Category: Transit-Oriented Development

Smart Growth Events — March-April

Posted on by Stewart Schwartz

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.

 

Beer+Transit Networking Event

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

Posted on by Stewart Schwartz

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

Ruling could make building projects easier in Prince George’s

Posted on by Will Reckley

A recent appeals court decision could make it significantly easier for developers to build projects in Prince George’s County by limiting the ability of county lawmakers to intervene.

Maryland’s Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling that the Prince George’s County Council exceeded its authority to review and revise development decisions made by the county planning board.

The ruling involved a proposed retail center in Adelphi that was approved by the planning board but later put on hold by the council, which wanted the developer to make design changes, including the number of trees to be planted on the property.

“The District Council possessed only appellate jurisdiction to review the Planning Board’s decisions,” Judge Glenn T. Harrell wrote. The council “was authorized to reverse the decision . . . only if the Board’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence, was arbitrary, capricious, or illegal otherwise.”

Developers and their attorneys say the decision will bring Prince George’s in line with neighboring jurisdictions, putting an end to an era in which county residents could turn to their council representatives to try to stop projects that they didn’t want in their neighborhoods.

Until now, interference by the council has made development in Prince George’s “sort of an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ experience,” said attorney Timothy Maloney, who represented Zimmer Development Company in its bid to build the retail strip.

“The council adds years to the development process,” Maloney said, “and has harmed the [county’s] economic development reputation.”

County-elected leaders requested the unique, quasi-judicial authority from the Maryland General Assembly decades ago, arguing that “the public needed to have a bigger voice in development decisions,” said Council Chair Mel Franklin (D-Upper Marlboro). He said lawmakers are assessing the implications of the appeals court’s ruling.

Citizens can still participate in public hearings held by the planning board. But civic activist Kelly Canavan, who has fought several developments in southern Prince George’s, said that she and other activists often leave those sessions feeling powerless.

“The planning board kind of does what it wants and is extremely developer-friendly,” she said, adding that the council “was one of the few ways a citizen could ask for help when a real awful development was coming to their community.”

Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, disagreed, saying that planning board members are professionals who are guided by zoning rules that offer little room for outside influence.

Cort said the court ruling offers the board a chance to invite more citizen participation, because residents no longer have the council to turn to except in certain circumstances. She said she hopes the planning board will schedule more meetings in the evening, so residents can attend more easily, and will publish its public notices more widely.

Longtime observers said one reason the council came to play such a major role in development decisions was that the county’s zoning rules are complicated and antiquated, and in some cases ill-suited to guide modern-day development.

The county is rewriting the nearly half-century-old code to reflect the jurisdiction’s changing needs and improve public participation. Planning officials say their goal is to simplify a code that, over the years, has grown to include more than 50 zones detailed on more than 1,200 pages.

“The zones have not kept up with the modern economy,” Franklin said. “There is not a great deal of confidence in our zones. The rules are not very clear.”

The county wants to require higher-density development around public transit and establish clearer boundaries for its rural and agricultural sector.

Planning and zoning officials are asking for public input and expect the rewrite to be approved by the summer of 2017.

“We should have more robust ways for citizens to get involved in the development review process early,” Franklin said. “Then, when you get to the end stages of the process, it will be much clearer to everybody the direction that the development is going. That’s the ultimate goal: to have stronger rules and more certainty on the front end.”

Read this at The Washington Post >>

Fairfax board votes to move forward on Seven Corners redevelopment

Posted on by Winstina Hughes

After hours of discussion and debate Tuesday that stretched toward midnight, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-1, with one member absent, to move forward with an ambitious redevelopment plan for the traffic-choked Seven Corners area.

The plan would create three villages and add several thousand homes to the area, along with restaurants, shops and a street grid that could draw local traffic away from the confusing Seven Corners intersection.

The board argued over affordable housing and density before the vote on proposed changes to county planning guidelines, changes that would allow the redevelopment to take place.

“I do not think that there is value in deferring this any longer,” said Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (D-Mason), who represents the area and was referring to a nearly three-year-long community discussion marked by intense debate.

