We are pleased to see a major commitment to affordable housing production and preservation in the proposed budget, and urge you to support these appropriations in full. The Housing Initiative Fund and Non-Profit Preservation Fund are essential tools to sustain the work of affordable housing providers. Providing robust funding to these initiatives must be a priority to ensure that we do not let opportunities to provide affordable housing slip through the cracks. The level of annual funding proposed in this year’s CIP appropriately reflects the urgency of our housing shortage and the scale of our housing need, and should represent a benchmark for future years.
Category: Resources
Testimony: Reducing parking requirements for affordable housing near transit (DC, Support with amendments)
We wish to express our support for Case No. 23-17 in two ways.
1) We support the recommended text amendment to reduce parking requirements for publicly assisted affordable dwelling units near transit, though we urge the commission to revise upward the threshold for relieving small projects of a parking requirement burden to 50 units rather than the 40 units proposed.
2) We ask the Zoning Commission to take a more significant step by eliminating parking requirements for affordable housing units, at least near transit.
Testimony: Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment (Support)
We support the draft Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment, which outlines a vision for an inclusive, environmentally resilient, and vibrant community with improved access to parks and amenities and an abundance of housing that supports the continued affordability and unique diversity of this plan area.
CSG Recommendations for Wizards/Capitals Arena Study
We are pleased to see that Alexandria is doing extensive outreach and sharing of information with the community, but we also urge our elected officials in the region to fully evaluate the impacts, costs, and benefits of the proposed project and site as compared to retaining the arena in DC. This includes transportation, environment, demographic, tax, financial risks, and other factors.
CSG Remarks to NoVa Legislative Delegation in support of Metro Funding
Given the value of Metro to Virginia, and the staffing concerns that the GM just highlighted – we hold out hope for a level of funding that will avoid service cuts, while minimizing fare increases, and minimizing the – less-than-ideal – shifting of preventative maintenance funds to operating needs.
Joint Comments: TopGolf Site (Fairfax, Support)
Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, South County Task Force, Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Nature Forward, and YIMBYs of NOVA. We write to express our support for the proposed redevelopment of the Top Golf site in Kingstowne and urge you to vote in favor of the plan amendment (PA-2015-IV-RH1).
WMATA Fact Sheet on Cost Savings & Comparisons to Other Agencies
From FY18-24, Metro cut administrative costs by $308M through healthcare cost-sharing, maximizing real estate assets, office consolidation, position eliminations, and reducing the non-revenue fleet.
Comments on TPB’s January 2024 meeting
On your agenda today are two items where you can make more progress and ensure that you are meeting the very laudable commitments that you set. I will note another item on the agenda is the resilience work that TPB is doing which has been really outstanding and we look forward to seeing more of the results.
CSG in the News: Transit advocates weigh in on Maryland’s $2B transportation shortfall
The Maryland Sierra Club and Coalition for Smarter Growth argue that a better way to address the funding backlog would be to shift more of the remaining road dollars to transit.
Testimony: Eliminating parking requirements near transit (Montgomery County, Support)
Eliminating mandatory parking minimums in locations with great access to transit is a common-sense fix. It aligns our parking policies with the goals of the Thrive 2050 General Plan, and will create more affordable housing opportunities and provide more options for sustainable living.