Category: District of Columbia

RELEASE: We know we have traffic congestion. The real news is that we have more solutions to congestion than most regions of the country – and can do better.

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2025

CONTACT:
Stewart Schwartz, 703-599-6437

Consumer Affairs released its ranking of the cities with the worst congestion and DC ranked #1. “These rankings routinely show DC in the top four, so it’s not news that our region has congestion. For one thing, it’s a sign of a healthy economy, and in our case, the return to office requirement,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

“More importantly, this new report doesn’t appear to account for the 40% of workers[i] (almost a million) who take transit, carpool, walk and bike to work in our region, and who have been given great options for avoiding traffic,” said Schwartz. 

CSG reached out to Consumer Affairsabout their methodology, to determine if they counted transit, bike and pedestrian commuters in their analysis and ranking but the designated contact was listed as out of the office. It does not appear however that non-auto trips were included.

Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG added, “Metrorail, Metrobus, local bus, VRE, MARC, and Amtrak, and our increasing number of homes in walkable, bike-friendly neighborhoods all provide options that are less stressful and healthier. We need our local governments to allow even more housing options in walkable, convenient, transit-accessible locations.”

“This report also helps make clear why our region should be investing in expanding transit options and making it even more frequent,” said Schwartz, who serves on the region’s DMV Moves Community Advisory Committee which is supporting elected officials looking at both transit improvements and dedicated funding options.

“Increased frequency on Metrorail has attracted more riders, and the WMATA 2025 Better Bus Network is also designed to increase bus frequency and speeds. Meanwhile, both MARC and VRE commuter rail have plans to increase service – including all-day bi-directional and weekend service,” said Pugh.

“So, let’s take this latest traffic ranking and use it to spur action on the increased and dedicated funding our transit systems need, and to provide more housing options in walkable communities linked to great transit options,” concluded Schwartz.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington, DC region advocating for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

[i]  Sources: National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, Visualize 2050 plan, and MWCOG employment data.

Testimony: Support for Z.C. Case No. 13-14E, modification to Parcels 2 and 4 (Reservoir District formerly known as McMillan) (DC)

Testimony: Support for Z.C. Case No. 13-14E, modification to Parcels 2 and 4 (Reservoir District formerly known as McMillan) (DC)

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

July 17, 2025

Mr. Anthony Hood

Chairman, Zoning Commission of the District of Columbia

441 4th Street, NW, Suite 210S

Washington, DC 20001

RE: Support for Z.C. Case No. 13-14E, modification to Parcels 2 and 4 (Reservoir District formerly known as McMillan)

Dear Chairman Hood:

Please accept this testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

We wish to express our support for the proposed modifications to this PUD (13-14E) for the Reservoir District to allow for greater flexibility given changing conditions over the decade that this proposal has been waiting to move forward. The changes also include increased affordable housing, and more housing overall. These modifications will help ensure this long sought after project will be able to be completed and fulfill the promise of this major development.

We are pleased to see that the proposal now includes 30% MFI affordable housing — something that we called for in our 2014 testimony. We ask that the affordable units be committed to in perpetuity, which is the standard for public land dispositions under law. I note that Inclusionary Zoning retains the affordable units for the life of the development. Thus either way, DC regulations set a permanent term as the standard for publicly-supported affordable housing. 

The proposed senior units are 39 30% MFI, 86 50% MFI, and 16 60% MFI. We are also pleased to see an increase in affordable senior homes at the site. We remain hopeful that the project will also receive a HANTA program tax abatement to include more 80% MFI units (with a term of 40 years). This will be an important contribution to housing equity for the neighborhood and city.

We support the other modifications and flexibility to secure a grocery store. The proposed changes are within reasonable parameters. We recognize that the commitment of a full scale grocery store like Harris Teeter cannot be necessarily sustained for 10 years, and that the market economics have changed significantly in that time. We are hopeful that the developer can keep the current smaller format grocer commitment for the site. DC has several high quality smaller grocers like Streets that are essentially full service. These kinds of smaller grocery stores are great assets to their communities. 

We hope the plan can continue to retain sufficient ground floor retail uses to animate the street and provide services to residents, along with visitors and workers at the nearby hospitals. The request for lodging makes sense given the world-class hospital and health services across the street. The retail, lodging and public spaces are a way to enhance the hospital district, which is a major center for private employment in DC. 

We, of course, support the proposed reduction in parking — which is still far above what is required. Oversupply of parking is a cost burden. We support enhanced bus service to the site, along with better walk and bike access. 

