May 25, 2025 Ward 3 Affordable Housing News Digest
Government Activity
District of Columbia
ANC 3/4G Issues Survey on Chevy Chase Civic Core Development Proposals
The deadline for submitting public comments to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) on the eight proposals to redevelop the Chevy Chase library and community center site (Civic Core), and add affordable housing, is May 28.
Written comments may be mailed to: The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 317, Washington, D.C. 20004, Attention: Daniel Lyons. Comments may also be sent by email to daniel.lyons@dc.gov.
ANC 3/4G (Chevy Chase) asked for and received an extension to July 10 for it to submit a resolution to DMPED reflecting community input. More than seven weeks after public presentation of the development proposals, the ANC has finally released a community survey regarding the proposals. It can be found here, and the ANC will accept responses through June 22.
D.C. Council Housing Committee Schedules Housing Affordability Hearing
The D.C. Council's Committee on Housing is scheduled to hold a public hearing on May 28 at 9:30 a.m. on the District's "housing affordability and preservation ecosystem" and four related legislative proposals. The hearing can be viewed live online at https://dccouncil.gov/hearings/.
The focus of the hearing is on the stability of the affordable rental housing system, and relevant pending legislative proposals including B26-0164, Mayor Bowser's Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act of 2025; B26-0126, the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act of 2025, introduced by Councilmember Charles Allen; B26-0141, the Eviction Reform Amendment Act of 2025, introduced by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson; and B26-0228, the Common Sense TOPA Reform Amendment Act of 2025, introduced by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau.
Video testimony (no more than 3 minutes) may be submitted here up until 6:00 p.m. on May 26.
Council Schedules Budget Hearings
Mayor Bowser is now expected to transmit her Fiscal Year 2026 proposed budget and financial plan to the D.C. Council on May 27, and the Council has scheduled agency-specific budget hearings. Housing-related hearings are listed in the calendar section below. The full hearing notice can be found here. Sign up to submit written or live testimony through the Hearing Management System.
D.C. Launches Database of Rent-Controlled Apartments
The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has announced that an online database of rental properties in D.C. — RentRegistry — will be released for public use on June 2. The system is an Internet-based program with portals designated for tenants, housing providers, public information, and DHCD's administration. It’s designed to provide real-time, searchable information about buildings and rental units, base rents, services and facilities, rent adjustments, unit features, and vacancy status.
Axios explains that the database will make it easier to tell whether a building is rent-controlled. It should also make it harder for landlords to raise rents on rent-controlled units more than what is allowed. All housing providers will be required to file information about their properties by August 31.
Urban Turf provides some background: “DC's rent control law, under the Rental Housing Act of 1985, limits rent increases on certain older buildings, typically built before 1976. It restricts annual increases to 2% plus the rate of inflation, with added limits for elderly or disabled tenants. Exemptions exist for newer buildings and small landlords.”
Council Passes Permanent Version of ERAP Amendment
On May 6, the D.C. Council passed B26-0046, the Emergency Rental Assistance Reform Amendment Act of 2025, on a second and final vote, and it is now awaiting the Mayor’s signature. First passed in emergency form last October, the bill is designed to speed up the eviction of nonpaying tenants while ensuring those who are eligible for rental assistance can obtain it.
Bisnow says a previous version of the bill that advanced out of committee had drawn opposition from real estate industry groups and Mayor Bowser. But after Councilmembers Matt Frumin and Zachary Parker introduced additional amendments ahead of the final vote, real estate groups and the mayor said they supported the version of the bill the council passed.
According to a Committee on Human Services report accompanying the bill, D.C. apartments have an average of $2,207 in rental arrearages, by far the highest in the nation, and the total amount of unpaid rent in the city has risen from $11 million in 2020 to $147 million this year.
Real estate groups have said that a pandemic-era change to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) that allowed tenants to automatically delay eviction cases simply by applying for assistance — even if they weren’t eligible or it wouldn’t cover what they owed — allowed unpaid rent to skyrocket and caused a massive backlog of cases. The bill would revise the ERAP program to remove tenants’ ability to automatically delay cases by filing applications to the program, and it will give judges more discretion to advance evictions for tenants who have racked up large amounts of unpaid rent.
