By Payton Chung (Board of Directors, Advocacy Committee) • December 2, 2021
Planners in the 1950s wanted to replace large swaths of central Washington with freeways. Canceling those plans saved the city not just from the freeways themselves, but also from an equally stunning plan to demolish thousands more blocks alongside said freeways and “renew” them with a suburban landscape of strip malls, office campuses, and apartment towers.
DC Attorney General Karl Racine’s office will take on a role in pushing for affordable housing, initially by proposing rule changes to the Zoning Commission and offering guidance to ANCs. (Michael Brice-Saddler / Post)
The Montgomery County Countil extended free fares for the county’s RideOn bus service though July. County Executive Marc Elrich has recommended fares be restored but reduced from $2 to $1. (Steve Bohnel / Bethesda Beat. Tip: Chester B.)
Alexandria has named Jim Parajon as its new city manager, set to start on January 18. Parajon is coming to Alexandria from Arlington, Tex. where he is a deputy city manager. (Teo Armus / Post)
DC Councilmember Brianne Nadeau is proposing emergeny legislation that would force DC to stop clearing homeless encampments, instead providing services at those locations. Officials cleared an encampment in Truxton Circle Thursday as part of the controversial program. (DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
A proposed map redrawing DC’s ward boundaries is getting pushback, largely around changes to Ward 6. Some don’t like the idea of moving Hill East to Ward 7; others don’t want Kingman Park to move from Ward 7 back to Ward 6. (Martin Austermuhle / DCist)
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is bolstering coronavirus measures in anticipation of the omicron variant, but isn’t reinstating a mask requirement. Instead her office issued an “advisory” recommending people mask up. (Julie Zauzmer Weil / Post)
