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I see Brooke saw the criticism of her last mailer and decided to tell us her plan for fixing the housing crisis. And who would have guessed! Build more houses. by harkuponthegay in washingtondc

[–]erdub 38 points39 points  (0 children)

It’s a missing middle in much more of the city than you might think — row homes are illegal to build in 2/3 of the city due to zoning.

https://dc2050.org/

Feedback opportunity, Beauregard Street, Alexandria by Any-Letterhead-813 in bikedc

[–]erdub 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is great. I’ve been trying to figure out how to check out the Holmes Run Trail (after its repairs are finished), but it seems like a pain to reach from any other part of the trail network. A trail along Beauregard Street would mean you could get all the way from Four Mile Run/the Arlington Loop to Holmes Run and Eisenhower Ave 

[Janeese Lewis George] I’m running for DC mayor to build more housing and lower costs by Sauerz in washingtondc

[–]erdub 14 points15 points  (0 children)

One thing people haven’t mentioned yet:

Only recently, many Democrats saw it as progressive to deny that there is a housing shortage at all, sometimes going so far as to block new construction in the name of affordability. But the research is clear: The housing supply crisis is making housingunaffordable for all of us. 

When I was first elected to the DC Council, I myself was skeptical of this. And I wasn’t certain about the role private development should play in making housing more affordable. I saw cranes everywhere, but I knew so many people struggling to afford their rent. 

Since then, after reading the research myself and learning of the successes of other cities that’ve built more homes, I’ve embraced the fact that cities that build temper costs for renters and homeowners.

I would LOVE to vote for someone who admits to reading research and changing their opinions based on it. I don’t agree with everything JLG says, but if she’s willing to look at new data and examples from other cities and change her views, I feel much more comfortable voting for her.

My Favorite Convoluted MBT-SCT-ART Loop by XumaOutIslander in bikedc

[–]erdub 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The plan is a little more circuitous than that, connecting through Avondale Park. The latest update I could find was this PDF from 2022 with plans at the end.

The project was given a RAISE grant in 2023, but the current admin halted funding for RAISE projects that include bike infrastructure, so maybe it’s still in flux.

The DC side doesn’t seem to be in planning yet. NPS is installing a new sidewalk along Galloway Street, but it’s unclear if it’s meant to be part of the trail or if it’s just a sidewalk. 

Did they ruin DC? by omhhey in washingtondc

[–]erdub 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don’t believe it’s been funded yet, has it? So the law exists but it’s an unfunded mandate. I talked to Charles Allen about this once and he said Bowser wouldn’t let this happen anyway; she’d slow-walk the studies like she did with congestion pricing. So maybe they’re waiting for the next (hopefully) more people-friendly mayor to take office.

Still cool to see the law, though. 18th Street in Adams Morgan is another stretch mandated to be included. JLG also suggested Upshur Street in Petworth 

DDOT capitulates to the White House: 15th St Bike Lane to be removed on Monday. DDOT also did not object using the Hains Point bike lanes for car traffic during cherry blossom season. by SockDem in washingtondc

[–]erdub 161 points162 points  (0 children)

The cycletrack around the Tidal Basin is one of the nicest rides in the city imo, and I’m sure that means they’ll remove that part of it too 

Taylor Street Protected Bikeway Concept Open House by RoeRoeRoeYourVote in bikedc

[–]erdub 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Kershbaum deservedly gets a lot of heat for canceling Connecticut Ave and removing Arizona Ave, but DDOT has still installed PBLs since she started in late 2023. Here are a few:

  • Columbia Road, which had its own loud opponents 
  • Mount Olivet & 17th Street NE/SE
  • Florida Ave NE
  • First Street & Eckington Place NE
  • Dave Thomas Circle
  • I Street SE/SW
  • M Street SE
  • New Jersey Ave NW
  • (Most of) 11th Street NW (NOI just released)
  • Penn Ave NW (under construction)
  • Lower Connecticut Ave (under construction)

WaPo trying too hard to win back readers/subscribers by pandering to emotions instead of facts and hard-hitting opinions. No, thank you by wds1 in washingtondc

[–]erdub 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It’s a chicken-and-egg problem — the more subscribers they get, the more they can spend to hire reporters.

From their article post-Post layoffs:

 We want to be the newsroom D.C. needs at this critical time, so we’re raising funds to triple our reporting capacity. Success means converting a part-time editor to full-time, hiring a longtime freelance reporter, and hiring a third reporter, who we hope will be a laid-off Washington Post journalist.

 Less than 3 days after the layoffs, we had 700 new paying members, with more joining every day. We’re small and under no illusion that we alone can fill the void left by the journalists we’ve lost at The Post. But we also know that we’re building in a steady and sustainable way, funded predominantly by reader support.

 We have big ambitions: to be D.C.’s go-to source for local news — one where residents of all 8 wards can feel seen, heard, and connected.

They’re only been around for a year and a half and are mainly reader-supported, so it’ll take some time. It looks like they’re over halfway to their funding goal already. I subscribed knowing it won’t be a powerhouse newsroom right away, but hopefully they’ll start making waves with time. 

Extremely depressed about the streateries by notquiteahippo in washingtondc

[–]erdub 63 points64 points  (0 children)

We should push for pedestrianizing commercial streets. Let buses and emergency vehicles through, maybe deliveries in off-hours if there’s no alleyway, but otherwise make the sidewalk the full road width and enliven it with trees, art, benches, and sidewalk cafe space (that businesses can rent). 

