Author: Claire Jaffe

STATEMENT: Rt.29 Bus Rapid Transit Federal TIGER Grant Award

Posted on by Claire Jaffe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2016

CONTACT
Pete Tomao, Montgomery County Advocacy Manager
(516) 318-0605
pete@smartergrowth.net

Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director
(703) 599-6437
stewart@smartergrowth.net

Statement on Rt.29 Bus Rapid Transit Federal TIGER Grant Award

Montgomery County, MD— On Tuesday, July 27, federal officials announced that Montgomery County will receive $10 million to help build Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on Rt.29. The proposed BRT will run from Downtown Silver Spring to Burtonsville and include 12 stations. The BRT is projected to begin operations in 2020 and will cost roughly $67 million. Transit advocates hailed the announcement.

“The federal TIGER grant is a major step toward implementing the 14-mile BRT system in eastern Montgomery. Winning a competitive grant like this shows Montgomery is serious about making BRT a reality,” said Pete Tomao, the Montgomery County Advocacy Manager at the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

The proposed BRT system is projected to serve 23,000 riders in a corridor where 12% of the population has no access to a car, and 30% of households earn less than half of the area median income. The BRT system will address long standing economic and equity issues on the Rt. 29 corridor and ensure that every resident has the access to transportation they need to be successful.

“Not only is BRT better for equity, it is also better for the economy. Job growth along the corridor is predicated on a future BRT system,” said Tomao. “Economic plans for White Oak are especially dependent upon the arrival of a high quality transit system. We have seen the power of transit-oriented development in Silver Spring and Bethesda. Now, eastern Montgomery can benefit from the same type of development and job growth.”

“To ensure the system is successful, Montgomery officials must maintain a focus on creating a ‘gold standard’ BRT,” said Tomao. This means a system with frequent, reliable service, off-board fare collection, upgraded stations, and level boarding. The county also needs to ensure dedicated bus lanes are implemented wherever possible. It is dedicated lanes that give BRT a competitive advantage over other types of transportation.

“The award is great news for sustainable and equitable growth in Montgomery. We look forward to working with County officials to ensure the BRT system is the best it can be.” concluded Tomao.

About the Coalition for Smarter Growth

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its 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. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

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DC Zoning Commission allots more affordable units for lower income families

Posted on by Claire Jaffe
A group of affordable housing advocates scored a victory yesterday in their plight to restructure D.C.’s Inclusionary Zoning Program. Based on a vote by the D.C. Zoning Commission, the program may soon benefit a larger number of economically challenged families.

D.C.’s Inclusionary Zoning Program requires developers to price 8 to 10 percent of their residential units below market rate. Specifically, the program is for new projects with 10 or more units, such as the massive mix-used development coming to H Street NE. It also includes rehab projects that are expanding an existing building by at least half and adding 10 or more units.

Last January, the DC Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning petitioned the D.C. Zoning Commission to make more of the units available for residents who make less than 60 percent of the average income in the region, according to a joint release from the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute and the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The current area median income for D.C. is $108,600 for a family of four. This means that a family of three with a household income below $59,000 a year would pay $1,100 a month for a one-bedroom rental under the program.

The commission considered the recommendation yesterday, and voted to require developers to designate all of their affordable rental units for people who make under 60 percent of the area median income. This will make more than 2,600 apartments available to low-income families over the next five to 10 years (based on the pace of new developments, which has climbed to a 25-year high), according to the release.

Currently, the majority of inclusionary zoning units, for rent and ownership, are for people who make 80 percent of the area median income. These are people who can afford to pay $1,600 for a one bedroom rental—a cost that’s too expensive for three-fourths of families on the housing program’s waiting list.

“The economics show that this change strikes the right balance between encouraging market-rate housing production and incorporating greater affordability for those left out of the market,” said Cheryl Cort of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, which formed the DC Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning alongside the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, Jews United for Justice, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, People’s Consulting, Somerset Development, City First Homes, and PolicyLink.

Carlos Jimenez of AFL-CIO thanked the commission for strengthening the affordable housing policy, and “listening to the voices of those who are being priced out” so that “working people can still call D.C. home.”

After a 30-day public review period, the commission’s decision is expected to become final.

Click here to read the original story.

Photo courtesy it used to be me

RELEASE: Zoning Commission takes important step to strengthen affordable housing in the District

Posted on by Claire Jaffe

DC CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSIONARY ZONING
DC FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE — COALITION FOR SMARTER GROWTH

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 21, 2016

CONTACT
Claire Zippel, DC Fiscal Policy Institute
czippel@dcfpi.org 202-325-8251
Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth
cheryl@smartergrowth.net 202-251-7516

Zoning Commission takes important step to strengthen affordable housing in the District

(Washington, DC) The DC Zoning Commission took an important step Wednesday night to expand affordable housing in the District, with a vote to strengthen the city’s Inclusionary Zoning program. The Commission’s action largely adopts the recommendations of the DC Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning, a group of affordable housing advocates and supporters.

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) harnesses the District’s hot real estate market to create affordable housing throughout the city. IZ requires almost every new residential development to reserve a specified share of the new homes at below-market rents or sales prices, in return for allowing greater density than normally permitted by zoning rules. Importantly, IZ can produce affordable housing wherever development is occurring – including in neighborhoods with access to public transportation, good schools, retail amenities, and job opportunities – without requiring tax dollars.

