Author: Stewart Schwartz
DC Housing Priorities Coalition re DC Comp Plan B23-1 June 27, 2019
Comprehensive Plan Framework Element bill, B23-1
DC Housing Priorities Coalition briefing paperJune 27, 2019
Who we are
The DC Housing Priorities Coalition includes: Enterprise Community Partners, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Coalition for Non Profit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED), Somerset Development, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Greater Greater Washington, United Planning Organization, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Why we formed
The Housing Priorities Coalition formed to help update the DC Comprehensive Plan, the land use policy that guides development decisions in the District. (Learn more from DC Office of Planning on the DC Comprehensive Plan amendment process here, plandc.dc.gov). See full Housing Priorities Coalition amendment package.
Our DC Housing Prioritiesfor the Comprehensive Plan Amendments
- Meet the housing demand
- Equitably distribute housing
- Best utilize areas near transit
- Include families:ensurehomes for people of all income levels and of all household sizes, including families.
- Prioritize affordable housing as a community benefit
- Preserve existing affordable housing
- Protect tenants
- Support neighborhood commercial corridors
- Clarify zoning authority
- Improve data collection and transparency
Why these priorities
- Lack of affordable housing and risk of displacement are among the greatest challenges DC facesto achieving racial equity, quality of life for residents, and economic sustainability for all.
- Low-income District residents, particularlyresidents of color, do not currently enjoy equal access to affordable housing connected to communities of opportunity, perpetuating a gaping racial equity gap.
- The Planned Unit Development (PUD) process, which is an important way to produce new housing with substantial affordability, is now held up in constant court challenges resulting in thousands of stalled homes, including hundreds of affordable homes. Court challenges and rulings have relied heavily on narrow interpretations of the Comp Plan, so our proposed amendments help to clarify how the Zoning Commission should judge and prioritize PUDs. Such clarification is critical, because even the riskof lawsuits also has dramatically reduced the use of PUDs for affordable and market-rate housing (example: Park Morton public housing blocked at Bruce Monroe PUD. View list of stalled projects published by Washington Business Journal here)
Our coalition’s five priorities for amendments to B23-1
- Housing affordability is the #1 priority for DC
- Emphasize tenant protections and anti-displacement
- Reinforce principles of fair housing and connections to communities of opportunity
- Incorporate OP August 2018 amendments
- Ensure effective development approval process amendments
- Add matter of right bonus provision for affordable housing
- Clarify PUD approval process, including scope of agency review
Update! Fairfax Healthy Communities Platform – 2 new groups incl Fairfax County NAACP
Coalition for Smarter Growth, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, Audubon Naturalist Society, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Friends of Accotink Creek, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Potomac Conservancy, Friends of Dyke Marsh, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, Fairfax County NAACP
Fairfax Healthy Communities: Sustainable, Inclusive, Livable
A Joint Vision for Fairfax County in 2019
We support a vision for Fairfax County that is sustainable, inclusive, and livable and urge candidates for local and state office in Fairfax County to support this vision and to commit to the implementation steps necessary to make this vision a reality.
We share a vision for Fairfax County where the County commits to:
- Providing housing opportunities for people of all incomes, ages, and stages of life in every district in the county, investing in improving affordable housing and access to opportunity in communities where there are concentrations of poverty, and fostering greater racialand economic integration in single-family, low-poverty neighborhoods.
- Ensuring transit, walking, bicycling and other modes of active transportation are well-funded, safe, convenient and accessible for people of all ages, giving residents more choices and reducing traffic congestion.
- Creating vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income transit-oriented communities which provide a range of housing choices and employment opportunities, while reducing vehicle trips and vehicle miles traveled.
- Fighting climate change by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, transportation and other sources.
- Restoring watersheds to ensure clean drinking water and healthier ecosystems.
- Expanding parks and trail networks.
- Ensuring access for all to affordable health care and healthy local food.
- Taking specific steps to realize its One Fairfax commitment to racial and social equity, community involvement, and the 17 goals laid out in the One Fairfax policy.