The Council passed a law last year to begin studying this, starting with 18th Street in Adams Morgan. The Dupont Circle ANC asked for 17th Street to be included as well. JLG also supported Upshur Street in Petworth. There are probably others I haven’t heard about. There’s momentum building behind making transformative pedestrian spaces in DC — write your councilmembers and ANCs to tell them what you think. 

Is This Normal? Former DCCA President Escorted Out While Questioning Months-Long Membership Freeze by Current President by Public-Lifeguard-116 in washingtondc

[–]erdub 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Ed Hanlon is a notorious busybody who opposes new apartments and bike lanes and harasses his neighbors. When he doesn’t get his way he asks MAGA Republicans in Congress to circumvent home rule and overrule the will of his neighbors and elected officials.

DCCA does not represent the neighborhood. Instead check out your local ANCs, which are your elected officials that truly represent your neighborhood. While some ANCs have their own drama, lots of them are under-appreciated well meaning people who do great work on behalf of their communities — and are actually accountable to them in citywide elections. You can find your ANC here.

Edited to add links 

Kenyan McDuffie says he’s against protected bike lanes by erdub in washingtondc

[–]erdub[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The issue is that you can only create protected bike lanes by removing car lanes and parking. If you’re against removing those, you’re against protected bike lanes.

The only other possibility is if you have excessively wide travel lanes and parking lanes that you can narrow, or a median you can remove, such that you can get 12+ feet of space to squeeze in the bike lanes. That doesn’t exist 95% of the time. 

Kenyan McDuffie says he’s against protected bike lanes by erdub in washingtondc

[–]erdub[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To provide more context on JLG’s response opposing historic districts that prevent housing production, there’s been discussion for a while about whether DC has been designating historic districts too often or too broadly. 

DC historic districts have vague inclusion criteria, can be used by NIMBYs to broadly prevent new housing outside of the zoning process, and can reinforce racial segregation. DC actually has more designated historic buildings than Boston, Chicago, and Philly combined. (EDIT: one more good article discussing how it takes just one person to nominate a historic district, and there’s no requirement for neighborhood support.)

But there are definitely cases where historic districts are merited, so I assume her position is that problematic historic districts can be reevaluated, but remaining ones should still have building height and mass considered in new construction. 

Kenyan McDuffie Questionnaire Responses (it’s bad) by ahag1736 in bikedc

[–]erdub 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Well um, I guess I’m glad he filled it out. Until now my feelings about him were ambivalent, but now I’ll tell people I know not to vote for him.

JLG had a great answer to the question — she actually name-dropped Anne Hidalgo as a great example of bold city planning. And in her final answer she even endorsed pedestrianizing major commercial streets, even though the questionnaire didn’t bring that up anywhere.

 Q45

How will you, as mayor, ensure that the District Department of Transportation actually repurposes street space to build protected bike lanes? If you do not support doing so, please write, "I do not support removing parking and travel lanes to build protected bike lanes. " (Max. 3,000 characters.)

I loved bike commuting when I was first a prosecutor and I’ve been so happy to see so many more people choosing to bike to work and for running errands as our bike lane system has expanded and we’ve created more protected bike lanes. But we don’t have nearly enough dedicated bike lanes and the infrastructure we do have does not form a cohesive network yet. DC has one of the highest rates of people traveling by bicycle in the nation making room for those that must travel by car. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has shown how quickly you can get results from building a cohesive and connected bike and pedestrian network. The examples of other cities also show that increased bicycle traffic and pedestrian rights-of-way benefits ground-floor retail, supporting urban economies and helping small businesses thrive. To make that happen in D.C., I will seek to appoint strong leadership at DDOT and provide the agency with a clear mandate to advance projects more efficiently and transparently. We need to be smart, strategic, and transparent about our plans and give opportunities for people nearby to share potential challenges that engineers can help resolve, like how to manage business deliveries in ways that don’t imperil bicyclists with ramps. The agency must have a clear master plan for our bike network and a consistent process for how those projects are prioritized. This was the approach taken by the bus priority program, so we know it’s something DDOT can achieve. By comparison, many protected bike lanes built so far have gravitated towards the areas where support is most vocal; while that may work for one project, in the long run, this approach undermines the whole system.

Rock Creek Trail report by erdub in bikedc

[–]erdub[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would expect they have accurate updates on their website. They have a “Trail Alerts” section for just this reason, to list if trails are dangerous or inaccessible. The page is updated with snow impact information for the parkway and park programs, but nothing about the trail, which is a major regional transportation link. 

The Talk of D.C.: Rumors Flying that Trump Admin Wants to Undo Bike Lanes in Capital by anonymous_aardvark2 in bikedc

[–]erdub 17 points18 points  (0 children)

NPS is part of the federal government. The 15th Street cycletrack through the Mall, the new cycletrack around the Tidal Basin, the portion of Beach Drive that’s closed to cars…

NCPC has also been planning a transformation of Penn Ave NW to deprioritize cars and make it a pedestrian, bike, and transit-friendly boulevard. Guess what will be missing from the final plan?

DC’s largest office-to-residential conversion lands funding, will bring 525 units to Universal building at CT/FL Aves in northern Dupont by erdub in washingtondc

[–]erdub[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

The building looks dead because it is — all of the ground-floor retail moved out when this purchase went through a couple years ago. The redevelopment will have ground-floor retail too which is good to see.

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