On the Office of Planning’s Weak Future Land Use Map

“The draft land use map that came out of Office of Planning is totally insufficient – it barely adds density when we need more affordable housing and for the dense and diverse communities that make small business, transit and everything else about our communities work better.”

—Rashida

STATEMENT ON THE OFFICE OF PLANNING’S WEAK FUTURE LAND USE MAP

Yes, in Our Back Yards

If we are not building enough housing - every type, at every income level, we will not maintain the diversity, culture and energy of Ward 1 and the District.

Ward 1 proves that density fosters diversity, affordability, and quality of life. I have some experience in this work as ANC and as a community advocate, having fought for housing at McMillan and having fought tooth and nail against NIMBYs to get housing built at Park Morton and Bruce Monroe.

It should not be so hard!

Ward 1 can accommodate more homes for more people—and so can other wards. The draft Future Land Use Map doesn’t give any part of the city the chance to do that meaningfully. We need to “legalize apartments District-wide” and do much more than this plan draft does to encourage diversity and attract more housing that makes it more affordable for ALL of us to rent, buy, and stay here.

When I’m on the Council, I’ll do what it takes to get these changes in the FLUM. We simply cannot wait any longer.