A sustainable, inclusive, healthy, competitive, and fiscally sustainable future for Fairfax requires a fundamental shift in land use, transportation, housing and energy policies toward walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income, and transit-oriented and green energy communities, and the full engagement of the community in achieving this future.
Signed:
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance
Audubon Naturalist Society
Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling
Friends of Accotink Creek
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Potomac Conservancy
Friends of Dyke Marsh
Audubon Society of Northern Virginia
Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action
Fairfax County NAACP
* The above signatories are 501(c)(3) organizations. This platform is strictly educational and is being shared with all candidates and the public. By law, our organizations are strictly prohibited from participating in, or intervening in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
10 Orgs Release a Platform for Fairfax Healthy Communities
Coalition for Smarter Growth, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, Audubon Naturalist Society, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Friends of Accotink Creek, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Potomac Conservancy, Friends of Dyke Marsh, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia
Fairfax Healthy Communities: Sustainable, Inclusive, Livable
A Joint Vision for Fairfax County in 2019
We support a vision for Fairfax County that is sustainable, inclusive, and livable and urge candidates for local and state office in Fairfax County to support this vision and to commit to the implementation steps necessary to make this vision a reality.
We share a vision for Fairfax County where the County commits to:
- Providing housing opportunities for people of all incomes, ages, and stages of life in every district in the county, investing in improving affordable housing and access to opportunity in communities where there are concentrations of poverty, and fostering greater racialand economic integration in single-family, low-poverty neighborhoods.
- Ensuring transit, walking, bicycling and other modes of active transportation are well-funded, safe, convenient and accessible for people of all ages, giving residents more choices and reducing traffic congestion.
- Creating vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income transit-oriented communities which provide a range of housing choices and employment opportunities, while reducing vehicle trips and vehicle miles traveled.
- Fighting climate change by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, transportation and other sources.
- Restoring watersheds to ensure clean drinking water and healthier ecosystems.
- Expanding parks and trail networks.
- Ensuring access for all to affordable health care and healthy local food.
- Taking specific steps to realize its One Fairfax commitment to racial and social equity, community involvement, and the 17 goals laid out in the One Fairfax policy.
A sustainable, inclusive, healthy, competitive, and fiscally sustainable future for Fairfax requires a fundamental shift in land use, transportation, housing and energy policies toward walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income, and transit-oriented and green energy communities, and the full engagement of the community in achieving this future.
Signed:
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance
Audubon Naturalist Society
Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling
Friends of Accotink Creek
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Potomac Conservancy
Friends of Dyke Marsh
Audubon Society of Northern Virginia
* The above signatories are 501(c)(3) organizations. This platform is strictly educational and is being shared with all candidates and the public. By law, our organizations are strictly prohibited from participating in, or intervening in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
Smart Growth Events — March-April
Hi Friend!
Happy Spring! We have a lot of big news and events to share!
On April 23 we’ll be honoring Rushern Baker, former Prince George’s County Executive with our Prince Livable Communities Leadership Award, and the DC-area League of Women Voters with our Sanders-Henn Community Hero Award. We hope you will join us at Tico restaurant in DC from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for delicious food, great company, and to celebrate these amazing indivduals and thier leadership on smart growth. Sign up to sponsor or buy your individual tickets. We hope to see you there!
We’re hiring for two great positions — Communications Manager and Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager. Learn more here and apply at jobs@smartergrowth.net.
It’s shaping up to be a big year in advocacy for smarter growth and we welcome your involvement. With town, county, and state legislative elections in Virginia, we are teaming with partners on a Healthy Communities Platform to call for transit-oriented communities with safer streets for walking and bicycling, more transit, more affordable housing, parks and restored streams.
Never before has it been more important for our region to focus growth in walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented communities. We have just a decade to significantly cut our greenhouse gas emissions, and we can’t do so without major reductions in driving. These dynamic communities also improve access to jobs and opportunity, allow for improved health and human interaction, and are a far more effective approach to addressing our transportation challenges than massive highway expansion.