“Homes Not Stadiums” Ballot Initiative to Be Revised
Chris Kain at District Links reported that D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and the D.C. Council's general counsel have opined that a proposed ballot initiative barring construction of a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site falls outside the permissible scope of citizen-led ballot measures. "The Proposed Initiative is not a proper subject for initiative," Schwalb wrote in his advisory opinion, "because it would provide for the electorate to direct the Zoning Commission to make a zoning regulation and zoning map amendment, which is contrary to the Home Rule Act’s vesting of the power to promulgate zoning regulations and determine the zoning map exclusively with the Zoning Commission."
Leaders of the “Homes Not Stadiums” ballot drive expressed confidence that they can overcome the legal hurdles by drafting new language that will achieve their goal of prohibiting construction of a publicly-funded football stadium on the RFK campus. But they also said in a May 22 press release that they are considering legal action to block the use of taxpayer dollars to assist stadium construction.
Organizers said, “D.C. residents want to see the RFK site used for affordable housing, public parks, recreational centers, grocery stores, and a monument to D.C. statehood — not another billionaire-backed stadium.”
Bowser Issues 10-Year Status Report
Mayor Bowser has issued a “10-Year Progress Report” touting her accomplishments as Mayor. Housing-related accomplishments highlighted in the report include:
The old, run-down D.C. General homeless shelter was closed, and replaced with new short-term housing for families at multiple smaller shelters around the city. Family homelessness is down 61% since 2015, and the average length of stay in family shelters has dropped from 200+ days at D.C. General to 90 days at the new family shelters. (Pages 12-13)
The District has surpassed Bowser’s goal of delivering 36,000 new homes in the city by 2025. The report says the “next goal” is one included in the January 2023 DC Comeback Plan — adding 15,000 residents downtown. (Page 16)
Investments in affordable housing have supported the creation of more than 15,000 affordable homes. Over the past five years, the District has created 31% of all new housing in the D.C. region, and 81% of the affordable units at 30% of median family income. The proportion of D.C. residents living in affordable housing (presumably meaning income-restricted housing?) has risen from 9.8% in 2015 to 14% today, an increase of 30,000 people. (Page 17)
The report also touts “unsticking stuck projects,” including making considerable progress on several projects with significant amounts of housing, such as Skyland Town Center, the Parks at Walter Reed, and the McMillan Sand Filtration Plant. (Pages 24-25)
Bowser hasn't yet announced whether she'll seek a fourth term in 2026.
OP Files for Zoning Text Amendment to Facilitate Use of Alley Lots
The Office of Planning (OP) has filed an application with the Zoning Commission, Case No. 25-06, seeking a text amendment to the zoning regulations governing alley lots. Urban Turf explains:
[The] zoning text amendments were proposed with the goal of making better use of underutilized alleys around the city.
The proposed changes include allowing residential development on alley lots in R-1 and R-2 zones, and allowing a second residential unit to be built within an alley lot building based on the lot size. The amendments also call for reducing the maximum lot occupancy for alley lots in R-1 and R-2 zones, and increasing yard requirements for those lots in the R-1 zone.
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OP estimates that around 500 vacant alley lots around the city could permit residential development under the change.
The Zoning Commission is scheduled to give the proposal initial consideration at its May 29 public meeting.
WMATA Board Approves Takoma Joint Development Agreement
As reported in Councilmember Janeese Lewis George’s newsletter, this month the WMATA Board gave formal approval to a joint development agreement with EYA LLC, solidifying plans to bring 434 units of transit-oriented housing, green space, and retail to the Takoma Metro station. 15 to 25% of the apartments would be dedicated affordable units. A Washington Post article in early April talked about how neighborhood opposition has delayed this project for 25 years.
Comprehensive Plan Rewrite Has Begun
The Office of Planning (OP) has begun DC 2050, a process to revise D.C.’s Comprehensive Plan. In a May 22 blog post, OP gave some initial results from its recently-closed DC 2050 Visioning Survey, which garnered more than 2100 responses.
When respondents were asked to share three words they hope will describe DC in 2050, the top words shared were affordable, safe, vibrant, diverse, green, beautiful, walkable, and accessible.
Respondents also had the opportunity to select which topics they are most interested in discussing as part of the DC 2050 development process. Of the options listed, the most popular topics included: housing options to fit different budgets and needs (1550 responses); ways to get around (1239); parks, libraries, and recreation centers (942); access to daily needs like grocery stores (912); and clean air and water (789).
