Bowser proposes to add over 1,500 new affordable housing units to "Rock Creek West"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I dont really get this. Why doesnt bowser focus on transport? We are a tiny city in between 2 large states with infrastructure and housing galore. If she is worried about gentrification she could think of creative ways to help people stay in their homes (isnt that why we pay lesser taxes on primary residence -homestead act?). Not sure who this program is meant to help when we already have so many rent controlled units across ward 3.

Rent control units are about 8% of the units in Ward 3 and they are not now nor have they ever been income screened units.

You would have more affordable housing and it would be going to people who had been income screened if you tore down all the buildings with rent controlled units and replaced them with new buildings with 10% IZ units.

But no one is proposing to tear down any rent controlled buildings.

And the people I know screaming about protecting rent controlled units in Ward 3 are the same people who fight every new development that comes along and fighting new market rate units and constricting supply is what does more to drive developers to renovate old buildings than anything else.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

DP: You are surely joking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I dont really get this. Why doesnt bowser focus on transport? We are a tiny city in between 2 large states with infrastructure and housing galore. If she is worried about gentrification she could think of creative ways to help people stay in their homes (isnt that why we pay lesser taxes on primary residence -homestead act?). Not sure who this program is meant to help when we already have so many rent controlled units across ward 3.

Meant to help developers, cronies and political allies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Bowser was a Republican, Democrats would be in high dudgeon over her coziness with developers.

+1

Corruption is obvious...but I guess it's fine when "we" benefit from it

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

It seems like a ridiculous question. Bowser is profoundly pro-developer. Do you even live in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

It seems like a ridiculous question. Bowser is profoundly pro-developer. Do you even live in DC?

Yes I do.

And I happen to know quite a bit about how zoning works in DC and how developments that require approval wind their way through the system.

How is Bowser "profoundly pro-developer"

Her proposed changes to the Comp Plan are actually pretty modest given the housing and global warming crises we are facing.

And she doesn't control the Zoning Commision, the BZA or the Courts which is where all relevant decisions are actually made.

I get that her plan to build homeless shelters across the city was terribly conceived and wasteful and clearly benefitted people connected to her and she deserves criticism for that but that plan had nothing whatsoever to do with the boom in housing we are seeing in some neighborhoods.

FWIW I don't like Bowser and wish the city were adding more housing than it is.

I'll check back for a substantive response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

It seems like a ridiculous question. Bowser is profoundly pro-developer. Do you even live in DC?

Yes I do.

And I happen to know quite a bit about how zoning works in DC and how developments that require approval wind their way through the system.

How is Bowser "profoundly pro-developer"

Her proposed changes to the Comp Plan are actually pretty modest given the housing and global warming crises we are facing.

And she doesn't control the Zoning Commision, the BZA or the Courts which is where all relevant decisions are actually made.

I get that her plan to build homeless shelters across the city was terribly conceived and wasteful and clearly benefitted people connected to her and she deserves criticism for that but that plan had nothing whatsoever to do with the boom in housing we are seeing in some neighborhoods.

FWIW I don't like Bowser and wish the city were adding more housing than it is.

I'll check back for a substantive response.

How is it a crisis if there is tons of affordable housing in VA and Md with easy city access? I have zero issue with the mayor putting in programs to help current residents (like homestead tax exemption) hang on to their housing, or convert garages to single units and other creative means like that. Not sure why whole new dense apartments need to be shoe horned into neighborhood that could not remotely be described as transitional. But I'll bite ifshe builds one next door or across the street on her block, tho I doubt her neighbors would quite understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How is it a crisis if there is tons of affordable housing in VA and Md with easy city access?

