Category: Uncategorized
CSG in the News: Study: It’s past time the D.C. region transform its bus network
Study: It’s past time the D.C. region transform its bus network
By Luz Lazo, May 6, 2019 at 6:11 PM, The Washington Post
….A $2.2 million study released Monday lays out more than two dozen recommendations for transforming the Washington region’s bus network into one that is centered around customers’ needs, is financially sustainable and embraces innovation and technology.
The draft recommendations would help reverse ridership declines driven by service that is too slow, complex and unreliable. The study was compiled by the Bus Transformation Project, a group of D.C.-area transit officials, experts and advocates.
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“We have no choice,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“We do need to move forward and I think there is a shared commitment” in the region,” Schwartz said. “A route redesign and dedicated lanes and improved customer information can make all the difference in the world.”
View full Washington Post story here.
CSG in the News: DC hopes to increase housing supply 25% by 2030 – WTOP
DC hopes to increase housing supply 25% by 2030
By John Domen, May 4, 2019 8:22 am, WTOP
It’s not cheap to live in D.C. Whether you rent or hope to own, finding a place to live has become more expensive over the years because the population growth seen in the city this century has far outpaced the housing that’s available….
One of the approaches the city seems ready to focus on are “accessory dwelling units.”
…“There are large areas of the district that are part of the … zone, so they’re able to add accessory dwelling units to their property,” said Bush. “They both present the opportunity to increase the number of units of housing, and therefore decrease the cost of housing. But they also provide an opportunity to give another source of income to a homeowner that might be feeling the pinches as the cost of living in D.C. rises.”
…“There’s groups like the Coalition for Smarter Growth and others that have started to create some really interesting programs with homeowners and architects etc. to promote this, but I think there’s more we can do to make sure homeowners are taking advantage of this program,” Bush said.
View full story here.
Jan. 31, 2019 Homeowner ADU Workshop
We had a fabulous turnout of over 100 people at our D.C. ADU Homeowner Workshop on Jan. 31, 2019, at District Architecture Center!
If you are able, please fill out this survey about the workshop so that we can make sure our future events meet your needs; we want to make sure we’re helping you access the correct and necessary resources to build an ADU.
And, if you haven’t already, join the D.C. ADU online forum.
Presentation materials from the workshop are posted in the public folder of the ADU forum, including:
- ADU workshop program with contact information for all experts
- Introduction to ADUs in D.C.
- Design & building codes presentation, by architect Ileana Schinder
- Common questions about the construction process, by Wall to Wall Construction
- Zoning requirements for accessory apartments, by Tarek Bolden
Stories about ADUs in D.C. have recently on UrbanTurf (“Adaptive reuse to granny pod: A look at two ADUs in D.C.”) and Greater Greater Washington (“Accessory apartments make money and increase the housing supply. Here’s how to build one” and “10 things to look for if you’re considering creating an accessory apartment,” both by Ileana Schinder).
Many thanks to our partners United Planning Organization and in the D.C. ADU workgroup, and our generous sponsors—Wall to Wall Construction, BB&T Home Mortgage, and AIA|DC—for their support of our workshop. CSG is a donor-supported organization; if you like our work, please consider making a contribution to us today.
And, once again: Please, take our survey!
Image via buildinganadu.com
Flexible commuter benefits bill reintroduced in DC
On February 19, 2019, D.C. Councilmembers Charles Allen and Mary Cheh reintroduced the parking cash-out bill, B23-148. This bill will require employers that subsidize parking for an employee’s commute to offer a transit benefit of equal value, or provide cash. It doesnt impose a cost or a new benefit, it simply lets an employee choose to use an employer-provided commute benefit for something other than driving and parking.
What’s the next step?: voting it out of the Transportation & Environment committee and into the full Council. Councilmembers Todd (Ward 4), and McDuffie (Ward 5) have not yet said if they will support the bill. If you are a business owner or constituent, let your councilmember know you support this sensible bill to let an employee use an employer’s parking benefit for an alternative commute.