Community workshops are scheduled for May 31 and June 4 — see calendar section below.
Virginia
Fairfax Supervisors Approve Affordable Housing at Franconia Governmental Center Site
According to FFXnow, late on May 13 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 to move forward with a plan for affordable housing on the soon-to-be-vacated Franconia Governmental Center site. The vote was a necessary procedural step before the county can consider a formal rezoning application submitted this spring by Franconia Development Partners, a team comprising SCG Development Partners, NFP Affordable Housing Corp., and Good Shepherd Housing.
Franconia Development Partners said the future housing will be designated for people earning between 30 and 80% of the area median income. In addition, 25 units will be set aside for police, firefighters, teachers, and medical personnel.
The vote came after hours of public testimony for and against the proposal. Opponents cited concerns about traffic, pedestrian safety, health, school crowding, the height of the proposed residential building, and changes to the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.
A group called the Franconia District Land Use Committee supported other proposed changes across the Franconia Triangle, but voted overwhelmingly to oppose the income-restricted housing plan for the governmental center.
The Clermont Woods Community Association asked that the proposal be put on hold until other options are evaluated. Its president said it was unfair to tag opponents of the proposal as NIMBYs or against housing options for lower-income residents. “We need more affordable housing. The question is: where?”
“These are exactly the kinds of people we want living here,” said the pastor of Provision United Methodist Church.
Cindy Marisch, another supporter of the plan, said civic associations in the area have become “impediments to change” and resort to “misinformation and bias” in their opposition.
Federal
Big Beautiful Bill Could Prevent Regulation of Algorithmic Rent-Setting
According to Bisnow, the Republicans’ federal budget reconciliation bill, formally named “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” includes language preventing states or political subdivisions from enforcing “any law or regulation regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems” during the next ten years. Among the highest-profile such systems is the rent-setting software owned by RealPage, which has faced numerous class action lawsuits over alleged price-fixing as well as an ongoing antitrust case from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The AI-friendly language added to the proposed legislation came after intense lobbying from trade groups like the National Multifamily Housing Council.
RealPage and the commercial real estate firms that use its platform have faced considerable legal and political scrutiny since a 2022 ProPublica investigation accused it of inflating rents through its platform. If the budget bill is approved by Congress, it could nullify bans in states that have passed them and preempt others from going forward with their own pending legislation.
The Trump administration is “hanging tenants out to dry” by trying to prevent states from enacting AI regulations, according to Caroline Nagy, senior policy counsel at Americans for Financial Reform. The bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures has urged Congress to reject the AI regulation ban.
A separate Bisnow article says the One Big Beautiful Bill would make alterations to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program that could result in more than half a million new housing units over four years.
Among other things, the changes would reinstate a 12.5% boost on states’ allocations for the 9% version of LIHTC, something that was in place but expired in 2021. The new version will also lower the bond financing threshold for a project using the 4% form of LIHTC from the current 50% to 25% for projects financed by bonds with an issue date before 2030.
“But while the changes under this Trump proposal would boost affordable housing stock, other actions by the administration could negate some of the gains.” Trump’s budget proposal would dramatically restructure the Section 8 voucher program and cut funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 44%, which includes steep cuts to rental assistance programs.
The administration has canceled contracts with affordable housing developers. Through executive orders, Trump has sought to eliminate the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a program seen as key to the creation and preservation of low-cost housing.
Affordable developers are worried that these cuts and others impacting the industry will result in less financing available and fewer affordable units overall.
A third article from Bisnow looks at additional regulatory rollbacks and tax reforms that lobbyists for the nation’s apartment industry are seeking.
Reform Board Recommends That U.S. Sell DOE Headquarters, Other Southwest Buildings
According to Washington Business Journal [subscription req’d], the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) has recommended that the federal government sell off the Department of Energy’s massive Independence Avenue headquarters, the James V. Forrestal Building. With the PBRB's blessing and the approval of the Trump administration, the General Services Administration can bypass a portion of the lengthy disposal process to help speed the sale of the underutilized 1.8 million-square-foot building to private owners. Bisnow also had a story.
Demolition of the building would yield up to four developable parcels, according to a member of the board. An Urban Land Institute technical assistance panel released a report on May 22 laying out a public-private roadmap to redevelop Forrestal with as much as 2,443 residential units, 800,000 square feet of museum and cultural space, a 286-key hotel, 200,000 square feet of office, and 73,791 square feet of retail.
