Author: Cheryl Cort

RELEASE: Coalition Champions Release Bus Transformation Strategy

Posted on September 5, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2019

Contact Stewart Schwartz: 703-599-6437

Washington DC: The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) applauded today’s release of the Bus Transformation Strategy. Serving on the Executive Committee for the study, CSG worked with business, union, government, community leaders, and the consulting team to arrive at four key recommendations illustrated in this table:

1	Frequent and Convenient Bus Service	Provide frequent and convenient bus service that connects communities and promotes housing affordability, regional equity, and economic growth.
2	Bus Priority on Roadways	Give buses priority on roadways to move people quickly and reliably.
3	Customer Experience	Create an excellent customer experience to retain and increase ridership.
4	Task Force to Implement the Strategy	Empower a publicly appointed Task Force to transform bus and lead the implementation of a truly integrated regional system.

“We urge elected officials, transit agency directors, and government staff to put the bus first! We strongly support priority bus lanes, more frequent and reliable service, a better customer experience, and more affordable fares for those who need it,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “We also believe that route redesign studies incorporating both WMATA and local buses are essential to developing a network that provides more frequent, reliable service with higher ridership while not sacrificing the coverage for those most in need.”

“Buses are key to an effective and expansive transit network for our region, one that provides better access to jobs and opportunity, an alternative to traffic, and reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change,” said Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager for CSG who leads CSG’s long-standing campaign for bus rapid transit in Montgomery County.

“We need to start right away on prioritizing buses,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for CSG. “Our study with MetroHero of DC bus performance confirmed the concerns in the Bus Transformation Study – buses were moving slower and becoming less reliable, scoring a ‘D’ in our analysis. The recommended solutions in our companion report track closely with those in the Bus Transformation Study and the Greater Washington Partnership’s transit report.”

“The public is strongly supportive of better bus service,” said Schwartz, “The Bus Transformation surveys of over 8000 area residents and riders found that people overwhelming want to see dedicated bus lanes, more frequent service, free transfers from bus to rail, and more affordable fares.”

“The Coalition for Smarter Growth will be partnering with other advocacy organizations and business leaders in urging local elected leaders to expeditiously implement the Bus Transformation strategy,” concluded Schwartz.

The Bus Transformation Project website hosts the Executive Summary, Full Report and supporting documents.

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The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC 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.

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CSG in the News: An Amazon warehouse instead of offices. Zoning tool allows changes with little scrutiny

Posted on September 4, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

An Amazon warehouse instead of offices. Townhouses in place of an airport. Zoning ‘tool’ allows changes with little scrutiny.

By Rachel Chason, The Washington Post, September 3 at 5:00 PM

Grassy hills where residents were promised bustling office buildings could now hold a massive warehouse. A small airport could be replaced with more than 500 townhouses. A church property could include housing for the elderly.

Each of the projects is dependent on fast-track changes to existing zoning by the Prince George’s County Council, which relies on bills called “text amendments” to circumvent what lawmakers describe as an outdated and cumbersome zoning process…

“It is important to have consistency and certainty,” said Stewart Schwartz, who heads the D.C.-based Coalition for Smarter Growth, noting that in other jurisdictions, a change as substantial as the proposed warehouse would likely have gone through full zoning review processes.

See full story here.

The DC Comp Plan is back – let’s ensure it allows for a more inclusive city

Posted on August 26, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

Together with you, we’ve pressed for over two years for an updated Comprehensive Plan that makes building more affordable housing a priority for the city. But for more than a year, the guiding first chapter or “Framework Element” has been bottled up in the DC Council. Finally, the second and crucial vote on the bill will be September 17.

While the Chairman’s revisions incorporate many of the amendments we supported, it falls short of establishing affordable housing as our top priority, and doesn’t ensure that enough housing can be built across the whole city.

Send a message to the DC Council today and let them know we want a city for all.

Tell the DC Council the Comprehensive Plan must:

Directly address the city’s need for more housing, especially near transit, so that people across the income spectrum can have more choices about where they can live;
Make affordable housing the highest priority throughout the document, and in the development review process;
Commit to preserving existing affordable housing and prevent residents from being displaced;
Enable new affordable housing to be built across the city, including in Upper Northwest, where for too long some of its residents have blocked significant numbers of new homes from being built;
Fix the broken development approval process (including Planned Unit Developments), ensuring that affordable housing is given top priority, and that the process is predictable for those who participate in good-faith.

Email the Council today!

In our meetings with Councilmembers over the past few months we’ve pressed the case and believe there is significant support.