Residents of the neighborhoods of single-family homes that surround Seven Corners have opposed some aspects of the plan, saying it would lead to increased density and worsen traffic in the area, home to the Seven Corners Shopping Center.

This month, the county’s Planning Commission adopted an amended version of the original plan in an attempt to address community concerns. Although the revised plan reduced the number of new houses and apartments by several hundred units — bringing the total closer to 5,000 — it still generated worries.

During the hearing, about 40 people lined up inside the Fairfax County Government Center to express both support and concerns about the plan.

“Density, particularly residential density, must not be so high that the accompanying people overwhelm the support-services system, particularly schools and transportation,” James Kilbourne, president of the Lake Barcroft homeowners association, said to applause.

County officials say the plan’s latest version makes several compromises in response to community concerns, including worries about school crowding that would result from adding more residents.

The site of the former Willston Elementary School would also feature a second building that would house a day-care center, social services for school families and the multicultural center, Gross said.

“That is going to be many years in the future, because there is no money right now,” Gross said, referring to the idea of a new “urban-style school” inside a high-rise building. “But we are committed.”

Gross said the overall redevelopment plan is an attempt to bring new life to an area of Fairfax that has become worn in the years since the Seven Corners Shopping Center was a regional draw in the 1950s and 1960s. She called it a road map for what the county will look like in the next 50 years.

“We need to make sure that whole area is ready for all the newcomers who are going to be coming here,” Gross said. “We need to make sure that the community that is being developed is what they would like to live in.”

Urban-planning groups say the kind of walkable, transit-friendly communities envisioned for Seven Corners are needed in aging suburbs that have become homes to mostly vacant office buildings and discount stores with little commercial traffic.

“The future of Fairfax lies in these aging commercial corridors,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “It certainly can be a win-win and enhance Fairfax’s competitiveness.”

Read original article here.

Fairfax board to vote on Seven Corners plan that has sparked heated debate

Posted on by Winstina Hughes

Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to move forward with an ambitious redevelopment plan for the traffic-choked Seven Corners area.

The plan to create three villages in the area would add several thousand new homes to the neighborhood, along with restaurants and shops and a new grid of streets that could draw local traffic away from the confusing Seven Corners intersection that is often backed up with cars and trucks.

Tuesday’s vote would addresses changes to county planning guidelines for Seven Corners that would allow the redevelopment to happen.

Residents from the neighborhoods of single-family homes that surround Seven Corners have opposed some aspects of the plan, arguing that it would bring in too much density and worsen traffic in the area, which is home to the Seven Corners Shopping Center.

Earlier this month, the county planning commission passed an amended version of the original plan that attempted to address community concerns. Though the plan’s new version reduced by several hundred units the overall number of new homes and apartments to be created – bringing the total closer to 5,000 — it still faces some opposition.

“It’s trending in the right direction, but if you talk to people and say it’s 5,000 units . . . in the Seven Corners area, they go: Whoa,” said Marty Machowsky, a local homeowner who who plans to testify during a public hearing scheduled Tuesday before the vote.

“How many total people does that mean and how many more cars will that generate?” Machowsky said. “We can hardly get through the Seven Corners area on a Saturday now.”

County officials say the plan’s latest version makes several compromises in response to community concerns. Among them are worries about school overcrowding that would result from adding more residents.

County executive Edward L. Long and Fairfax schools superintendent Karen Garza have agreed to work toward building a new school on the site of a former elementary school in the area that is now home to a multicultural center serving low-income immigrants who live nearby, officials said.

The site of the former Willston Elementary School would also feature a second building that would house a day care, social services for school families and the multicultural center, said Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (D-Mason,) who represents the area.

“That is going to be many years in the future because there is no money right now,” Gross said, about the idea of a new “urban-style school” inside a high-rise building. “But we are committed.”

Gross said the overall redevelopment plan is an attempt to bring new life to an area of Fairfax County that has been worn down since the Seven Corners mall was a regional draw for shoppers during the 1950s and ‘60s. She called it a road map for what Fairfax County will look like in the next 50 years.

