An ANC that covers the H Street NE corridor is urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to get the streetcar up and running and expand the system to avoid creating a “useless” service. ANC 6A unanimously voted last night to send a letter to Bowser asking her to save the project. Killing the project would undercut development along H Street, the ANC said.
Category: District of Columbia
Is D.C. in too deep to kill the H Street streetcar?
As the H Street streetcar meets its possible end by the end of this month, various news outlets, organizations, and businesses have confessed their own feelings on one question: to kill or not to kill the streetcar? While controversy has circled around the project since the very beginning, there are still many who hope for the development to come to fruition.
D.C. is spending $1 million on another study of the 16th Street NW corridor
The new 16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study will look in detail at a 2.7-mile stretch from Arkansas Avenue south to H Street NW, a section an earlier study noted as optimal for a dedicated bus lane. DDOT will hold a public meeting March 31 to hear from residents, transit users and other stakeholders. Once this latest study is completed, some riders and public transit advocates say they expect the city to move from planning to action.
Metro’s fancy new railcars were supposed to be rolling by now
Eight of the new cars, the first batch acquired by Metro, have been undergoing tests since early 2014.
The planned acquisition of the new cars will allow Metro to scrap cars that date to the 1970s while also expanding its rail fleet, which currently numbers just over 1,100 cars, most built in the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s.
Metro’s Board heard public reactions Thursday to proposed fare hikes
Though not yet set in stone, the budget proposal being considered would provide for up to a 10-cent increase for both Metrorail and Metrobus fares. Additionally, rail headways would increase, leaving more time between trains in some cases, and late-night rail service would be eliminated, with some bus routes being eliminated and airport service ending entirely.
Support for BZA Case Number 18866 – 1108 16th Street, NW
We wish to express our support for the proposed reduced parking to a total of 4 spaces to serve the redevelopment project at 1108 16th Street, NW which will provide office space and 15 residences, while preserving the historic façade of the original building. Given the awkward site and preserved historic features, the reduced parking is reasonable relief, especially for such an accessible location.
Moving an age-friendly DC
How to provide Washington, D.C.’s, older adults with safe, efficient and affordable transportation is the focus of Moving an Age-Friendly D.C.: Transportation for All Ages, a report published by the Coalition for Smarter Growth in September 2014.
Letter to DC Zoning Commission opposing downzoning to prevent popups
RE: Opinion on Case No. 14-11 (Office of Planning–Text Amendments to Chapters 1 & 4: Definition of Mezzanine and R-4 Zones) CSG agrees with the intent of the Office of Planning’s (OP) proposed amendment to ensure compatibility of new development with existing development in R-4 neighborhoods. However, upon review of the proposal we believe that certain modifications would help to better align the amendment with this intent. Further, in a time when strong demand to live in the city is leasing to increased housing prices, we are
concerned that this proposal could have the adverse effect of constricting housing…
Housing advocates call for changes to struggling Inclusionary Zoning Program
Under the IZ program, developers of new buildings containing at least 10 units must set aside between 8 and 10 percent of those units for people making under certain income thresholds. The trouble is that for most of those IZ units, the threshold is 80 percent of area median income, a measure that includes the wealthy suburbs.
Advocates call on Bowser, Zoning Commission to strengthen affordable housing policies
The letter cites a recent report from the Urban Institute that analyzed and did a comprehensive review of D.C.’s IZ policy, outlining the ways in which it can be improved. Among those recommendations includes ways to lower moderate-income limits for IZ units while increasing the production of low-income units, pricing affordable housing units based on 25 percent of the occupant’s income rather than 30 percent, and requiring low rise or rental buildings to set aside at least 12 percent of their units for affordable housing and ten percent of units for high rises.