We hope you will join us in supporting smarter growth and healthier communities in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia at these upcoming events and hearings.
Upcoming Events
Wharf Phase II Kick Off Celebration and Family Fun Day
Sat, March 30, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
The Wharf — 600 Water Street, SW, Washington, D.C.
Northern Virginia Housing Expo
Sat, March 30, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Washington-Lee High School, 1301 N. Stafford St., Arlington
A free public event for first-time homeownership, rental opportunities and resources throughout Northern Virginia: location options, being prepared for buying or renting, understanding and improving credit scores, senior housing options, condominium governance, improving energy efficiency, and more. For more information check here.
Mon., April 1, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
Busboys and Poets, 450 K St NW, Washington, D.C.
The Rail Passengers Association presents a Beer+Transit networking event as part of the 2019 #RailNationDC Spring Advocacy Conference. Guest speaker is Joe McAndrew, Director of Transportation Policy at the Greater Washington Partnership. Tickets are $12.00.
MPC Annual Spring Lecture: Robert Sampson “Urban Neighborhoods and American Life”
Wed, April 3, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
American University, School of International Service Founders Room, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Professor Robert J. Sampson of Harvard University will deliver the Metropolitan Policy Center’s fifth Annual Spring Lecture. He is the Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University. A reception will follow the lecture. RSVP here.
The Climate Crisis: Impacts and Solutions
Tues, April 9, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
GMU Founders Hall, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington (Virginia Square Metro)
Talk by Jay Fisette, former Arlington Board member and managing partner for DMV Strategic Advisors, presenting Al Gore’s compelling slide deck and leading a panel discussion. Hosted by EcoAction Arlington, Coalition for Smarter Growth and Encore Learning. Attend and join us in emphasizing the importance of smart growth for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ACT April Meeting: What’s the Future of the Bus?
Tues., Apr. 9, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Dan Malouff (GWU professor, Alexandria planner) will be speaking on the future of bus transit.
Prince William Supervisor Candidate Forum on Climate and Sustainability
Mon, April 15, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Chin Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Drive, Woodbridge, VA
Hosted by the Greater Prince William Climate Action Network and other partners. Prince William has some of the highest rates of driving in the region and scattered land use — meaning even bigger steps are necessary to find land use and workable transit solutions. (CSG is a 501(c)3 and does not endorse or work on behalf of any candidate for office.)
Stand up for Smart Growth
Events listed under D.C, Maryland, Virginia, and regional below.
District of Columbia
Protected Bike Lanes for 20th/21st/22ndStreet NW– Public Meeting #3
Sat, April 13, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens, 2425 N Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Attend this open house to learn about and comment on DDOT’s recommended alternative. Learn more about D.C.’s protected bike lane studies here.
Maryland
Montgomery Council work sessions on Accessory Dwelling Units
Planning, Housing & Economic Development Committee
Thurs, April 4, 9:30 a.m.
Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 19-01 would make ADU’s easier and more affordable to build. Read more here and see a fact sheet here. You can submit comments by email here.
Montgomery Planning Open House on Rock Spring Master Plan Design Guidelines
Thurs., Mar. 28, 2019 at 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD
The Rock Spring Master Plan envisions this 535-acre office park, as walkable, mixed-use community with new housing and retail, and a central circulation spine for a future BRT.
Virginia
PEC Community Meeting on the Loudoun2040 plan
Wed, March 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Middleburg Community Center, Middleburg, VA
The latest in a series of information sessions on the Loudoun2040 comprehensive plan, what’s at stake and how to get involved. Learn more here.
Eisenhower East Small Area Plan 2019 Update Open House
Wed, March 27, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Eisenhower Center III Office Building, 2331 Mill Road, 6thFloor
The city is evaluating flexibility of land uses, building heights, potential additional development, retail, and ped/bike issues. Attend to encourage improved placemaking, retail, and pedestrian and bicycle features to enhance Alexandria’s highest density Metro-oriented center. Learn more here.