The Forrestal Complex, built in 1969, has annual operating costs in excess of $41 million and needs more than $202 million in urgent capital repairs, according to the ULI panel. Those expenses rule out adaptive reuse, but also mean that relocating DOE could provide long-term savings.
The PBRB also formally recommended for disposal two other Southwest D.C. properties for which GSA has already started the process of selling off: the nearly 1 million-square-foot Regional Office Building at 301 Seventh Street, S.W., and the 1.2 million-square-foot Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, the longtime home of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, at 330 Independence Avenue S.W.
In her forthcoming fiscal 2026 budget proposal, Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to propose spending $1.5 million to develop a master plan for the Southwest Federal Center as a “new mixed-use community that maximizes its proximity to the National Mall.”
News & Commentary
District of Columbia
Second Bidder Emerges for Avalon the Albemarle
We previously reported (March 21, 2025 News Digest) that True Ground Housing Partners had offered to buy the Avalon the Albemarle apartment building on Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness, with a plan to convert it to dedicated affordable housing. Now WC Smith has come forward with an alternative offer that would not convert the building to affordable housing (while leaving it subject to rent control).
Under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), the tenants association can assign its right to purchase the property to the bidder making the most attractive offer. WC Smith is promising $4 million in capital improvements, without adding to rent, compared to $1 million in improvements offered by True Ground.
Developer Files Plans for Next Phase of Bridge District
Washington Business Journal [subscription req’d] reports that developer Redbrick LMD has filed plans with the Zoning Commission for the next phase of the Bridge District, proposing nearly 300 new housing units over retail for the massive multiphase project located near the eastern end of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
This building, Parcel 5, will include about 35 units set aside for households earning between 50% and 60% of the area median income. Urban Turf says all of the three-bedrooms in the building will be set aside as affordable under the inclusionary zoning (IZ) program.
Future phases include Parcel 1, tentatively slated for 330 apartments and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail; and Parcel 2, with 625 apartments and short-term rentals as well as 11,000 square feet of retail.
Ribbon-Cutting at the Faircliff in Columbia Heights
On May 15, Jonathan Rose Cos. and its development partners, Somerset Development Co. and Housing Up, cut the ribbon on a 125-unit affordable apartment building on 14th Street in Columbia Heights. Bisnow says the housing development aims to be the “greenest multifamily building in D.C.”
The Faircliff is built alongside Novel 14, a 197-unit market rate apartment developed by Crescent Communities. Collectively, these two communities replaced the former 80-unit Faircliff Plaza East apartment complex, quadrupling the amount of housing on the site. Residents of the former Faircliff Plaza East voted unanimously to move forward with the project, and 80% elected to return to live in the new building.
The Jonathan Rose press release says, “The Faircliff sets a new standard for green multi-family buildings in the District. The all-electric design is on track to achieve LEED Platinum and Passive House (Phius CORE) certification and features a range of innovative green design strategies, including a green roof with an integrated 67 kW solar array, electric vehicle charging for 19 parking spaces, and carbon-injected concrete that will capture nearly 1 million kg of carbon within the building’s structure.”
A press release posted by Somerset notes that the project “aligns with the District’s priorities for preserving and expanding affordable housing options and building mixed income communities in walkable, infill locations with excellent access to mass-transit.”
The community will benefit from a full-time Resident Services Coordinator overseen by Communities Together Inc. The property is managed by Habitat America, and case management services for 9 permanent supportive housing units are provided by Housing Up.
Financing for the $93.2 million development was arranged through a mix of public and private resources, including $49.3 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by the D.C. Housing Finance Agency, a $16.9 million loan from D.C.’s Housing Production Trust Fund, and a $439,452 initial annual rental subsidy from the D.C. Housing Authority to support the nine 3-bedroom permanent supportive housing units for formerly homeless or at-risk families. D.C. Green Bank provided a first-of-its-kind $1.85 million predevelopment loan to enable the project team to achieve LEED Platinum and PHIUS+ design certifications.
D.C. Now Has 18 Million Dollar Neighborhoods
Working from Bright MLS data, Urban Turf calculated that there are now 18 neighborhoods in D.C. where the median home sales price is $1 million or more.
