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

[Anonymous]

Then you should also be worried about the commuting costs. Once you factor in the cost of the commute from Prince George's County, that supposedly affordable housing becomes a lot less affordable.

Red herring. the SmartTrip along the Orange/Blue lines and bus lines is no more expensive than the SmartTrip along the Red line / 30 bus lines. Try harder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, there are ZERO affordable units for rent in Colonial Village, District of Columbia. — Bowser's 100% single family neighborhood has no low-income apartments — including along 16th St NW.

[snip]

The map shows her little swath at the top of the drawing will not be affected by her plan [/snip]


… Colonial Village/North Portal Estates/Shepherd Park are all zoned for the same schools (Shepherd/Deal/Wilson), have the same neighborhood associations, etc., and are really all considered part of "greater" Shepherd Park. The border is Georgia Ave. to the east, which already has zoning laws which permit multi-unit housing. Currently, it's lined with a bunch of (mostly shabby) apt. buildings. [snip]

There will also be affordable housing in the Walter Reed development, just to the south of the neighborhood, once it gets underway.

There were plans for a mixed use building on the corner of Georgia/Alaska/Kalmia which was to be a midrise apt. building with a Harris Teeter- [/snip].

1st PP here. I appreciate what you're saying, SP poster, but the thing is, you're not actually describing Bowser's immediate environs. She's totally insulated from her own proposal to build hundreds of units for low-income people.

The fact that there are apartment buildings 1.5 - 2 miles away on Georgia is irrelevant. Personally, I wasn't affected at my 20015 address by the units proposed for the MPD station on Idaho Ave NW. Easy for me to say that's a great place to house the homeless in a "rich" neighborhood — I won't know the difference in my day-to-day life.

When upper 16th St NW gets a few hundred rental units built on some of those huge SFH lots between, say, Primrose and Myrtle (along transit! Yay!) …. then let's talk. No reason they can't tear down 2-3 of those homes and up-zone those parcels to multi-unit, right? Let's see Muriel put some skin in the game along the Gold Coast.

PP here. I don't want to be too specific but she actually lives a little < 1 mile to the DC part of Georgia Ave. The neighborhoods up here are tiny, so she would not be completely geographically insulated from development along Georgia. Also, I haven't followed her proposal closely but I thought it targeted not "homeless," but people who work blue collar jobs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Then you should also be worried about the commuting costs. Once you factor in the cost of the commute from Prince George's County, that supposedly affordable housing becomes a lot less affordable.

Red herring. the SmartTrip along the Orange/Blue lines and bus lines is no more expensive than the SmartTrip along the Red line / 30 bus lines. Try harder

It is generally well known that farther commutes cost more than closer commutes, in both time and money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Then you should also be worried about the commuting costs. Once you factor in the cost of the commute from Prince George's County, that supposedly affordable housing becomes a lot less affordable.

Red herring. the SmartTrip along the Orange/Blue lines and bus lines is no more expensive than the SmartTrip along the Red line / 30 bus lines. Try harder

It is generally well known that farther commutes cost more than closer commutes, in both time and money.

PG County is extremely close. And $225,000 for a three bedroom house is affordable. Houses cost more in Kansas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Why can't existing DC residents move to affordable PG county if they truly can't find an affordable apartment in the District? Why do they need to move to Cleveland Park instead?

Affluent DC residents leave DC all the time for Maryland. It's fine for poor people to move, too. This isn't an inherently tragic scenario.

Damn you just cold-blooded huh?

DC’s low-income families with housing challenges are working moms, people with disabilities relying on fixed incomes, and single adults in low-wage service-sector jobs. Many low-income renters are seniors or have a disability and must rely on low fixed incomes. Social Security benefits average just $15,000 in DC which is barely enough to afford $400 a month in rent.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Struggling to make rent each month often means cutting back on groceries, putting off medical care, living on the brink of eviction, and being under constant stress which makes it hard for children to learn in school and for adults to perform well at work. Families may find themselves moving from place to place, losing belongings, and ending up in a neighborhood with even more challenges than their prior locale.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Very young children who move frequently do worse than their peers on measures of behavioral school readiness, such as attention and healthy social behavior. They are more likely than others to fall behind and drop out of school. Families who have trouble paying the rent or live doubled-up are more likely to delay medical care or filling needed prescriptions, and are more likely to report being depressed.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

If this were happening to an area in West Virginia where all the pricey $300,000 condos going up were forcing low-income white families out of trailer parks I'm betting your attitude would be different...
"That is so awful they can't just come in and price people out of their own cities and communities"

But since the District’s severely cost burdened, extremely low-income renters are primarily African-American and most of the rest are Latino the reaction is significantly more subdued.
"Oh well, fcuk em. Those non-white folks need to pack their shit and move they can always just to go to PG County."