IZ will soon help more low-income families struggling to pay the rent amidst the city’s rising housing costs. On Wednesday, July 20, the Zoning Commission voted to require new IZ rental units to be set aside as affordable to families with incomes below 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), or $59,000 for a family of three. That amounts to $1,100 for a one-bedroom rental. Currently, the vast majority of IZ units are only required to be affordable at 80 percent AMI – or $1,600 for a one-bedroom rental – close to market rate in most DC neighborhoods.

As a result of the Commission’s action, IZ will generate over 2,600 apartments affordable to low-income families over the next five to ten years, based on the pace of new development which has climbed to a 25-year high. “The Zoning Commission’s decision comes at an opportune time to ensure IZ does the most it can for families severely squeezed by DC’s high rents and closed out of many neighborhoods,” said Claire Zippel of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.

“We are gratified that the Commission is sharpening the tool we knew could do more to address our city’s affordable housing crisis. The economics show that this change strikes the right balance between encouraging market-rate housing production and incorporating greater affordability for those left out of the market,” said Cheryl Cort of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

The Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning petitioned the Zoning Commission in January, 2015 to consider revisions to IZ, after it became apparent that the homes created were largely out of reach of the city’s low-income residents – and too expensive for three-fourths of families on the IZ waiting list, whose incomes fall at or below 60 percent AMI. Paying the majority of income for rent is not uncommon for families near 60 percent AMI, whereas households at 80 percent AMI are already largely accommodated by existing housing in the private market.

“By strengthening this affordable housing policy, the Zoning Commission helps ensure working people can still call DC home. We thank the Commission for listening to the voices of those who are being priced out,” said Carlos Jimenez, Executive Director of the Washington Labor Council AFL-CIO.

“The Commission’s decision is good news for District residents at lower incomes who will benefit from IZ through increased access to opportunity – amenities and infrastructure in higher-cost neighborhoods, including schools, transportation choices, jobs and health care options,” said David Bowers, Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Market Leader at Enterprise Community Partners.

After a 30-day public review period, the Zoning Commission’s decision is expected to become final.

Statement at the Zoning Commission, March 3, 2016

The DC Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning is led by the Coalition for Smarter Growth and the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. It is supported by Enterprise Community Partners, the Metropolitan Washington Labor Council AFL-CIO, PolicyLink, and Jews United for Justice.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its 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. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.

The DC Fiscal Policy Institute promotes budget and policy choices to expand economic opportunity for DC residents and to reduce income inequality in the District of Columbia, through independent research and policy recommendations. Learn more at dcfpi.org.

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Got a quick, cheap fix for I-270 traffic? Maryland wants to hear it.

Posted on by Claire Jaffe
Got a quick fix traffic solution for I-270 in Maryland? Quick means it could be implemented in two to three years and for less than $100 million, a tiny sum compared to the multi-billion dollar price tags of most major regional transportation projects.

Those are the only conditions Maryland transportation officials are placing on proposals they are seeking from the private sector to improve traffic flow on the state’s most congested highway. Yes, I-270 is even worse than the Beltway in Maryland, says transportation secretary Pete Rahn.

“We don’t have the solution to congestion with what we currently have available to us in our tool chest,” said Rahn in an interview at MDOT headquarters in Hanover.

The state is asking the private sector to come up with an idea — any idea that might work.

“This is as open a procurement as you can possibly imagine, telling the world that we are open to new concepts,” said Rahn. “We don’t know what it’s going to look like.”

But Rahn has ruled out one possible solution to rush hour traffic backups: toll lanes, which are expensive and time-consuming projects. One needs to simply glance across the river to Northern Virginia to see 45 miles of HOT (high-occupancy toll) lanes on I-495 and I-95 that offer motorists a choice: pay a toll for a faster ride, or stick with the regular lanes and risk getting slowed down by congestion.

“We have ruled out tolling on 270 because of the length of time that would be necessary to implement it. I would hope that we could have solutions implemented within two, maybe three years,” he said.

Proposals are due in September, but Maryland’s top transportation official said if he does not receive one he is in love with, the state won’t spend the money.

“Industry of the world, bring us your concepts, tell us how it will work and we will pay you upon your performance,” said Rahn, who said he is not aware of any quick-fix highway projects in the world that cost less than $100 million.

And critics of his approach argue it could induce more people to drive, eventually filling up I-270 with long-distance, drive-alone commuters all over again.

“The congestion can return very quickly because people change the time of their commute back into the peak hour. They may drop out of a carpool and travel alone. They might leave transit and then drive alone in the corridor,” said Stewart Schwartz, the executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a pro-transit group.

Schwartz favors establishing express bus service in dedicated lanes to facilitate faster commuting over long distances, and fears any short-term “improvement” to I-270 will lead to more sprawl.

“It has to start with better land use planning in Frederick County and beyond,” he said. “We need to revitalize and continue to invest in the city of Frederick and in mixed-use, walkable communities in the county, and not spread development all across the countryside where people have to drive for every trip.”

Rahn rejects the “induced demand” argument against highway projects, saying commuters have proven they are willing to drive in terrible traffic to get to work far from home.

“People are in fact willing to drive now an hour and a half, two hours, from where they work,” he said. “People will bear almost intolerable conditions in order to stay in their cars.”

Funds for an I-270 solution are part of a $2 billion transportation package backed by Gov. Larry Hogan. It focuses largely on roads but also includes funding for the Purple Line light rail system in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.

Photo courtesy of Raymond Wald: https://flic.kr/p/boY7nS.

Click here to read the original story.