Take action: Support passage of MD transportation reforms!

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

Thanks to you and other advocates, we have advanced a set of transportation reform bills through the Maryland House of Delegates. Now we need to do a final push to win adoption in the Maryland Senate so Governor Moore can sign them into law! 

TAKE ACTION

This legislation to guide Maryland’s transportation priorities is especially important if the state adds new revenues and spending. Key bills in the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee that CSG supports are:

Transit-Oriented Development (HB 80) – MDOT’s amended bill relieves parking mandates and allows mixed use development in proximity to Metrorail, Purple Line, and most MARC stations. It also removes potential obstacles to transit-oriented development plans on state-owned land. 

Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (HB 84) – MDOT is supporting this bill that would require the agency to evaluate its transportation projects to ensure they help Maryland meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets and provide alternatives to driving. 

Metro Funding Modification Act (HB 467) – Maryland, DC and Virginia came together in 2018 to successfully fund Metro’s capital needs. As a result, Metro service today is faster, more frequent, and more reliable. However, the $500M in annual funding was not indexed to inflation, risking future funding shortfalls and declining reliability and safety. This bill would index the funding to inflation. 

Work Group on Reorganization of MTA (HB 517) – Creates a study group to separate the MARC, Purple Line, and Commuter Bus systems from MTA’s local Baltimore transit focus. This would better ensure a focus on modernization and improved operations for MARC and a successful Purple Line service.

More transportation funding – The just released joint Senate/House budget proposal would increase transportation funding by $500 million per year using an increase in the state tax on capital gains and other measures.

Thanks for helping build a better Maryland!

Take action! Contact your representatives to support the Maryland Housing for Jobs Act

Take action! Contact your representatives to support the Maryland Housing for Jobs Act

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

The Housing for Jobs Act (HB 503/SB 430) would set regional housing targets based on the number of jobs in a given set of counties grouped by their area of the state. It would set clear standards for approving and denying new housing when counties haven’t met their housing to jobs ration, giving extra credit to localities who create housing near transit and to those who create affordable housing. 

Alert: Support affordable transit-oriented housing at Glenridge Purple Line station in Prince George’s

Alert: Support affordable transit-oriented housing at Glenridge Purple Line station in Prince George’s

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

Send a message to the Prince George’s Planning board by Tuesday, March 11, 12 noon

We’ve advocated for the Purple Line. We’ve advocated more affordable housing – especially at rail transit. Well, here it is! The first new affordable apartments steps away from the Glenridge Purple Line station. Please join us in voicing our support!  

Take Action by 3/11 at noon

This proposal for 245 affordable apartments, right next to the Purple Line, is the first step towards realizing the planned Glenridge Transit Village. It will provide homes for low and moderate income households in a location that will reduce how much residents have to drive and spend on transportation. 

Much more needs to be done by the county and state to transform this very suburban, automobile-dominated area into a walkable community, but this project is a good first step. We’re asking for the amount of parking to be reduced for this project and for a direct walking connection to the transit station. And, we will be pressing the county and state to make it safer to walk and bike to this and every Purple Line station.  

We recognize that the site is currently wooded, but it is a fragment surrounded by development. Allowing more people to live here, steps away from frequent rail transit at this inside the Beltway location means less driving, traffic and pollution for households who otherwise might have to live elsewhere. Additionally, the project will fund offsite forest conservation to offset trees removed from the site, while providing modern stormwater management onsite to control runoff and water quality. 

Want to know more? Check out the Prince George’s Planning Board March 13, 2025 Agenda Packet on the Flats at Glenridge Station.

Flats at Glenridge Station drawing by Dominium