Cold-blooded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So she will propose that the first development dedicated to affordable housing be in her neighborhood, correct?

Ummm her part of the city in fact has a lot more affordable units than Ward 3 does already, by a long shot. And you probably don't know this but there in fact are some pretty affluent neighborhoods east of 16th Street as well as several stable middle class neighborhoods.

Actually, there are ZERO affordable units for rent in Colonial Village, District of Columbia. None, zip, nada.

Are there any in the general 20012 zip code? Possibly. But I just spent a few minutes I'll never get back confirming that Bowser's 100% single family neighborhood has no low-income apartments — including along 16th St NW.

You first, Muriel

100% this
The map shows her little swath at the top of the drawing will not be affected by her plan. Someone please call her out on this

Actually, it could be in the future. I live in the neighborhood. Colonial Village/North Portal Estates/Shepherd Park are all zoned for the same schools (Shepherd/Deal/Wilson), have the same neighborhood associations, etc., and are really all considered part of "greater" Shepherd Park. The border is Georgia Ave. to the east, which already has zoning laws which permit multi-unit housing. Currently, it's lined with a bunch of (mostly shabby) apt. buildings. I would absolutely support development along this strip, and there already has been a little. There will also be affordable housing in the Walter Reed development, just to the south of the neighborhood, once it gets underway.

There were plans for a mixed use building on the corner of Georgia/Alaska/Kalmia which was to be a midrise apt. building with a Harris Teeter--Brandon Todd supported this development. However, it eventually was killed due to neighborhood opposition (mostly a few loud voices that had retained legal, put up yard signs, etc.).

How will this affect her neighborhood? East of Georgia Avenue is zoned to a different school (even though the local elementary is still easy to get into OOB, residents made sure that boundary stayed firm to keep undesirables out). Considering there is no retail, there will be zero reason for nearby low-income residents to enter Colonial Village/Shepherd Park/Portal Estates.

PP here. The western side of Georgia is technically in Shepherd Park and is zoned for Shepherd Elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Then you should also be worried about the commuting costs. Once you factor in the cost of the commute from Prince George's County, that supposedly affordable housing becomes a lot less affordable.

Red herring. the SmartTrip along the Orange/Blue lines and bus lines is no more expensive than the SmartTrip along the Red line / 30 bus lines. Try harder

It is generally well known that farther commutes cost more than closer commutes, in both time and money.

PG County is extremely close. And $225,000 for a three bedroom house is affordable. Houses cost more in Kansas.

Prince George's County is extremely close to what, compared to what? Close to DC, compared to Kansas?

More basically, probably you've heard of "drive til you qualify"? In any given location in the DC area, transportation costs vary inversely to housing costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other cities have tried putting housing for low-income people in rich neighborhoods and have ended up with issues like those poor people can't afford to shop anywhere in their neighborhood. All the stores in their area cater to high-income people.

Like CVS and Safeway?

I remember when Safeway reopened in Petworth and people thought it was this terrible harbinger of gentrification because they said many people in Petworth couldn’t afford to shop at Safeway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's tons of affordable housing in PG country, but I guess we're supposed to pretend that doesn't exist.

Is PG County a part of the District of Columbia?
Exactly.
Shut the hell up.

And that matters because.....

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Are you 12-years old? You are terrible at arguing.

Are you 2 years-old? This isn’t an argument doofus ITS HAPPENING whether you like it or not unless you plan on running for office and overturning these changes. You ready to do that toddler?

I didn’t think so.

[Anonymous]

Prince George's County is extremely close to what, compared to what? Close to DC, compared to Kansas?

Much of PG is closer to downtown DC job center than "Rock Creek West." Yep. Get out a map.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's tons of affordable housing in PG country, but I guess we're supposed to pretend that doesn't exist.

Is PG County a part of the District of Columbia?
Exactly.
Shut the hell up.

And that matters because.....

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Are you 12-years old? You are terrible at arguing.

Are you 2 years-old? This isn’t an argument doofus ITS HAPPENING whether you like it or not unless you plan on running for office and overturning these changes. You ready to do that toddler?

I didn’t think so.

I don’t even know what this is supposed to mean. Maybe you could just sit quietly and let the adults talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Why can't existing DC residents move to affordable PG county if they truly can't find an affordable apartment in the District? Why do they need to move to Cleveland Park instead?

Affluent DC residents leave DC all the time for Maryland. It's fine for poor people to move, too. This isn't an inherently tragic scenario.

Damn you just cold-blooded huh?