Photo credit: Ted Eytan, https://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/36800611944/in/album-72157687591856363/

CSG in the News: D.C. wants more accessory dwelling units

Posted on August 9, 2019October 8, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

From the Washington Business Journal:

D.C. wants more accessory dwelling units. But financing and permitting remain key roadblocks, advocates say.

By Alex Koma – Staff Reporter, Washington Business Journal

Aug 6, 2019

The District changed its zoning laws three years ago to allow the construction of more accessory dwelling units in the city than ever before — but can homeowners actually secure the permits and financing they need to take advantage of that change?

In too many cases, housing developers and advocates say the answer is a clear “no.”

Accordingly, they’re turning to the public and private sectors alike for help in breaking down barriers across each one of those twin issue areas: finding financing for homeowners looking to build ADUs and helping them navigate the District’s permit process….

“Anyone trying to do this, they’re becoming an amateur developer going through the permitting process,” said Cheryl Cort, policy director at the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “How can we make it understandable so they know what to expect, and it’s predictable?”

See full Washington Business Journal story here.

RELEASE: CSG joins with United Planning Organization to Announce Launch of ADU DC, an Accessory Dwelling Unit Initiative in Washington, DC

Posted on August 6, 2019October 25, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Aug 6, 2019

**United Planning Organization Announces Launch of ADU DC, an Accessory Dwelling Unit Initiative in Washington, DC**

Initiative will catalyze affordable rental housing and increase financial stability for lower-income homeowners in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, DC: Today, the United Planning Organization announced the launch of ADU DC, a pilot initiative to make accessory dwelling units (ADUs) more accessible to lower-income homeowners in Washington, DC. The initiative is presented by United Planning Organization in collaboration with Coalition for Smarter Growth and founding corporate supporter Citi Community Development.

An ADU is a secondary dwelling unit on a single family home lot, such as a basement or garage apartment or a free-standing structure. A 2016 change to DC’s zoning regulations allows for ADUs to be built as a matter of right in certain low-density residential neighborhoods. ADUs benefit homeowners by creating an income stream, while adding lower cost and affordable housing in existing neighborhoods.

ADU DC aims to help qualified homeowners build ADUs on their properties; give greater access to affordable and lower-priced housing in the District; and add housing stock by educating homeowners about ADU development, zoning, permitting, design, and financing.

“ADU DC has the potential to empower residents to create affordable housing in their own communities,” said Dana Jones, President and CEO, United Planning Organization. “Through this innovative approach, homeowners will be able to increase property values, age in place, build intergenerational wealth and grow new skill sets in development and property management.”

“In Washington, DC, approximately one in three Black residents is a homeowner. Yet, research shows that on average, Black households have lower home values and lower incomes than their White counterparts. As a result, Black households in DC have a net worth 81 times lesser than White households,” said Robert Burns, Senior Vice President, Citi Community Development. “Accessory dwelling units present a unique opportunity for homeowners to increase their incomes and begin to close the wealth gap. By supporting ADU DC we aim to help enable more homeowners to boost their financial resilience, while adding much-needed affordable housing for renters in the region.”

“In 2016, DC reformed its restrictions on accessory apartments, now we must ensure that homeowners, especially moderate and low income homeowners, can take full advantage of this new opportunity,” said Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth.

As part of the initiative, the Coalition for Smarter growth and UPO will produce “how to” guides, a report of barriers, a Homeowner’s ADU manual, a policy brief on financing for lower-income homeowners, and procedural recommendations for government.

ADU DC was announced at a multisector launch event featuring a panel of experts that highlighted current regulatory barriers, financing, and case studies from ADU initiatives nationwide.

“Mayor Bowser has set an ambitious goal for DC to create 36,000 more homes, 12,000 of which must be affordable,” said Polly Donaldson, Director, DC Department of Housing and Community Development. “In order to achieve this goal we must think differently, be bolder, and create new affordable housing tools; ADUs fit that bill and this initiative brings us one step closer to our goal.”

DC’s rapidly rising housing prices pose dire challenges to low income families. In the last decade, the city has lost half of its low-priced and affordable housing. DC’s lower-income households increasingly pay more than half of their incomes for housing, or are pushed out of the District’s housing market altogether. For older homeowners, rising values have been both a threat and an opportunity. Rising property taxes that follow increased values can be a threat to long-time homeowners on low and fixed incomes. But higher property values also mean greater wealth that can be used for retirement and shared with the next generation. This opportunity is especially important for African American homeowners who experience wide gaps in wealth with their White counterparts.

