Category: Affordable Housing

DC Comp Plan Testimony Workshop Materials

DC Comp Plan Testimony Workshop Materials

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

DC Housing Priorities Coalition provided a testimony workshop for the DC Comp Plan on October 27 in preparation of the DC Council hearing on the Comp Plan scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13, 2020.

Testimony Tips and Tricks (Comp Plan)Download
Alternative-Comp-Plan-Framing-HPC-Talking-Points-1Download

YouTube Recording of 10/27/20 Testimony Workshop

What is the Comp Plan? Housing Priorities Coalition Presentation

CSG Model Letter to DC Council in Support of the Comp Plan

Greater Greater Washington Petition

Housing Priorities Coalition letter to DC Council in support of the Comp Plan, Sept. 30, 2020

Blog post by Greater Greater Washington: Here’s how you can weigh in to make sure the Comp Plan will help, not hurt, housing production in DC

HAND’s webpage on the Comp Plan

DC Comprehensive Plan webpage: https://plandc.dc.gov/

Expanded Inclusionary Zoning – learn about it and sign up to testify for the Nov. 16, 2020 hearing. Housing Priorities Coalition Testimony on Expanded IZ proposal by OP. View Expanded IZ case no. 20-02 Zoning Commission notice and case documents here. Sign up for 11/16/20 hearing, 6:30pm, case number 20-02 here.

Take Action: Speak-up for Accessory Dwelling Units in Alexandria

Posted on by Ayesha Amsa

The City of Alexandria is developing a policy to make Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) a viable option for providing more affordable housing in the city. They just released draft ADU policy recommendations and want to hear what you think. Please take a moment to complete a short ADU survey to show your support for making accessory dwellings a success in Alexandria. 

COMPLETE THE SURVEY TODAY

ADUs can offer less expensive housing options than renting or buying a single-family home because of their smaller size.They are great for an aging parent you are caring for, offer a home for your recent college graduate, or a young professional just starting their career. ADUs can also offer a stream of income for homeowners, including retirees on fixed incomes.

Overall, the draft recommendations are very good. The owner occupancy requirement is one area that could be improved. While this requirement is common among local jurisdictions, it lacks flexibility for the homeowner and may limit one’s ability to build an ADU. Eliminating this requirement would encourage more ADUs. 

Here’s a breakdown on the draft recommendations:

  • Allows detached ADUs (ie. garage apartment, backyard cottage) and interior ADUs (ie. English basements) on properties zoned for single, two-family and townhouses city-wide. This is great!
  • Establishes an owner-occupancy requirement. Eliminating this requirement would offer a stronger ADU policy. 
  • No additional off-street parking is required for the ADU. We support this helfpul provision that prioritizes using valuable land to house people. It also helps reduce the amount of impervious surface needed on the property.  
  • Restricts ADU occupancy to one family. This provision seems reasonable since Alexandria’s zoning code permits not only a family related by blood but also includes nontraditional families and roommates for up to four unrelated people. 
  • Requires an administrative permit for the construction of an ADU. This is less onerous than making ADUs a special exemption that requires a more costly and time consuming process. 
  • Establishes a maximum ADU height and square footage that won’t exceed the main house. This is a reasonable approach to ensuring the ADU is smaller in scale to the main house and compatible with the neighborhood. 
  • Maintains setback requirements and floor area ratio exclusions consistent with current building and zoning codes for other types of accessory buildings, like garages.
  • Current city policies allowing short-term rentals will be applied to ADUs also. 

Take the ADU survey today to tell them what you support and suggest how they can make it even better!

The City is taking feedback on its draft ADU policy recommendations through this Friday, November 6. Input received will further refine final recommendations for Planning Commission and City Council consideration in December. Visit Alexandria’s ADU webpage for more information. 

Thank you for your support,

Sonya Breehey
Northern Virginia Advocacy Manager

Housing Priorities Coalition

Housing Priorities Coalition

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

The Housing Priorities Coalition is: Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED) 🞄 Coalition for Smarter Growth 🞄 DC Fiscal Policy Institute 🞄 Enterprise Community Partners 🞄 Greater Greater Washington 🞄 Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) 🞄 Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) 🞄 Somerset Development 🞄 United Planning Organization (UPO)

About the DC Housing Priorities Coalition

The Housing Priorities Coalition formed in 2016 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 at: plandc.dc.gov). See the full Housing Priorities Coalition amendment package here. The Housing Priorities Coalition’s guiding principles for amending the DC Comprehensive Plan are: 

  • Meet the housing demand
  • Equitably distribute housing
  • Best utilize areas near transit
  • Include families: ensure homes 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

Testimony & factsheets

HPC Comp Plan February 2021 DC Council LetterDownload

Housing Priorities Coalition Testimony Workshop Materials

Housing Priorities Coalition urges Chairman Mendelson & DC Council to pass Comp Plan this year (Sept. 30, 2020)

Housing Priorities Coalition Support for Expanded Inclusionary Zoning

Housing Priorities Coalition

View more here

A big step toward ending Montgomery’s housing moratorium!

