Montgomery County has a housing shortage, particularly for lower-priced homes. In December, County Councilmember Will Jawando introduced a bill, ZTA 20-07, that would allow duplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings on “R-60” lots within one mile of Red Line stations. The Planning Department is already working on its own plans to create more “missing middle” homes, including one focused on downtown Silver Spring that could involve zoning changes and Thrive 2050, which looks at the entire county and will not involve any zoning changes. Both of these efforts will play out over the next several months, with many opportunities for public input.
By George Kevin Jordan (Managing Editor) • February 22, 2021
Learn about the new data landscape of urban planning during Georgetown University’s paneled discussion. DDOT is hosting an open house about its Near Northwest III Safety and Mobility Study. Learn about the legacy of African Americans within Baltimore and Maryland’s government, and more in this week’s virtual urbanist events.
A new bill would require Montgomery County to clear sidewalks on busy arterial roads, where piles of snow from snowplows often force pedestrians to walk in the street. (Ally Schweitzer / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
Pent-up demand for affordable housing in Alexandria came rushing in as the city opened its affordable housing waitlist for the first time since 2011. In two days, 45,000 people applied, far more than the 10,000 people who applied in 2011. (Vernon Miles / ALXNow)
Angela Hill — a mother, grandmother, and community fixture — died last week under an I-295 overpass in southeast DC, where she’d lived for years while struggling with homelessness and mental illness. Community members gathered for a vigil Saturday evening to remember her. (DCist)
A pandemic pause on foreclosures in Maryland that was set to expire at the end of this month has been extended through March. (McKenna Oxenden / Baltimore Sun)
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser will argue for statehood at a congressional hearing March 11 on Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s statehood bill. The last such hearing took place in 2019 ahead of statehood’s passing the House last June. (Meagan Flynn / Post)
The Montgomery County Council will decide whether to allow some solar power development in its 93,000-acre agricultural reserve. The legislation comes with restrictions that pro-solar environmentalists call “poision pills.” (Rebecca Tan / Post)
A growing body of research has linked exposure to traffic noise to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and researchers are starting to figure out why. (Cypress Hansen / The Atlantic)