About United Planning Organization
United Planning Organization is a human and community development organization. As the Community Action Agency for Washington DC, UPO’s federally-mandated purpose is to help people lift themselves out of poverty. UPO surveys DC residents to learn the gaps in community needs and invents ways to bridge those gaps by uniting people with opportunities. A staff of 400 helps over 50,000 DC residents each year, with impacts in education, employment, health, housing counseling, and in strengthening families and communities.

About Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

About Coalition for Smarter Growth
The Coalition for Smarter Growth promotes walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities in the Washington DC region, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish. CSG combines grassroots advocacy with policy expertise, media communications, and relationships with elected officials to advance smart growth. After many years of effort, CSG helped reform ADU zoning restrictions for DC in 2016, and since then has worked to bring down the barriers to building ADUs.

CONTACT:
Lauren Kannry
lkannry@thorpesearl.com
202.491.1001

ADU DC Initiative Presentations

CSG in the News: What It Takes To Build Accessory Dwelling Units (And Why Some People Oppose Them)

Posted on July 26, 2019August 9, 2019 by Cheryl Cort

Thursday, Jul 25 2019 • 12 p.m. (ET)

What It Takes To Build Accessory Dwelling Units (And Why Some People Oppose Them)

Listen to the Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU

On the Kojo Nnamdi show, CSG’s Jane Lyons joins the discussion on the the Montgomery County Council’s decision to reduce restrictions for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) despite some residents voicing opposition.

Guests

Rebecca Tan Local reporter, The Washington Post; @rebtanhs

Hilary Phillips-Rogers Executive member of the Greater Olney Civic Association

Jane Lyons Maryland Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth; @janeplyons

Ileana Schinder Washington, D.C. Architect; @IleanaSchinder

Listen to WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi show here.

Affordability Requirements for Public Land Dispositions in DC

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Cheryl Cort

DCFPI Appleseed CSG joint Public Land fact sheet March 2014

CSG testimony opposing 19-acre warehouse at Westphalia Town Center

Posted on July 16, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

View PDF here: 2019.07.16 CSG testimony opposing Westphaila Ctr DSP changes_FNL

July 16, 2019

The Hon. Elizabeth M. Hewlett, Chairman
Prince George’s County Planning Board,

14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive

Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Re: Deny the proposed Item #9. DSP-19008 WESTPHALIA CENTER (SNAPPER), and Item #10. DDS-657 WESTPHALIA CENTER (SNAPPER)

Dear Chair Hewlett and members of the Board:

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington, D.C. 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 writing to request the Board to deny the proposed Detailed Site Plan (DSP) for Westphalia Center (Snapper). This proposed DSP is clearly not complaint with the Westphalia Sector Plan or the Plan Prince George’s 2035 Approved General Plan. The proposed industrial land use for the site will not fulfill the intent of these plans, which specify that uses should create a mixed-use, walkable town center.

The staff report states that the DSP supports the purposes of the M-X-T zone:

[(2)] To implement recommendations in the approved General Plan, Master Plans, and Sector Plans, by creating compact, mixed-use, walkable communities enhanced by a mix of residential, commercial, recreational, open space, employment, and institutional uses;

Phase I included residential uses only, and this DSP is for a merchandise logistics center, which will add a major employment use that is walkable to the remainder of the town center. As one of the phases of a larger mixed-use development, this DSP will help to create a compact, mixed-use, and walkable neighborhood, including a mix of residential, commercial, recreational, open space, employment, and institutional uses as anticipated in the approved CSP-07004-02.

It strains credulity to assert that a 19-acre monolithic warehouse building, measuring 1,198 feet by 558 feet, surrounded by 1,800 surface parking spaces is contributing to a compact, walkable, mixed-use town center. The staff suggests that the current forested site, adjacent to a residential use could be accessed on foot. However, no pedestrian pathway from the residential development to the proposed building is indicated in the plans. There is no illustration of how a pedestrian would walk across the woodland buffer and the expansive surface parking lot to a door of the large building. In addition, the main truck route to and from the loading docks – with 18-wheel trucks day and night — would cut between the warehouse and existing residential community at Westphalia. This is a mammoth warehouse and distribution center – it is not a component of a mixed-use, walkable, urban community in any way.

The staff report notes that:

On June 18, 2019, the District Council adopted and enacted Prince George’s County Council Bills CB-018-2019 and CB-019-2019; CB-018-2019 for the purpose of adding a definition of a merchandise logistics center and amending the definition of regional urban community in the Zoning Ordinance; and CB-019-2019 for the purpose of amending the regulations of the M-X-T Zone.

