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

Forum Index » Metropolitan DC Local Politics

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Rent controlled units do NOT provide afforable housing to the people who truly need.  Rent control is not means tested, so someone making 200k a year can live in rent control forever.  Its probably the most inefficient ways to deliver affordable housing. [/quote]

That's probably less than 3% of rent controlled tenants in DC. I've lived in rent controlled apartment in DC - they are safe and habitable, put usually quite dated and ugly. No dishwashers, no in-unit washers and dryer. I left my rent controlled apartment for a nicer place once I made enough money.

The vast majority of people (80%+) who are in rent controlled apartments would probably be homeless or leave DC if you took away their homes. Further, rent controlled apartments in DC remain under the rent control system forever. I can go get a rent controlled apartment today, if I want. They are freely available. Ward 3 easily has 8,000+ rent controlled units.

The good thing about rent control in DC that it rewards long term residents who (1) work for a living and (2) make a moderate income. These are people who can stick to a budget and, since they have rent control, they stay put. They become pillars of their community because they are so invested in their neighborhood for the long run.[/quote]

So it Ward 3 has an estimated 8000 rent controlled units which tend to rent to low income people, why would Bowser’s Office of Planning ignore that completely to claim only 450 or so “affordable” units in Rock Creek West?  I can’t imagine it’s the case but you don’t suppose all of that rent controlled housing undercuts Bowser’s political narrative that it’s necessary to upzone much of Ward 3 to add more affordable housing?[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics