Three Van Ness properties are under contract to a single buyer that intends to build apartments on two of the lots. The buyer: Highcrest, a DC-based developer. The properties: the former Van Ness Burger King and drive-thru, a portion of the parking lot on the other side of the alley behind the restaurant, and the […]
From zero to 7,000+: One DC agency charts voucher renters in its programs since 2016
by Marlene Berlin More than 7,000 DC residents were housed under DC Department of Human Services (DHS) programs for the homeless as of September last year. The figure is from the DHS report “A Path to Ending Homelessness,” which chronicles growth in the agency’s voucher programs since 2016. “Over the past two years, the District […]
Apartment updates: The Post confirms DC overpays many landlords getting rent subsidies; Rent-stabilized buildings could see large rent hikes this year
As recently as Presidents Day, 4801 Connecticut was advertising its one-bedroom apartments to prospective renters for $1,700 per month. According to a Washington Post investigation, the DC Housing Authority is subsidizing nearly two dozen renters in similar 4801 apartments, and in each case is paying $2,648 per month. The difference: nearly $1,000. Not all overpayments […]
Apartments in Brief: Mayor Bowser meets with Connecticut Ave. tenant leaders; Rent control database “stuck in purgatory”
On May 9th, Connecticut Avenue tenant leaders wrote to Mayor Muriel Bowser to request a meeting on DC housing policies and the effects on living conditions in their apartment buildings. On June 8th, they got their wish. During their meeting with the mayor, representatives from buildings including 3003 Van Ness, the Avalon, Connecticut House, Brandywine […]
3003 Van Ness landlord Equity Residential ordered to pay $2 million for “rent hike scam”
Van Ness landlord Equity Residential has been ordered to pay $2 million to the District and to residents of 3003 Van Ness for what Attorney General Karl Racine calls a “rent hike scam.” “[A]t every step in the rental process, from online advertisements to apartment searches, tours, and applications, Equity misled prospective tenants, ultimately placing […]
At Feb. 1 virtual meeting, MPD 2D commander and DC behavioral health agency officials to speak on “uptick of complaints” in apartment buildings
Officers from Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District and representatives of DC’s behavioral health agency will appear on a virtual panel this Tuesday. 2D CAC Chair Sarah Bever wrote in the meeting announcement (below): During the last few years 2D has experienced an uptick of complaints about behavioral health issues in public spaces and apartment buildings…. […]
Upcoming events: Housing history in Cleveland Park, future development in Chevy Chase, and adding housing to your own property
Thursday, January 20th at 7:30 p.m.: The first in a series of virtual conversations hosted by Cleveland Park Smart Growth on the neighborhood’s housing affordability challenges and potential solutions. It focuses on Cleveland Park’s history of exclusion and how current civic engagement practices can perpetuate exclusion in high-income neighborhoods. See the schedule for the other […]
Take a walk with DC planners on Dec. 8 or 11 to provide feedback on the Chevy Chase “small area plan”
by Marlene Berlin The commercial area of Chevy Chase, DC was built for convenient shopping a short walk away from the neighborhood’s many single family homes, and the multi-family buildings down Connecticut Avenue. And this worked for many decades. Demographic and retail changes over the decades have chipped away at that customer base – and […]
Chevy Chase DC shaping its future with Small Area Plan; Watch webinars on Ward 3 affordable housing tools and history of city planning
by Marlene Berlin From 2014 to 2016, the DC Office of Planning worked with residents, UDC, and community and business leaders in Van Ness to come up with a framework for development, commerce and sustainability. Chevy Chase is going through a similar process now. Community members are being asked to engage in shaping priorities for […]
Help us count the backyard and basement apartments in Ward 3
To spare you the long introduction: We are doing a survey! Do you have an ADU? In the process of adding one? We’re trying to get a count of how many ADUs exist or will soon in Ward 3. You’ll find the survey here and below. Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, seem to be having […]