DC’s low-income families with housing challenges are working moms, people with disabilities relying on fixed incomes, and single adults in low-wage service-sector jobs. Many low-income renters are seniors or have a disability and must rely on low fixed incomes. Social Security benefits average just $15,000 in DC which is barely enough to afford $400 a month in rent.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Struggling to make rent each month often means cutting back on groceries, putting off medical care, living on the brink of eviction, and being under constant stress which makes it hard for children to learn in school and for adults to perform well at work. Families may find themselves moving from place to place, losing belongings, and ending up in a neighborhood with even more challenges than their prior locale.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Very young children who move frequently do worse than their peers on measures of behavioral school readiness, such as attention and healthy social behavior. They are more likely than others to fall behind and drop out of school. Families who have trouble paying the rent or live doubled-up are more likely to delay medical care or filling needed prescriptions, and are more likely to report being depressed.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

If this were happening to an area in West Virginia where all the pricey $300,000 condos going up were forcing low-income white families out of trailer parks I'm betting your attitude would be different...
"That is so awful they can't just come in and price people out of their own cities and communities"

But since the District’s severely cost burdened, extremely low-income renters are primarily African-American and most of the rest are Latino the reaction is significantly more subdued.
"Oh well, fcuk em. Those non-white folks need to pack their shit and move they can always just to go to PG County."

Cold-blooded.

This isn't a poetry slam, pal.

Yes, it is absolutely my position that nobody has a right to live at a particular address. There are many addresses currently available to lower income people. In fact, it's where they're already living right now. There isn't a housing shortage for low-income people in the general DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's tons of affordable housing in PG country, but I guess we're supposed to pretend that doesn't exist.

Is PG County a part of the District of Columbia?
Exactly.
Shut the hell up.

And that matters because.....

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Are you 12-years old? You are terrible at arguing.

Are you 2 years-old? This isn’t an argument doofus ITS HAPPENING whether you like it or not unless you plan on running for office and overturning these changes. You ready to do that toddler?

I didn’t think so.

I don’t even know what this is supposed to mean. Maybe you could just sit quietly and let the adults talk.

Not my problem you’re dense and I asked you first to shut the hell up so do what you’re told.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Because this ain't about PG County doofus. DC residents need affordable housing and it's not Angela Alsobrooks and the folks in PG County's job to take care of DC residents. Are you that stupid?

Why can't existing DC residents move to affordable PG county if they truly can't find an affordable apartment in the District? Why do they need to move to Cleveland Park instead?

Affluent DC residents leave DC all the time for Maryland. It's fine for poor people to move, too. This isn't an inherently tragic scenario.

Damn you just cold-blooded huh?

DC’s low-income families with housing challenges are working moms, people with disabilities relying on fixed incomes, and single adults in low-wage service-sector jobs. Many low-income renters are seniors or have a disability and must rely on low fixed incomes. Social Security benefits average just $15,000 in DC which is barely enough to afford $400 a month in rent.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Struggling to make rent each month often means cutting back on groceries, putting off medical care, living on the brink of eviction, and being under constant stress which makes it hard for children to learn in school and for adults to perform well at work. Families may find themselves moving from place to place, losing belongings, and ending up in a neighborhood with even more challenges than their prior locale.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

Very young children who move frequently do worse than their peers on measures of behavioral school readiness, such as attention and healthy social behavior. They are more likely than others to fall behind and drop out of school. Families who have trouble paying the rent or live doubled-up are more likely to delay medical care or filling needed prescriptions, and are more likely to report being depressed.
But your attitude is basically, "Fcuk em, they need to pack their shit and move."

If this were happening to an area in West Virginia where all the pricey $300,000 condos going up were forcing low-income white families out of trailer parks I'm betting your attitude would be different...
"That is so awful they can't just come in and price people out of their own cities and communities"

But since the District’s severely cost burdened, extremely low-income renters are primarily African-American and most of the rest are Latino the reaction is significantly more subdued.
"Oh well, fcuk em. Those non-white folks need to pack their shit and move they can always just to go to PG County."

Cold-blooded.

This isn't a poetry slam, pal.

Yes, it is absolutely my position that nobody has a right to live at a particular address. There are many addresses currently available to lower income people. In fact, it's where they're already living right now. There isn't a housing shortage for low-income people in the general DMV.

Oh well. Guess the joke is on you cause your position is irrelevant. The city wants to significantly increase dedicated affordable housing options in Rock Creek West and it’s gonna happen despite your alternative suggestions.
Looks like if you don’t want dedicated affordable housing in your neighborhood you’re gonna have to pack your shit and move.

[Anonymous]

Oh well. Guess the joke is on you cause your position is irrelevant. The city wants to significantly increase dedicated affordable housing options in Rock Creek West and it’s gonna happen despite your alternative suggestions.
Looks like if you don’t want dedicated affordable housing in your neighborhood you’re gonna have to pack your shit and move.

No honey. It's not actually going to happen, simply because an administration produces a "report" describing an aspirational "goal" and then hold a press conference to announce an aspirational "proposal."