“We need to make that whole area is ready for all the newcomers who are going to be coming here,” Gross said. “We need to make sure that the community that is being developed is what they would like to live in.”

Urban planning groups say the kind of walkable, transit-friendly communities envisioned for Seven Corners are needed in aging suburbs that have become homes to mostly vacant office buildings and discount stores with little commercial traffic.

“The future of Fairfax lies in these aging commercial corridors,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smart Growth. “It certainly can be a win-win and enhance Fairfax’s competitiveness.”

Michelle Krocker, who heads the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance, said there aren’t enough guarantees in the plan to keep lower-income families from being pushed out, which could have long-term repercussions for the Washington region.

“If there’s no place for them to live affordably, we potentially lose them as employees in the area or they move far out into the hinterlands,” Krocker said. “And, then they’d have to commute in, and that’s problematic for everybody.”

Read original article here.

Testimony in Support with Recommendations for the Prince George’s County Regional Medical Center

Posted on by Winstina Hughes

We want to express our strong support for this proposal. We applaud Prince George’s County and its partners for locating a state-of-the-art new Regional Medical Center at the Largo Metro station. We agree that this new healthcare facility at this Metro location is a game-changing investment for the county. To ensure the full potential of this investment, we need to create pedestrian-oriented designs for buildings, streets, and public spaces.

StreetsCamp 2015

StreetsCamp 2015

Posted on by Emily Maurer

Advocacy knowledge + technical knowledge = power!

StreetsCamp was a one day summit held on June 20th, 2015 to provide participants with the tools to make our streets better: safer for walking and bicycling, transit-friendly, and more.

StreetsCamp includes both subject matter and advocacy skills workshops on everything from how to plan a neighborhood campaign, to safe street design for walking and cycling, to the ins and outs of zoning codes. 

How does it work?

You will hear from leaders in sustainable transportation and urban planning, but StreetsCamp is more than just workshops. Every attendee is a part of shaping and leading the day. Be prepared to get involved and meet people!

In the morning, local advocates and experts lead sessions on topics like campaign strategy, organizing, messaging and media, telling your story, safe street design, and more.

In the afternoon, StreetsCamp turns into an ‘unconference’ . That means session topics and activities will be suggested and organized by YOU and everyone attending!

Presentation materials

Not every session at StreetsCamp incorporated a PowerPoint presentation or handouts, but for those that did, we have compiled the materials here.

Telling Better Stories About Public Transportation, Paul Mackie, Mobility Lab

So You Think You Can Blog (Blogging 101), Aimee Custis & Abigail Zenner, Greater Greater Washington

Street Design Secrets Revealed, Dan Emerine, CNU-DC

Transit Today, Tomorrow, and the Future: There’s More to It Than Metrorail, Kristin Haldeman & Allison Davis, WMATA

How Safe Routes to School Are Driving Change in the Greater Washington DC Region, Matt Colvin & Keith Benjamin, Safe Routes to School

How Could We Get a Majority of People to Bike? Bike Infrastructure Best Practices, Jess Zdeb, Toole Design Group

Blogging 102, Dan Malouff & Aimee Custis, Greater Greater Washington

StreetsCamp 2015 was made possible by these partners:

Greater Greater Washington

Coalition for Smarter Growth

Georgetown University School of Urban and Regional Planning

Congress for New Urbanism, DC Chapter

Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Mobility Lab

Smart Growth America

National Complete Streets Coalition

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

Washington Area Bicyclists Association

All Walks DC

Sierra Club

Letter of Support to US DOT for Potomac Yard Metro

Posted on by Winstina Hughes

I am writing to express our strongest possible support for the City of Alexandria’s application under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY 2015 National Infrastructure Investments discretionary grant program (formerly “TIGER”) for the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station. The project involves construction of an infill station on the Blue and Yellow Metrorail lines in the City of Alexandria, which is one of the core jurisdictions in the Metropolitan Washington region. The station would serve a major redevelopment site within five miles of downtown Washington, DC.