I live in Va and I am not sure what the hell you are talking about. We had a similar housing shortage here, even before Amazon and its getting worse. Arlington and Alexandria are facing substantial loss of market rate affordable units, and are both scrambling to create/preserve committed affordable units. There is also activity to create AH in Falls Church and Fairfax, and this was a big issue in the recent Board of Supervisors election in Fairfax County. To address shortages at higher income levels, there is massive new construction across NoVa, some in Alexandria, more in Arlington, some in Falls Church, and in several parts of Fairfax (and now even Loudoun and PWC are doing transit oriented development). Plus easy city access is questionable, and with highways maxed out major new transit investments are needed.

So you probably really mean Maryland. But when you look closer you will see MoCo has the same issues as NoVa. So you really mean PG County. So we are talking about the old solution, send the poors to PG.

But as you will note even parts of PG (like Hyattsville) are getting gentrified. And of course most of PG does not have great access - it has poor access to its metro stops, and congested highways.

So really you mean a relatively small area within walking distance of the PG metro stations.

Most of which are filled with existing SFHs, which are occupied by families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How is it a crisis if there is tons of affordable housing in VA and Md with easy city access?

I live in Va and I am not sure what the hell you are talking about. We had a similar housing shortage here, even before Amazon and its getting worse. Arlington and Alexandria are facing substantial loss of market rate affordable units, and are both scrambling to create/preserve committed affordable units. There is also activity to create AH in Falls Church and Fairfax, and this was a big issue in the recent Board of Supervisors election in Fairfax County. To address shortages at higher income levels, there is massive new construction across NoVa, some in Alexandria, more in Arlington, some in Falls Church, and in several parts of Fairfax (and now even Loudoun and PWC are doing transit oriented development). Plus easy city access is questionable, and with highways maxed out major new transit investments are needed.

So you probably really mean Maryland. But when you look closer you will see MoCo has the same issues as NoVa. So you really mean PG County. So we are talking about the old solution, send the poors to PG.

But as you will note even parts of PG (like Hyattsville) are getting gentrified. And of course most of PG does not have great access - it has poor access to its metro stops, and congested highways.

So really you mean a relatively small area within walking distance of the PG metro stations.

Most of which are filled with existing SFHs, which are occupied by families.

Are they putting high rises in the middle of single family home neighborhoods in places like Falls Church, or in new developments or along major thoroughfares with apartment buildings?

[Anonymous]

Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser reeks with the stench of tainted crony developer contributions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

It seems like a ridiculous question. Bowser is profoundly pro-developer. Do you even live in DC?

DCRA doesn't enforce anything because it's been told by the mayor not to enforce anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mayor Muriel Marion Barry Bowser, big developers’ best friend and fixer.

owse

Again with this.

I don't like Bowser at all but please explain in what manner rent controlled units are being threatened by developers or any Bowser policies?

Maybe you can offer a citation?

Or even a theory? Even a conspiracy theory at this point would be better than the arguments posited in this thread.

Have you ever had a problem with a developer? Just try to get the city to help you. It is impossible.

DCRA has long been terrible at taking enforcement action against any property owners so your complaint doesn't really prove anything.

And unsurprisingly no one chimed in to try to explain this grand pro-developer anti rent controlled conspiracy the Mayor is somehow engineering.

It seems like a ridiculous question. Bowser is profoundly pro-developer. Do you even live in DC?

Yes I do.

And I happen to know quite a bit about how zoning works in DC and how developments that require approval wind their way through the system.

How is Bowser "profoundly pro-developer"

Her proposed changes to the Comp Plan are actually pretty modest given the housing and global warming crises we are facing.

And she doesn't control the Zoning Commision, the BZA or the Courts which is where all relevant decisions are actually made.

I get that her plan to build homeless shelters across the city was terribly conceived and wasteful and clearly benefitted people connected to her and she deserves criticism for that but that plan had nothing whatsoever to do with the boom in housing we are seeing in some neighborhoods.

FWIW I don't like Bowser and wish the city were adding more housing than it is.

I'll check back for a substantive response.

What? How do you think people end up on the zoning commission or the BZA? Where do you think they get the money to pay salaries? Bowser 100 percent controls them.