Testimony & Letters

Testimony Re: DC Transit Benefit Bill

Testimony Re: DC Transit Benefit Bill

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We want to express our strong support for the transit benefits provision of Title III, Subitle A of Bill 20-573. We applaud this definitive step to encourage riding transit, and help level the playing field for subsidies that incentivize driving over using transit.
Testimony Re: Southern Green Line Station Area Sector Plan and Endorsed Sectional Map Amendment

Testimony Re: Southern Green Line Station Area Sector Plan and Endorsed Sectional Map Amendment

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Regrettably, the Coalition for Smarter Growth expresses its opposition to the proposed amendments to the Adopted Southern Green Line Station Area Sector Plan and Endorsed Sectional Map Amendment. While we have testified in support of many helpful bills and resolutions that advance the County’s efforts to attract high quality investments around its Metro stations, we regret that this proposed overlay, while well-intentioned, is likely to do more harm than good ...

Letter to Montgomery County Planning Board Re: State Transportation Funding Priorities

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Dear Planning Board: Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the county’s Transportation Priority Letter. My name is Cheryl Cort and I am speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the leading non-profit group advocating for transit and walkable communities in the DC region, which counts thousands of supporters in Montgomery County. We’d like to remind the Board that state law governing the priority letter process “requires MDOT and the local jurisdictions seeking project fundi...

Letter of support for Alexandria’s King Street Bike Lanes

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Mayor Euille and Members of Council: I have been quite surprised and concerned that opponents to safe, connected bike lanes on King Street between the Metro and Janneys Lane have elevated the issue to make it a national cause célèbre in conservative circles with extremely hostile OpEds in the Wall Street Journal and the American Spectator. They are bringing negative publicity upon Alexandria and threaten the ability of our city to attract young, well-educated, creative, entrepreneurial workers that are so critical to the future of our economy and tax base. Alexandria has been making great progress in bringing sustainable new development, investing in new transit, setting up bike-sharing, and more, but this particular debate is casting a shadow on that progress and will chase away the creative economy workforce and the businesses they attract...

Testimony Re: Reconsideration and Termination of Proposed New Route 460

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The proposed new U.S. Route 460 is one project that does not make sense economically or environmentally, and we agree with your recent statements about the wisdom of halting further spending on this project pending careful reconsideration of its merits. We believe the new Route 460 proposal is clearly not in the best interests of the Commonwealth, and therefore urge you to take the further step of terminating this project.