By Libby Solomon (Writer and Editor) • February 19, 2021
DC has secured funding to preserve hundreds of affordable housing units, thanks to a loan program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The $38.8 million in financing through HUD’s Section 108 loan guarantee program will be used for affordable housing preservation projects that DC has deemed worthy of funding but didn’t previously have money for.
How did the American Dream get so green? The pandemic is sending jobs to the suburbs. Segregation isn’t just about houses — it’s about where we spend our days.
The Federal Railroad Administration is pausing plans to redevelop parts of Union Station because a proposed parking garage could make the station too vehicle-centric. The pause could add several months to the project’s timeline and millions to its budget. (Luz Lazo / Post)
Montgomery County voters voted to add two new seats to its nine-member County Council back in November 2020. The cost of new office space and the salaries of the new councilmembers and their staff is expected to top $1.9 million. (Briana Adhikusuma / Bethesda Beat)
New construction in Arlington is helping drive Virginia toward the top of US state rankings of LEED-certified space per capita. Arlington County made up 15% of newly LEED-certified buildings in Virginia last year. (Matt Blitz / ARLNow)
Christian Cooper first gained recognition last year after a white woman accosted him while he was looking for birds in Central Park. Cooper, who is Black, has since taken up the cause of DC statehood and is now involved in a local advocacy organization. (Martin Austermuhle / DCist)
Optimus Ride has launched a self-driving car service for a select group of tenants of four apartment buildings in the Yards. The cars will start off with human operators as a safety measure, and riders can select drop-off points in Capitol Hill and Barracks Row. (Daniella Byck / Washingtonian)
Del. Elizabeth Holmes Norton introduced bills that would remove statues considered racially insentitive from federal land in the District. The first depicts Abraham Lincoln with an enslaved man, and the second is Confederate General Albert Pike. (Christian Zapata / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
An FAA rule that limited direct mass transit lines to US airports and necessitated transfers to inefficient airport people-movers is gone, thanks to the Silver Line. Now projects like the Silver Line can get some airport funding. (Aaron Gordon / Vice. Tip: Frank IBC)