We note that the Reservoir District is rapidly becoming a reality with a major new park, recreation center, playground, and indoor swimming pool. This was first to deliver, and now the townhouses are coming on line. The preservation of historic structures and integration of these structures into the site and the recreation center stands out as a distinctive feature for the neighborhood. Providing the flexibility to secure the buildout of the hundreds of mixed income homes with ground floor retail, including a grocery store, is needed to realize the promise of this major new neighborhood district. We ask the Zoning Commission to approve this modification without delay. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cort

Policy Director

Event: Zoning for Positive Change in DC

Event: Zoning for Positive Change in DC

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

How can plans and zoning regulations shape vibrant, mixed-use, walkable communities? On April 23, 2025 we hosted a discussion with Code Studio, one of the national leaders on using innovative form-based approaches to zoning to guide change and protect what’s best about our neighborhoods. 

Speakers: Colin Scarff and Rene Biberstein, Code Studio; Moderated by Ellen McCarthy, Ward3Vision

This event is part of our informational series as the District kicks off DC 2050 — the Comprehensive Plan rewrite in spring of 2025.

Review the recording on YouTube here.

Code Studio Presentation

cover slide
Code Studio

Co-sponsored by Coalition for Smarter Growth and Ward3Vision

Downtown DC walking tour, March 18, 2025

Posted on by Cheryl Cort
Downtown DC walking tour public programDownload

Resources:

Here are some key Downtown DC revitalization documents for you to review. The latest edition of the State of Downtown Report, by DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID), will be available April 22, 2025. 

DC’s downtown is vital to the success of the entire city and region. We’ll stay engaged and partner with DowntownDC BID, Golden Triangle BID, DC government, and the community to catalyze downtown’s transformation into a great place to be – to live, work, shop and visit.

DC Testimony: DC Office of Planning and DC Office of Zoning Performance 2025 Oversight Hearing

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

February 25, 2025

Dear Chair Mendelson: 

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all. 

We wish to comment on the performance of DC Office of Planning and DC Office of Zoning over the past year. The efforts of these are helping to bring much needed dedicated affordable housing to sought-after locations, and to help make housing in general more available. We commend the Office of Planning, Office of Zoning and the Zoning Commission for their commitment to public engagement, and careful, deliberative process.

Chevy Chase Comp Plan amendments and Small Area Plan implementation

We have engaged in key planning and zoning efforts, including a focus on Ward 3 and the Chevy Chase Small Area Plan, and rezoning process to implement important recommendations and policies from the Small Area Plan (ZC 23-24). 

The zoning changes to the Chevy Chase area are modest, but important for opening up this exclusive neighborhood to low income residents, African American families, and other people of color who are greatly underrepresented in the Chevy Chase neighborhood. Discrimination has excluded people of color, both historically and systemically. 

The rezoning changes will help to expand housing capacity and diversify Chevy Chase main street, and utilize the public land of the library site. This public site will benefit the community and the city by creating modern public facilities and dedicated affordable homes. Dedicated affordable homes in this neighborhood and Ward 3 are an extreme rarity. Figure 1 (below) illustrates this: at 12% of DC’s affordable housing goal for Ward 3/Rock Creek West we are hardly where we should be. The Chevy Case rezoning, the library mixed use redevelopment and the future rezoning of Wisconsin Avenue, and Connecticut Avenue should accelerate this part of town’s move towards a more inclusive community. 

Figure 1

Source: DMPED 36,000 by 2025 Dashboard, emphasis added.

U Street Police & Fire Stations rezoning to implement Comp Plan

We have also engaged in the extensive Zoning Commission review process for the U Street Police Station (ZC 23-02 & ZC 23-25) to align the zoning of this site with the Comprehensive Plan amendments of 2021. This process took dozens of hours of public hearings. The resulting rezoning and future public land disposition offers the chance to build more than 100 dedicated affordable homes, along with market rate apartments, and new police and fire facilities in the highly sought-after U Street neighborhood. U Street has experienced a major decline in low income and African American residents, so this public land redevelopment contributes to reversing this trend. 

Looking ahead

This coming year, we look forward to engaging in the follow up zoning changes from  the Wisconsin Avenue Development Framework, Connecticut Avenue Development Guidelines, and launching of the Rhode Island Ave. corridor planning study. But the biggest planning activity is the Comp Plan rewrite. We are hopeful that this rewrite will take on the need to make it easier and less costly to build more housing in high demand locations, and fully utilize form based zoning as a critical tool to ensure great public spaces, and buildings scaled for people, and walkable neighborhoods. We ask the administration and Council to provide the resources needed to set up a successful process to address our housing and equitable development goals. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Cort

Policy Director

Testimony: U St Police Station Zone Modification (Support)

Posted on by Ayesha Amsa

We urge the Zoning Commission not to further shrink the housing capacity of the site, and to accommodate its other essential uses – a new police station and fire station. This is an important public land site for needed affordable housing. The proposed text amendment is a reasonable approach to making the most of the opportunity for new housing, supporting new public facilities, while also being respectful of the desires of nearby neighbors.