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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Cathedral Commons COULD HAVE had significant affordable housing, but the NIMBYs chose to fight the development for a decade, rather than work with the property owner to get a better development with better amenities including affordable housing.

City Ridge was only subject to Large Tract Review, so is only adhering to the minimum.

The Wardman is privately owned and will do the minimum.

Upton Place is privately owned and will only do the minimum.

Part of why people advocated for more density is so those minimums would be increased with new development. Ie if a 6 story building has 12 affordable unites, then with a 12 story building, there might be 25-30 affordable units.

I suppose the PP will fully support adding on top of the Tenley library, which was fought against in 2008, or the Chevy Chase Community Center?[/quote]

Aren't all such developments "privately owned and doing the minimum"?  This undercuts the notion that building more market rate units will really make a dent in affordable housing.  ("Building up to trickle down.").  And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the sites that are often redeveloped for market rate housing tend to be smaller, older apartment buildings that are rent controlled.  So even as we gain a handful of IZ units (not really affordable housing), we are losing workforce and fixed income housing stock every day.  At best, we're just treading water.  At worst, it's one step forward but two steps back.

Cathedral Commons was no different.  The Bozzuto project went through the review process in about a year, from concept to Planned Unit Development approval.  Bozzuto never offered more IZ than the paltry statutory minimum and its zoning lawyer even argued that "doing the minimum" should count as an offsetting "amenity" in a project that had very few amenities compared to other PUDs.

If Bowser wants to make a dent in affordable housing, especially in areas like Upper NW, then the District needs to put its own real estate, cash or incentives on the table.  UDC offers one or more sites for affordable or workforce housing near a Metro.  More significantly, Bowser passed on purchasing the Wardman Marriott site, also by a Metro, which was a huge missed opportunity. Otherwise, as you suggest, privately owned development will always "do the minimum."[/quote]

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