Increasing the housing supply has become a high priority across the region. Mayor Bowser pledged to build 36,000 new units by 2025. Yesterday the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments voted to push local governments to build more low- and medium-cost housing. Like Bowser, they set specific targets:
- 320,000 housing units should be added in the region between 2020-2030. This is an additional 75,000 units already forecast for this period.
- 75 percent of all new housing should be in Activity Centers or near high-capacity transit.
- 75 percent of new housing should be affordable to low- and middle-income households.
At the meeting, AJ Jackson, FC2 Trustee and Executive Vice President for Social Impact Investing at JBG SMITH, gave a presentation about the Washington Housing Initiative and how its workforce housing goals fit into the Council of Government’s targets.
Mayor Bowser is hosting a community conversation to hear from DC residents about their priorities for meeting DC’s housing needs. She’s also releasing the results of a survey of DC residents about what they think is the best way to add 36,000 units. The event will be held on Saturday, September 21st from 1 to 3 pm at Ron Brown Middle School. You can RSVP here.
