Brandon M. Scott won the Baltimore mayoral election after his main opponent, independent candidate Bob Wallace, conceded last night. Scott is president of the City Council, and will become the city’s youngest mayor at 36 years old. (Hannah Gaskill and Elizabeth Shwe / Maryland Matters)
Early results indicate that DC voters have approved a ballot initiative that would effectively decriminalize certain psychedelic plants and fungi. The measure would still need to survive a review by the DC Council and Congress to go into effect. (Justin Moyer / Post)
Virginia voters approved a constituional amendment that would create a bipartisan commission to draw the map for legislative and congressional districts rather than the elected leaders of the General Assembly in an effort to reduce partisan gerrymandering. (Rachel Weiner / Post)
Christina Henderson leads a crowded DC Council at-large race after the first night of election results. Incumbent Councilmember Robert White is in the lead for the other at-large seat. DC officials are still counting many absentee ballots, and will continue to update the vote totals. (Rachel Kurzius / DCist)
The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is looking for comment on proposed short term rental rules for websites like Airbnb. The rules would limit property owners to renting out their primary residence, and place a 90-day cap on rentals while the owner is not present unless the owner applies for a waiver. (Nena Perry-Brown / UrbanTurf)
Four radio towers that used to transmit the WMAL 630 radio station will be demolished this week. While some residents will miss the surrounding green space, it will become 309 new homes situated just outside the Beltway in Bethesda. (Katherine Shaver / Post. Tip: Chester B.)
By Emily Hamilton (Correspondent) • November 3, 2020
In 2010, Fairfax County — one of the highest-income counties in the country — adopted a plan to redevelop its Tysons area as a walkable urban place. A task force appointed to create recommendations for redevelopment in Tysons played an important role in shaping the comprehensive plan for Tysons that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors ultimately adopted. The Tysons Land Use Task Force provides a potential model for permitting more housing in other expensive, suburban jurisdictions.
By Canaan Merchant (Elections Committee) • November 3, 2020
Late last year, the commonwealth announced they would purchase Right of Way from private railroad companies across the state to speed up and expand service. That means fewer barriers to improved service or delays from waiting on freight trains to move through an area before the passenger train can move. Now the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) the board set up to take control of the new resources available to the commonwealth and roll out the upcoming changes met for the first time on October 26.