Oakville Triangle and Route 1 Corridor Vision Plan Update for Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
Mon, April 1, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Oakville Triangle warehouse, 444 Swann Ave, Alexandria
The first in a series of meetings about Virginia Tech’s planned Innovation Campus. For additional information, visit the project webpage and the City’s National Landing webpage.
Richmond Highway (Route 1) Urban Design Guidelines Pop-up Studios
Thurs, April 4, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Sat, April 6, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Mount Vernon Plaza Shopping Center 7648 Richmond Highway (behind McDonalds)
Share your ideas at Pop-UP STUDIOs showcase pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and building design ideas for the Richmond Highway corridor.
Arlington’s Plan Lee Highway Design Studios
Every other Fri, April 5, 19, May 3, 17, 31, from Noon to 3:30 p.m.
Russell Building, 4620 Lee Highway, Suite 208, Arlington, VA
An opportunity for residents, business owners, and community members to view the latest study materials, meet with project planners, ask questions and share ideas.
Regional
2019 NLIHC Housing Policy Forum: Seizing the Moment for Bold Solutions
Wed., Mar. 27, 2019 at 8 a.m. through Fri., Mar. 29, 2019 at 5 p.m.
525 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20001
Join affordable housing advocates, thought-leaders, policy experts, researchers, housing providers, low income residents, and leaders from Capitol Hill to advance bold solutions to homelessness and housing poverty in America.
CSG In Action
Workforce housing: Last week, on the heels of Mayor Bowser’s proposal to increase funding for affordable housing, we issued our report: Making Workforce Housing Work: Understanding Housing Needs for D.C.’s Changing Workforce, urging D.C. to increase the total supply of housing, and target housing support toward working households at 50% of area median income and below. We recommend the city dramatically increase funding for its Local Rent Supplement Program and Housing Production Trust Fund, and use Inclusionary Zoning, Planned Unit Developments, and other zoning tools to produce more housing that is affordable. See our post in GGWash.
Amazon: We filed testimony in support of the local Arlington incentives for Amazon’s location in Crystal City/Pentagon City, while urging laser focus by the county and state on affordable housing preservation and expansion, including a doubling of the county’s housing trust fund. We noted that the state/local transportation package is very progressive in focusing on transit, walk and bike modes and urged Amazon to achieve a 65% non-auto mode share.
Bus Transformation Project: We are serving on the Executive Committee for this regional study on how to improve bus service. Public meetings are coming later this spring. In the meantime you can find all study documents here.
CSG Testimony re Amazon & Affordable Housing
Coalition for Smarter Growth
March 14, 2019
Arlington County Board
Suite #300
2100 Clarendon Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
Re: Amazon incentive package and community needs
Dear Chair Dorsey and members of the Board:
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading non-profit in the DC region advocating a network of livable communities – walkable, mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented centers and corridors linked by an expanded transit network including Metrorail, bus, bus rapid transit, light-rail, and street-car as appropriate. Our partnerships span the region’s leading conservation, affordable housing, bicycle/pedestrian, and transit advocacy organizations, as well as progressive architecture, planning and development firms. We are proud that this web of partnerships enabled us to collectively win the first-ever dedicated funding for Metro.
We support Amazon’s decision to locate in Crystal City/Pentagon City. Their decision is a vindication of Arlington’s long-time leadership and implementation of smart growth and transit-oriented development (TOD). It is a vindication as well of our regional advocacy for TOD and of the Council of Governments’ Region Forwardvision and Visualize2045transportation plan commitments to TOD. Amazon is also teaming with one of the region’s most successful transit-oriented developers, JBGSmith, who have a record of good design and placemaking, and recently started a workforce housing fund.
Turning now to the proposed incentives program. We join others in the long-standing concerns about the nationwide use of incentives to attract major corporate entities – particularly given so many socio-economic needs in our communities. But we also recognize that both Arlington and the State of Virginia incentives are performance based. Arlington’s incentives are also being drawn from the growth in revenue from the Transient Occupancy Tax, of which 15% will go to Amazon for performance but the remainder to schools, housing and transportation in Arlington. We are pleased that the state transportation investments are among the most progressive seen in the U.S. in that they are focused on transit, bicycle/pedestrian and safe street design investments.