Posted on by Emily Maurer

Yesterday, the Planning Board voted to update the county’s draft growth policy (aka the Subdivision Staging Policy), which seeks to time public infrastructure like schools and transportation with population growth. Among other changes, the Planning Board draft would eliminate the counterproductive housing moratorium throughout most of the county, while adjusting fees and taxes to ensure adequate funding to meet increases in school demand.

This decision is thanks, in large part, to you! CSG’s supporters sent over 50 letters to the Planning Board, and our supporters and allies showed up strong at the Planning Board’s public hearing. Check out CSG’s public testimony for more background.

This isn’t the end though — the County Council has the last say. They will review the Planning Board’s recommendations and vote on a new growth policy by November. We’ll keep you updated on actions you can take!

Until then, please consider making a donation to sustain our work advocating for more housing in Montgomery County!

Other changes proposed by the Planning Board:

  • Developers would be required to pay Utilization Premium Payments when a school’s projected utilization three years into the future exceeds 120 percent
  • Impact taxes would be lowered from 120 percent of the cost of a seat to 100 percent, and further lowered to 60 percent in certain areas with high-capacity transit and employment centers
  • Recordation taxes at the time of home sales, would be progressively increased to the to provide additional funding for school construction and affordable housing
  • Any development located in an Opportunity Zone would be exempt from impact taxes
  • Multiple updates to transportation tests would prioritize walking and biking as transportation modes and improve safety
  • And more! If you’re interested, you can find the most up-to-date information here.

Again, thank you to all those who sent in letters or testified! In September, we’ll update you on the Council’s review and hearing schedule so you can join us again in supporting this progressive update to the county’s growth policy.

Webinar: Understanding ADU Zoning in DC

Webinar: Understanding ADU Zoning in DC

Posted on by Emily Maurer

Want to build an accessory dwelling unit in DC, but unsure of the zoning review process? 

Watch our July 29, 2020 webinar on the zoning code with Mamadou Ndaw, Supervisory Engineering Technician, DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). 

View Mamadou Ndaw’s, DCRA, powerpoint presentation here.

View Cheryl Cort’s, Coalition for Smarter Growth, powerpoint introduction to DC zoning for ADUs and second dwellings here.

CSG Letter on Proposed Property Tax Changes

Posted on by Emily Maurer

July 27, 2020 

The Honorable Sidney Katz

Montgomery County Council

100 Maryland Avenue

Rockville, MD 20850 

Re: Property Taxes 

2020.07.27-CSG-Letter-on-Proposed-Property-Tax-Changes-Final-1Download

Dear Council President Katz and Councilmembers: 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the proposals to alter the rules for property tax increases. Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading organization in the DC region advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities. 

We support a fix to the artificial constraints imposed by the current property tax cap, and want to ensure that the Council and County Executive have the authority to budget in a way that meets the community’s needs, particularly for social services, affordable housing, and public transportation. The county requires improved flexibility to meet unexpected challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the increased need it has created. 

At the same time as needs rise, Montgomery County has not been able to benefit from growth in the tax base, growth which is supported by a history of successful public investments in infrastructure, schools, and transportation. Continuous public investment and services are vital in order to maintain a high quality of life, spur further economic development, and battle external threats, including public health and climate crises. 

Therefore, we support proposals to remove the property tax cap and to require a supermajority of at least two-thirds of the council to raise the general property tax rate, not a unanimous vote as is now the case. We also support setting equal limits on rate increases for owner-occupied residential properties and for residential rental properties, since landlords pass property tax increases onto tenants in the form of higher rents. Homeowners and renters should be treated equally – renters should not face a higher pass-through cost of tax increases than homeowners. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Jane Lyons

Maryland Advocacy Manager

Coalition for Smarter Growth 

CC: Montgomery County Councilmembers County Executive Marc Elrich