This substantial change to the M-X-T zone is contrary to the intent of the M-X-T zone to create mixed-use, walkable, urban communities which would match the success of similar communities in other jurisdictions across the region, and as noted above, is contrary to the intent of both the Westphalia Sector Plan and the county’s 2035 General Plan.

The key to the county’s economic development, particularly in higher paying jobs, is to support and promote walkable, mixed-use, urban centers. Once the county committed to Westphalia as a mixed-use center, a vision promised to the current residents of the first phase, the county must stick with that commitment. Changing the M-X-T zone to allow warehouses and distribution centers will undermine the value of both existing and future mixed-use centers, because no developer, small business, or residential buyer could count on their investment retaining its value. While the County Council may have amended definitions for the M-X-T zone, the DSP must still conform to town center characteristics described and defined in the Westphalia Plan and the General Plan.

We recognize the need for industrial and distribution jobs, but there are other locations available for the proposed distribution center that would have less impact an existing residential and mixed-use community. One such location is the identically-sized, 80-acre old Landover Mall site at the Capital Beltway interchange with MD 202, which we understand is for sale.

We urge the Board to reject the current proposal. We ask the Board to encourage such uses in more appropriate locations to utilize existing transportation infrastructure and to promote uses more in line with the County’s long-term development goals. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cort

Policy Director

CSG in the News: Metrobus Gets Low Marks For Speed And Schedule Reliability

Posted on July 11, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

by Jordan Pascale, WAMU | JUL 11.2019

For a month, Metrobus has been under the microscope. MetroHero, an app created by local transit enthusiasts to help track trains and buses, partnered with the Coalition for Smarter Growth to examine routes for speed and reliability. Now the Metrobus Report Card is out and the results are not good. The group gave Metrobus a “D” grade.

CSG in the News: Report: Traffic jams push DC riders off buses, but fixes possible

Posted on July 10, 2019October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

CSG in WTOP:

Report: Traffic jams push DC riders off buses, but fixes possible

by Max Smith | @amaxsmith, July 10, 2019, WTOP

Taking the bus is too frustrating in D.C., and major changes are needed if the city is going to deal with significant problems facing commuters, a new Metrobus report card finds.

Buses are stuck in so much traffic and can be so inconsistent that the number of ride-hailing trips in D.C. through companies such as Uber and Lyft could surpass the number of trips taken on buses this year for the first time.

The report released Wednesday by the Coalition for Smarter Growth and MetroHero reviewed 34 routes on D.C.’s busiest bus corridors.

“The results of this analysis paint a striking picture of the problems Metrobus encounters on a daily basis: on these high-priority routes, service was found to be largely unreliable and unpredictable, with buses regularly arriving much later than scheduled and headways rarely being maintained,” the report said.

Of the 34 routes measured, 18 got F grades, 5 got Ds, 10 got Cs, 1 got a B and none got an A based on speeds and schedule adherence.

The average speed for the routes in May was just 9.5 mph, well short of an 11 mph goal.

The slowest corridor was 14th Street, while the worst schedule adherence was on the 39, X3 and 34.

The report, which also supports the regional Bus Transformation Project that’s meant to make similar recommendations across the region, urges the D.C. and Metro to:

— Add dedicated bus lanes to make trips more consistent and reduce delays (along with associated enforcement of bus lane rules with traffic officers or cameras).

— Allow all-door boarding to reduce time spent waiting at stops, which could include setting up mobile or off-board fare payment procedures.

— Expand transit signal priority and queue jumps that let buses enter an intersection from a stop before other traffic to let buses spend less time waiting at lights.

— More limited-stop routes and consolidate local stops that are very close together.

— Upgrade bus stops for accessibility and amenities.

— Give free transfers between bus and rail, and discount fares for low-income riders….

D.C. has only two miles of bus-only lanes — 1.4 miles of which is only temporary for the summer.

The city has promised 16th Street NW bus lanes in the next year or so, and bus lanes along K Street NW by 2024. But official city plans called for 25 miles of bus lanes to be in place in the 2020s.

The report card calls for 14th Street bus lanes in the near future, followed by bus lanes on U Street NW and Florida Avenue NE by 2024, North Capitol Street bus lanes by 2025, and improvements along M Street SE/SW and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE.

To do that, the report suggests phasing out parking on streets with the highest ridership bus routes to create lanes that serve more people.

Read full WTOP story here.