Earlier, Urban Turf had reported that the median price of a home in the D.C. region rose to $655,215 in April — about $15,000 above the previous record for the area set last spring. In D.C. proper, the median home price also hit a new record high, coming in at $750,000. Since 2017, the median home price in the region has risen nearly $220,000.
TOPA May Be Slowing Sales of Multifamily Buildings in D.C.
The D.C. Policy Center looked at whether there is evidence to support the claim that D.C.’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) has contributed to a lack of investor interest in multifamily housing in the District, as reflected in a slowdown of sales of multifamily buildings. The Center’s researchers said that apartment building valuations have been relatively consistent across D.C. metro area jurisdictions, but since 2015, sales volume has been falling steadily in the District.
One explanation is that suburban markets increasingly offer higher returns on a per-unit basis. But another is that transaction complexity — especially from TOPA — adds time, uncertainty, and risk. Housing providers, investors, brokers, and title agents consistently cited this complexity in interviews about TOPA. This could result in investors redirecting capital to places where deals are cleaner, faster, and easier to close.
The Center concludes that Mayor Bowser’s proposed TOPA “reforms send a clear signal that the District is serious about improving its business climate and addressing inefficiencies in the housing market. These changes may not yield immediate or easily quantifiable revenue, but they can unlock long-term economic value by reducing friction in property transactions, attracting investment, and stabilizing the city’s rental housing stock.”
Nationwide
The Impending Crisis of Senior Homelessness
The Urban Institute’s Housing Matters published an article called, “9 Facts About the Impending Senior Homelessness Crisis and How We Can Stop It.” It points out that older adults are the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness, and that without proactive policy, the number of older adults experiencing homelessness will triple by 2030. The authors suggest steps policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders can take to help support older adults.
Report Says Gentrification Has Displaced at Least Half a Million Black Americans
Next City highlights a new study from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, “Displaced By Design,” concluding that 15% of urban neighborhoods across America show signs of gentrification over the last 50 years, with the number of gentrifying urban neighborhoods growing sevenfold from 1970 through 2020.
From 1980 to 2020, gentrification impacted more than 1,800 downtown census tracts in major metro areas, with Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta and the San Francisco Bay area topping the list. In total, the data indicates a loss of half a million Black residents in all gentrifying neighborhoods between 1980 and 2020.
The authors noted that “Displacement can occur when a neighborhood becomes unaffordable to pre-existing residents, causing them to move out in search of less expensive housing.” Contrasting displacement with mobility or voluntary relocation, they said “the dynamics of displacement are driven by changes in housing availability and affordability for a variety of reasons (rising rents, conversions of rental units to condominiums, landlords opting out of federal programs which subsidize rents, and rising property taxes) . . . .”
Washington D.C. ranked second for having the greatest intensity of gentrification during both the 2000’s and the 2010’s, after having ranked first in the 1970’s. The report examined D.C.’s U Street/Shaw neighborhood in particular as typifying “the dynamic of gentrification where long term decline followed by intensive gentrification takes place, in addition to White population growth and racial turnover.”
Apartment Owners Report Lower Turnover
A report in Bisnow says that renters are increasingly choosing to stay put in their existing apartments. Historically, about half of apartment renters choose not to renew their leases. In the first quarter of 2025, that number has dropped to between 30% and 35% in the portfolios of major multifamily landlords. Large multifamily REITs have reported some of the lowest turnover rates in their companies' history in recent calls with analysts.
An executive with the National Apartment Association said, “With volatility and uncertainty, I think a lot of folks renting might choose to take what I would say is the certainty of rent over making a long-term commitment.” The Chief Operating Officer of Equity Residential said even in D.C. and Northern Virginia, where federal government job losses are having an outsized economic impact, Equity's complexes are more than 97% occupied.
Multifamily turnover has been shrinking for the past two years, driven by rising home prices, high interest rates, and a shift in renter preferences toward more livable and amenity-rich spaces — a change that began during the pandemic.
Around the Blogs
At Noahpinion on May 23, economist Noah Smith argued that housing density alone isn’t enough to make a great city; you need density of shops, too.
[M]any YIMBYs love to post pictures of the suburbs, with their endless rows of single-family homes, and to comment on how sterile they look. They’re not wrong, but I suspect that any form of housing that only has houses and not shops will look pretty sterile.
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The beauty of Brooklyn’s brownstones, or Paris’ Haussmann apartments, comes in large part from the fact that they’re located near to shops.