Here are the options an employer can provide as an alternative to employees for a parking-only subsidy:
- transit benefit of equal value to parking subsidy
- cash of equal value to parking subsidy
- increased health coverage benefit
- cease to offer parking subsidies
- Transportation Demand Management Plan that helps achieve the moveDC plan goal of under 25% commute trips by car or taxi
The bill has one major change: it exempts parking that is owned — rather than leased or paid for — by an employer. While we are disappointed in this exemption, we still believe the bill covering employers that lease or pay for employee commuter parking will have important benefits. These benefits include: reduced traffic congestion (especially in downtown); increased bus speeds; increased transit, walk, and bike commutes; reduced greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions; and fewer traffic crashes. View the factsheet here, or learn more about the campaign here.
CSG in the news: Amazon’s choice of Crystal City powered by good transit
Streetsblog, Nov. 6, 2018:
Alex Baca of the D.C.-based Coalition for Smarter Growth said Amazon’s expansion into the region should result in zoning changes to expand urban housing development. The Washington Post reports the D.C. region has already been falling well-short of its goal to add 267,000 new housing units by 2026 — and Amazon’s 25,000-plus workers will add additional pressure.
About 1,200 units of housing — mostly high-rise — are already in the works for Crystal City, according to the local real estate site DC Urban Turf. But that’s not gonna cut it, said Baca.
Expanding housing options has been political unpopular, but it will be necessary if D.C. wants to keep housing affordable, she told Streetsblog.
“Amazon just exacerbates a lot of things we’ve been pressing on for a long time: Building more housing, especially more affordable housing, and building more bus and trail,” she added.
Read more here.
Continue reading “CSG in the news: Amazon’s choice of Crystal City powered by good transit”
Support Mallows Bay as the next marine sanctuary
At its core, smart growth is making good choices about where and how we grow. As much as that means walkable urban places, it also means preserving natural spaces in and around our bustling region.
Mallows Bay, about 40 miles south of DC on the Potomac River, is home to marine and bird life and nearly 200 historic shipwrecks dating to the Civil War. Now, there’s a chance to designate Mallows Bay as a national marine sanctuary. Weigh in now to support preserving this regional treasure.
Here are 3 easy steps to submitting comments:
- Go to this page. You will see this box:
2. Paste in these comments. Remember, editing and making comments your own makes them more impactful!
Model comments:
As a resident of the greater Washington DC region, I’m writing to express my support for designating Mallows Bay as a national marine sanctuary.
In particular, I support NOAA’s preferred alternative Alternative D over Alternative C. Alternative D protects the largest area, offers many more public access points to waters within the sanctuary boundaries, greater ecological variety for educational goals, more opportunities for tourism, and a much richer scientific research palette.
In more detail, Alternative D enhances scientific goals by including a greater range of salinity from mesohaline to truly, year-round, tidal freshwater, a globally uncommon phenomenon that engenders an extremely rich ecology of national significance.
This ecosystem is an educational asset, and its vulnerability to sea-level rise makes it an ideal station for fulfilling the tenet that a National Marine Sanctuary serve as a “sentinel site.”
Alternative D also includes three sub-estuaries, including Mattawoman Creek, a concern of several Maryland Coalition members (the preferred alternative has none). The Nanjemoy sub-estuary provides an ideal forested reference to be compared to the other more developed fresh and brackish sub-estuaries.
Thank you for your consideration,
3. Fill in your name and click continue. Follow the directions on the following page and submit.
Thank you!
Thank you for taking action for more housing in DC!
Thank you for taking action to support more housing and a better future for DC.
Want to do more?
Fill out this survey for the DC Office of Planning.
Here are a few talking points to help you speak eloquently at a meeting, or to your friends, colleagues, and coworkers:
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Our city continues to grow, this means we need to plan for and build more housing to keep up with demand.
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We need to establish stronger goals to create and preserve affordable housing.
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All our Metro stations and major transit corridors should be places we encourage more housing and mixed-use development.
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Our land use policies should do more to support production of affordable housing, prevent displacement, and accommodate growth.
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We should make the most of Inclusionary Zoning by requiring more affordable housing and allow more housing overall to help offset the cost of the affordable housing.
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Our Comp Plan policies and land use maps should make it easier to build more housing, especially affordable housing.