Housing and Community Development Resolution

Resolution on priorities for Housing and Community Development in the DC Comprehensive Plan.

Whereas, housing prices in the District of Columbia are continuing to rise, making it increasingly difficult for many people to afford housing and threatening to displace many long-time residents; and

Whereas, more and more District residents are choosing to stay as their families grow, but little new housing is family-sized; and

Whereas, the quantity of affordable housing, especially for families and households making under 50% of the Area Median Income, is far below what studies project is necessary to meet the needs of District workers; and

Whereas, mixed-income housing leverages private investment to pay for needed affordable housing with no or few public dollars, and address the overall need for housing at all income levels;

Whereas, many highly-desirable neighborhoods with good schools, access to jobs, parks, and other amenities are inaccessible for many families of low and moderate incomes because of a lack of attainable housing options; and

Whereas, the number of Metrorail stations and high-frequency bus corridors is limited and unlikely to soon increase, and such stations represent excellent opportunities to add housing for all with good access to jobs; and

Whereas, the Planned Unit Development process sometimes yields community benefits which are not long-lasting (such as permanently affordable housing); and

Whereas, residents of lower-priced housing are often displaced if redevelopments occur without having clear plans to continue to live on the property or in the immediate area, and some redevelopments do not ensure that units of comparable sizes are available; and

Whereas, publicly available data on District housing does not provide as much information for informed neighborhood decisions as would be desirable;

Therefore, Be it resolved that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E asks the District of Columbia Office of Planning to prioritize the following ten items in the ongoing revision of the Comprehensive Plan, which have received strong support from

community organizations, faith organizations, developers of affordable and market-rate housing, policy organizations, and multiple other Advisory Neighborhood Commissions:

• Meet the housing demand. Through the Comprehensive Plan, the District should forecast, plan for, and encourage the creation and preservation of a supply of housing (market-rate and subsidized affordable) to meet the demand at all income levels. The supply of housing should be sufficient to slow rising costs of rental and for-sale housing.
• Equitably distribute housing. Through the Comprehensive Plan, the District should fight against segregation, foster equitable access to opportunity, and comply with Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) priorities. The District should require that every part of the city participate in adding housing to meet the need for all income levels, with an emphasis on transit and commercial corridors.
• Best utilize areas near transit. When redevelopment occurs on blocks surrounding Metrorail stations and priority transit corridors, the District should, through the Comprehensive Plan, permit and encourage mixed-use developments of medium to high density. To the extent feasible, redevelopments involving increased zoning should include affordable housing in excess of what is required by inclusionary zoning.
• Include families. The District should be a city that houses people of all income levels and of all household sizes, including families. Through the Comprehensive Plan, the District should promote the creation and preservation of 3+ bedroom units along with other housing types.
• Prioritize affordable housing as a community benefit. When rezoning or granting significant zoning relief, the District should affirm through the Comprehensive Plan that affordable housing (in addition to any underlying requirement) is the highest priority benefit and that other community benefits should be long-lasting.
• Preserve existing affordable housing. When redevelopment occurs on properties with housing made affordable through subsidy, covenant, or rent control, the District, Zoning Commission, and neighborhoods should work with landowners to create redevelopment plans that preserve such units or replace any lost ones with similar units either on-site or nearby. These entities should provide the necessary density and/or potential funding to ensure it is financially feasible to reinvest in the property with no net loss of affordable units.
• Protect tenants. Through the Comprehensive Plan, the District should ensure that when affordable housing is undergoing redevelopment, tenants have a relocation plan, are allowed to continue their tenancy with minimal disruption, and will have the right to return to their units or an equivalent replacement. Whenever feasible, redevelopment should observe build-first principles.

• Support neighborhood commercial corridors. Through the Comprehensive Plan, the District should encourage the success of neighborhood commercial corridors and locally owned businesses, especially in disadvantaged communities. This includes increased housing density that supports businesses and providing equitable opportunities for locally owned businesses in mixed-use and commercial developments.
• Improve data collection and transparency. The District should provide the highest quality public data. It should standardize housing-related data collection across agencies, and release all data and forecast analyses to the public, to facilitate transparency and regular reporting on the status and progress of housing- related programs. Data should include a comprehensive housing database and demand-based forecasts alongside existing supply-based (pipeline) forecasts.Be it further resolved that ANC 3E requests that the Council of the District of Columbia ensure that these priorities are part of the final revisions to the Comprehensive Plan during Council review and passage.ANC 3E approved this resolution at its meeting on June 8, 2017, which was properly noticed and at which a quorum was present. The resolution was approved by a vote of 0- 0-0. Commissioners Jonathan Bender, Amy Hall, Jonathan McHugh and Tom Quinn were present.
  __________________________ANC 3E
  By Jonathan Bender, Chairperson

  To: Eric Shaw, DC Office of Planning
  Cc: Tanya Stern, Joshua Ghaffari, Jennifer Steingasser, Art Rodgers, and Christopher Delfs, DC Office of Planning
  Cc: Brian Kenner, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
  Cc: Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia
  Cc: Mary Cheh
  Cc: Phil Mendelson, Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia
  Cc: Anita Bonds, David Grosso, Elissa Silverman, and Robert White, At-large members of the Council of the District of Columbia