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When we lament the isolation of the suburbs, we’re not really lamenting low residential density; we’re lamenting the isolation of houses from third spaces where people might meet and mingle. Those third spaces are shops.
In a May 25 post at Noahpinion, Noah Smith says, “A surprising number of online pundits seem to think that the YIMBY movement is some kind of perennial failure — a hapless bunch of political naifs that stumbles around making enemies and losing battle after battle. I have no idea why they think this, since in the real world, the YIMBY movement keeps gaining support and racking up legislative victories” — and he lists a few recent ones. He concludes, “America doesn’t have nearly enough housing, and YIMBYs are the people who are finally doing something about that. No wonder it’s making progress.”
Other States
Boston Offers Co-Purchasing Pilot Program
According to Smart Cities Dive, Boston has started a pilot program that lets families team up to buy multi-unit homes under a single mortgage, making ownership possible in an increasingly unaffordable market.
The Co-Purchasing Housing Pilot Program, launched in March, offers as much as $50,000 in zero-percent interest-deferred loans to cover down payments or closing costs to first-time homebuyers for co-purchasing arrangements in which multiple families purchase a two- or three-family home under a single mortgage.
New Jersey Town Using Eminent Domain to Seize Church Land Proposed for Homeless Shelter
A story in The New York Times [gift link] says an affordable housing nonprofit that rents space from Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey, had sought approval from a zoning board to create a small, 17-bed homeless shelter on the church’s land. But now the mayor wants to use eminent domain to seize the church and its 11 acres of land to use it for 10 pickleball courts, a soccer field, and a playground.
A Township Council meeting last month where the proposal to take the church’s land was discussed publicly for the first time was long and contentious. The proposal authorizing the township to take the church property passed 4 to 3 on a preliminary vote; a final vote could take place as early as this week, although the mayor has said it is unlikely to be reconsidered until late July.
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, which owns the property, has stated unequivocally that it is not for sale, and the church’s rector has made clear the church is “prepared for a long court fight to protect our congregation and property from this egregious land grab.”
“I am outraged,” said Rabbi William Gershon of Congregation B’nai Israel, a conservative synagogue that has been in Toms River for 75 years. “If you can do it to them, you can do it to any of us.” Rabbi Gershon said members of the town’s interfaith council were united in their opposition to the town’s eminent domain effort, which he considers an attempt to use “political levers to cudgel a community, almost vindictively.”
Cash Assistance Helps Avert Homelessness
Gothamist reported on a pilot program that gave one-time cash payments between $645 and $9,900 to young people at imminent risk of losing their housing. They were able to use that money to cover housing costs, food or other bills — affording them the flexibility to use the money where they needed it most.
The program was launched in seven states, including New York. Early results show that 97% of New York City youth who participated in the pilot program last year said they remained stably housed 30 days after receiving their payment. Nationally, 90% were stably housed after a month.
Newsom Proposes $3 Billion in Grants in Bid to End Homeless Encampments
AP News reports that California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month urged California cities to clear homeless encampments, escalating efforts to address the makeshift tents that line underpasses, parks and streets in many parts of the state. In announcing more than $3 billion in grants for facilities to treat homeless people and others who struggle with mental health and substance use disorders, Newsom unveiled a blueprint for a camping ban for cities and counties to follow.
Newsom’s model ordinance includes prohibitions on “persistent camping” in one location and encampments blocking sidewalks. It asks cities and counties to provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment.
Critics say punitive bans make it even harder for homeless people to find stable housing and employment. “Clearing encampments may be the most visible part of this crisis, but without addressing the underlying root causes of homelessness, the cycle will only repeat itself,” said the executive director of the League of California Cities.
New York City Landlords Say Rent Control Has Created a Crisis
Bisnow took a deep dive looking at how New York City’s Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 has affected the finances of apartment buildings and multifamily building owners. Owners of New York City's aging apartments say it has already led to a surge in defaults and distress, and experts say there is no end to the financial devastation in sight. “The crisis has already started,” one landlord said. “It's just getting everybody to realize how bad it really is.”
Two landlords shared financial statements with Bisnow showing dwindling cash, rising expenses, and plunging net operating income since enactment of rent stabilization.
The legislation was intended to protect low-income residents living in the approximately 1 million stabilized apartments across the five boroughs. However, in doing so, it dealt a severe blow to the economics underpinning housing ownership, which many landlords claim has been fatal.
