nclusionary Zoning battled a lot of developments that were grandfathered in before the law went into effect, said Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. And much of the program’s focus has been on rentals, as it will remain until the building market falls under these new regulations. So far, they have 48 units rented under Inclusionary Zoning rules — or a dismal eight rentals a year.
Tag: inclusionary zoning
Fact Sheet: What You Need To Know About DC’s Inclusionary Zoning Program
DC adopted its Inclusionary Zoning policy in 2006, finalized regulations in 2009, and brought the first units to the market in 2011. Now more than 1,200 permanently affordable IZ units are in the pipeline.
Testimony at Oversight Hearing for DMPED & OP
We commend DMPED for listing affordable housing as one of its top 5 priorities. This is a welcome explicit commitment from the office. DC’s strong population growth and fiscal position enable it to respond to this crisis with policies and funding to directly address the housing needs of our moderate and low income families.
Testimony at Oversight Hearing on Dept of Housing and Community Development
We appreciate that the DC Council and Mayor Bowser have made the affordable housing crisis a top priority. The precipitous loss of low priced housing, and the significant rise in households burdened by housing costs are distressing trends, but they can be addressed.
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.
RELEASE: DC housing advocates call on Mayor Bowser to start tenure with important move to increase affordable housing
EMBARGOED until 9:00AM
January 7, 2015
Contact: Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth
O 202-676-0016 x 122
M 202-251-7516
E Cheryl@smartergrowth.net
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, DC housing advocates called on Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Zoning Commission to strengthen Inclusionary Zoning, an affordable housing program that requires lower priced units to be produced as a part of most new developments.
The groups released a letter (PDF) calling for lowering income targeting to better serve low and moderate income households who are priced out of DC’s ever more expensive housing market. The groups noted that a strong Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program is an important part of a robust set of tools to address DC’s growing affordable housing crisis. Among the organizations calling for improving DC’s IZ program are: Coalition for Smarter Growth, Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Jews United for Justice, City First Homes, PolicyLink and Somerset Development.
“This policy has great potential to help address the needs of working people who are priced out of the District of Columbia. Now is the time to strengthen Inclusionary Zoning to ensure it is a more effective tool to make living in DC within reach for moderate and low income workers,” said Joslyn Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO.
After years of delay, the housing program is beginning to produce hundreds of units. Given that DC is even less affordable than it was when the policy was established in 2006, the housing activists urged the Zoning Commission to revise the policy to ensure that it is meeting the city’s growing need for more affordable housing.
For more than a year, the Zoning Commission and the Mayor Gray administration had expressed their intent to revise the policy, but have delayed any action. The groups urged the city to act now, citing the recent report by the Urban Institute reviewing the DC IZ program performance to date, and its recommendations for improvements.
“DC’s Inclusionary Zoning affordable housing program is fundamentally sound but needs to be strengthened. Most importantly, we need to create more homes at lower income levels through this policy to better meet the needs of city residents facing the greatest housing challenges,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, and a founding member of the Campaign for Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning, the group that won the original policy in 2006.
In a letter submitted to the Zoning Commission and Mayor Bowser, the advocates asked that the Zoning Commission act to strengthen the Inclusionary Zoning program to ensure it can best achieve its goal to create a mix of low and moderate income affordable housing throughout the District. Citing a continued strong housing market, rising prices, and stagnant and falling incomes, the group asked for several changes to the current policy. These proposed changes include: lowering the income limits for moderate income IZ units, increasing the share of low income units produced, increasing the total percentage of IZ units required, and ensuring bonus density is available to provide compensation for the cost of the affordable units.
“DC’s Inclusionary Zoning program is on the right track, but needs to be improved to ensure we are reaching those who most need the help,” said Jacob Feinspan, Executive Director, Jews United for Justice.
The letter submitted to the DC Zoning Commission and Mayor Bowser, was signed by:
Cheryl Cort, Coalition for Smarter Growth
Joslyn N. Williams, President, Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
Ed Lazere, DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Jacob Feinspan, Jews United for Justice
Angie Rodgers, People’s Consulting
Jim Steck, City First Homes
Jim Campbell, Somerset Development
Tad Baldwin, retired housing developer
Kalima Rose, PolicyLink
About the Coalition for Smarter Growth
The Coalition for Smarter Growth is the leading organization in the Washington DC region dedicated to making the case for smart growth. Its mission is to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities, and the land use and transportation policies and investments needed to make those communities flourish. Learn more at smartergrowth.net.
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RELEASE: CSG applauds progress in DC’s Inclusionary Zoning program and pushes to strengthen policy
WASHINGTON DC — Coalition for Smarter Growth Policy Director Cheryl Cort issued the following statement today in response to the Gray Administration’s release of the DC inclusionary zoning annual report and the administration’s proposed revisions to the program:
Letter to the Editor: Inclusionary zoning is working for renters
While the program needs to be strengthened, inclusionary zoning is showing benefits. Moderately priced housing units are being integrated into nearly every new residential development. That means desirable neighborhoods such as Chevy Chase, Dupont Circle, 14th and U, and NoMa will be affordable for more people.
Inclusionary zoning is a work in progress, but it’s already delivering on its promise to make exclusive and rapidly changing neighborhoods more accessible for working-class and middle-class residents.
DC AHA Briefing: Inclusionary Zoning
DC Zoning Commission adopted Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) regulations, and the DC Council and Mayor enacted the program into law in 2006. The final regulations for the law went into effect on August 14, 2009. Due to the recession and grandfathering, IZ units did not appear on the market until 2012.