Vote TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 3 in VA, DC, and MD
The final day of voting for important federal, state, and local elections is tomorrow! Check out the Virginia, DC, or Maryland board of elections or your local jurisdiction website for more info.

Demand answers before your officials vote on a bigger I-495 (take action)
The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to start a regional approval process for a new concept to widen the southern Beltway before local communities have had a chance to see and understand it. Tell your officials to get answers and needed changes from VDOT first.

Ask Congress to reform our dangerous transportation system (take action)
Congress will soon update the primary federal transportation legislation. This is an opportunity to fix a federal program that often makes our streets less safe for pedestrians. Two congressional districts in our region rank in the 10% worst nationally for pedestrian fatalities.

Ride for Your Life & World Day of Remembrance (11/15 @ 1 p.m. in DC, register; 10:30 a.m. in Fairfax, register)
Join regional safe streets advocates on Sunday, Nov. 15, for Ride for Your Life 2026, a memorial ride and rally honoring victims of traffic crashes and demanding action to prevent future fatalities. Northern Virginia participants can also start early at Woodson High School in Fairfax before heading into DC for the main event.

Attend the Future Forum hosted by ULI-Washington (11/18, 7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; register)
The Urban Land Institute is hosting a ½ day regional forum to help shape solutions to address the DMV’s housing and economic development challenges. CSG is on the planning committee, and it would be great to have non-profit & community partners attend.

Alert: Tell DC Council to build affordable homes with a new Chevy Chase DC library and community center (take action)
We need your letters! Testify virtually or in person on Nov. 12 and/or Dec. 3 if you can! DC could build mixed-income housing, with 90 affordable homes, along with a new library and community center. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George especially needs to hear from you!

Gold Line BRT Open House with Metro & DDOT (11/30 @ 6 p.m., RSVP)
Learn about the Gold Line BRT at an in-person open house by Metro and DDOT. Learn more so we can win an East-West bus rapid transit (BRT) for DC, starting with Segment 1 from RFK Stadium to Union Station. Read CSG’s testimony here. Learn more about the project here.

Neighborhood tour for DC Comprehensive Plan, DC 2050 (info) Check out DC Office of Planning’s neighborhood open houses across the city and virtual office hours. Next meetings will be: 11/7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Turkey Thicket Rec Center (Ward 5); 11/14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Marshall Heights Community Development Org (Ward 7); 12/5, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cleveland Park Library (Ward 3)

State transportation plan should fund transit needs (take action) 
The draft spending plan for the next six years doesn’t address our Metro system’s full state-of-good-repair needs and postpones some funding to maintain Baltimore’s transit system. We appreciate good investments in safety in the plan, but this mixed bag needs improvement.

Make it easier to build sidewalks in MoCo (take action)
Support a bill that will make it easier and faster to build new sidewalks in Montgomery County. Click here to email the County Council.

Reduce barriers to more tiny homes + accessory apartments in MoCo (take action)
Take action to support an important bill that will make it easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) like backyard cottages and accessory apartments in Montgomery County.

RISE Prince George’s meet-up in December (TBA)
Join us for our last meet-up of the year at a fun venue in Prince George’s County! We are working on a special guest. Be on the lookout for the announcement!

Webinar: Sprawl, Safe Streets, and the Key to Being Car Free (11/9 @ 12 p.m., register here)
Join the webinar and the discussion on how safety concerns and poorly planned development discourage people from walking and biking and force us to drive for most trips. CSG will be a panelist for this lunchtime webinar hosted by the Virginia Conservation Network as part of its 2027 Common Agenda Education Series.

Final hearing for Accessory Living Units in Fairfax County (11/17, learn more and sign up to speak)  
While county staff are recommending several good updates to ALU rules, they’re still lagging behind neighboring jurisdictions. Requiring minimum lot sizes for detached accessory homes limits this housing option to only 14% of single-family properties in the county. If you haven’t already, please join CSG in sending an email today urging county leaders to pass strong, sensible ALU reforms and speak up at the Board of Supervisors hearing on Nov. 17!

Community meetings for Fairfax County’s Policy Plan update! (learn more) Fairfax County is updating the Housing and Economic Development and Revitalization Elements of the countywide Policy Plan as part of Plan Forward Phase 2. This update will be used to guide long-term land use, development, and growth in the county. Read the Draft Plan Text for the Housing Element and attend one of the upcoming community meetings to voice your support for more housing options and expanding transit-oriented communities.

Share feedback on the draft Duke Street plan by Nov. 13! (learn more)
CSG strongly supports the direction of the draft plan, which encompasses guidelines for transportation, land use, building heights, and parks in the Duke Street Corridor. You can review the draft recommendations and share your input via the city’s engagement hub. City staff are also hosting two more virtual office hours in November.

What’s the plan for the Franconia-Springfield area? (learn more)
Fairfax County released its preliminary plan for the Franconia-Springfield area, which includes a vision for transforming the vast number of parking lots in the area into walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, improved connectivity, and enhanced parks and open space. Check out the study’s project page to learn more about the plan and the study’s next steps.

Route 7 Traffic Study Public Meeting (11/16 @ 6:30 p.m)
Join NVTC and FCDOT on Monday, Nov. 16, at Bailey’s Elementary School for a public presentation on the Route 7 traffic study. Staff will share findings on the corridor from Seven Corners to the Alexandria border. Come ask questions and advocate for safe transit.