The financial records show how the once-secure housing stock has rapidly run out of funding. The dwindling income while values have plummeted means that not only are the owners unable to further invest in the properties, but they may have to dump them, likely causing further distress.
Calendar
May 27 — DC Jobs With Justice is hosting a “TOPA For All Town Hall” in collaboration with at-large Councilmember Robert White, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th Street, N.W. The program will dive into the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and the process of tenant engagement triggered when a landlord wants to sell a residential property. Details and RSVP link here.
May 28 — Deadline to submit comments to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) on the eight proposals to redevelop the Chevy Chase Library and Community Center site and add affordable housing. Written comments may be mailed to: The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 317, Washington, D.C. 20004, Attention: Daniel Lyons. Comments may also be sent by email to daniel.lyons@dc.gov.
May 28 — The D.C. Council's Committee on Housing will hold a public hearing on the District's "housing affordability and preservation ecosystem" and four related legislative proposals. 9:30 a.m. The hearing notice is here, and the hearing can be viewed live online at https://dccouncil.gov/hearings/.
May 29 — D.C. Council Committee of the Whole budget hearing for the Office of Planning and Office of Zoning, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The hearing can be viewed online at www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live.
May 30 — D.C. Council Committee on Housing budget hearing for the D.C. Housing Authority, 9:00 to 5:30. The hearing may be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/@committeeonhousingdc.
May 31 — Office of Planning community workshop # 1 for DC 2050, the Comprehensive Plan rewrite. 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Ron Brown High School, 4800 Meade Street, N.E. RSVP here.
June 4 — Office of Planning community workshop # 2 for DC 2050, the Comprehensive Plan rewrite. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Stuart-Hobson Middle School, 410 E Street, N.E. RSVP here.
June 4 — D.C. Council Committee on Housing budget hearing for the Office of the Tenant Advocate and Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, 12:00 to 6:00. The hearing may be viewed online at www.dccouncil.gov.
June 4 — D.C. Council Committee on Business and Economic Development budget hearing for all agencies under the committee’s purview, which includes the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) (public witnesses only), 9:30 to 5:30. The hearing may be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbFwXXcbCuQk3-zlwqe97mA/streams.
June 5 — The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) will hold its 34th Annual Meeting and Housing Expo, 9:00-3:00, Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, N.W. Among other things, HAND will unveil the latest version of its Housing Indicator Tool (HIT). Details here; register here.
June 9 — D.C. Council Committee on Housing budget hearing for the Department of Housing and Community Development, D.C. Housing Finance Agency, and Housing Production Trust Fund, 9:00 to 5:30. The hearing may be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/@committeeonhousingdc.
June 9 — Next regular meeting of ANC 3/4G (Chevy Chase), 6:30-8:30, virtually via Zoom.
June 12 — Next regular meeting of ANC 3E (Friendship Heights & Tenleytown), 7:30 p.m., online.
June 16 — D.C. Council Committee on Business and Economic Development budget hearing for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) (government witnesses only), 9:00 to 2:30. The hearing may be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbFwXXcbCuQk3-zlwqe97mA/streams.
June 16 — Next regular meeting of ANC 3C (Cleveland Park and Woodley Park), virtual, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
June 17 — Next regular meeting of ANC 3F (Van Ness), 7:00-9:00 p.m., online.
June 17 — Next regular meeting of ANC 3A (Middle Wisconsin Avenue), 7:00 p.m., at the McLean Gardens Ballroom and virtually via Zoom.
June 18 — D.C. Council Committee of the Whole public hearing on the "Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act of 2025," "Fiscal Year 2026 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2025," "Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Support Act of 2025," and "Fiscal Year 2025 Revised Local Budget Emergency Adjustment Act of 2025."
June 18 — 2025 Terwilliger Center Summit on Housing Supply Solutions, 9:00-5:00. Virtual and in-person at Union Station. Details and registration here.
June 22 — Deadline to respond to ANC 3/4G’s community survey regarding the 8 proposals to redevelop the Chevy Chase library and community center and add dedicated affordable housing.
June 24 — The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies will hold an event to present its annual report, The State of the Nation's Housing 2025. 2:00-5:30 p.m., online or in-person (in Boston). Register here.
To let us know of something we should add, please email christopher.vaden78@gmail.com.