A new area of concern raised by Megan Rhyne of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government must be addressed – that the proposed agreement includes a provision allowing Amazon “at least two-business days to refute, redact or file a lawsuit when someone seeks records of its interaction with the county” (P. Sullivan, Washington Post, 3/15/19). At CSG we have always placed transparency in government at the core of community planning and engagement and strongly support ever greater transparency in FOIA standards and fewer exemptions. Therefore, this provision which Ms. Rhyne says is unusual, should be removed from the agreement.
While we are supporting the Amazon transit-oriented project, we share the significant concerns about housing affordability in Arlington and the region – an issue which admittedly predates Amazon. While Arlington and Alexandria are pledging $150 million toward affordable housing needs over ten years, our understanding is that these are not new, additional funds. It is good that the Virginia Housing Development Authority will be allocating $15 million per year over five years in low interest loans for affordable housing and added $3 million to the statewide Virginia Housing Trust Fund. But this level of investment is also far short of the need. Since Arlington notes that increased revenues will result from Amazon’s investment and associated development and economic activity, we urge the use of a significant portion of those revenues for affordable housing – to double or more the current annual commitments. We urge the same for Alexandria, Fairfax, and the state.
As for the state commitment to affordable housing, we need to point out the discrepancy between $750 million in incentives for Amazon and $50 million for Micron, while only adding $3 million to the state housing trust fund and the five-year, $15 million per year loan program for Northern Virginia. Similarly, the comparison between the billions we spend on highways and interchanges is stunning when compared to how little we are investing in affordable housing. In fact, housing close to jobs and transit IS a transportation solution, reducing vehicle trips and vehicle miles traveled. Investing in affordable housing in smart growth locations creates far more benefits than do our massive highway expenditures, providing family stability, improved health, improved educational outcomes, improved access to jobs and affordable transportation, and reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we need both much more public funding support from the state and local governments, but also innovative private sector investment in long-term committed affordable housing for 60 percent of area median income and below.
Beyond funding, we concur with many other groups that we need effective preservation strategies for market-rate affordable housing in our diverse neighborhoods that are potentially impacted by the economic development that will come with Amazon. Arlington, DC, Alexandria and advocates at CSG and the member groups of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance have many ideas for effective tools for both preservation and inclusion of affordable housing, and we need a stronger commitment and an accelerated approach to implementation in each jurisdiction with the full participation of local residents.
Turning back to transportation, and Amazon’s role, we are pleased that Amazon has achieved about a 50% mode share for non-auto commutes in Seattle and has promised that they want to do even better here. We recommend a goal of 65% non-auto mode share. To achieve this, we recommend that Amazon provide transit passes to all employees, and that they minimize on-site parking (as they have discussed) — and price it OR offer equal non-parking benefits to any employee who might be eligible for or offered a parking space but wishes to take transit, walk or bike to work. Include secure bicycle parking, along with showers and lockers for bike commuters.
In addition, the state, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and local jurisdictions should add other projects to the package of transportation investments including:
- Connecting Metroway through Alexandria to Fairfax’ Embark Richmond Highway BRT
- Accelerating the Long Bridge rail project and building the separated bike bridge
- In the I-395 Corridor provide TOD node-to-node bus rapid transit connections between Fort Belvoir, Springfield, Landmark, Mark Center, Shirlington, Pentagon City/Crystal City and Pentagon (and a Kingstown to Van Dorn to Landmark connection).
- Expansion of Capital Bikeshare
- Expansion of dedicated bike lane infrastructure
In conclusion, we support Amazon’s location decision, but we urge you to fix the FOIA issue, to advance these additional transportation projects in partnership with other jurisdictions, AND commit to increasing funding for affordable housing, adopting new tools for preservation and inclusion, and including the community in the development of these strategies and programs.
Thank you.
Stewart Schwartz
Executive Director