Gimme shelter
Residents of DC’s biggest homeless shelter, DC General, suffer from poor conditions, including pests, lack of hot water and heat, and lack of ventilation at the shelter. (DCist)
Council votes to decriminalize pot
The DC Council voted to decriminalize marijuana possession. If signed into law, possession would only mean a fine, but smoking in public would remain a criminal offense. (Post)
Too noisy?
A group of Dupont residents who live near the nightclub hub at 18th and Connecticut are mobilizing to fight noise, but at least one ANC commissioner thinks they might expect too much quiet given where they live. (City Paper)
Washington Flyer fare falling
With the anticipated Silver Line about to take off, Washington Flyer buses linking Dulles airport and the Metro will reduce fares, increase service, and debut new buses. (Post)
House of worship to housing
One church in Columbia Heights is being turned into a 26-unit condo project. The project, in an effort to retain the facade, will save 40% of the building. (Urban Turf)
To build or not to build?
The last phase of development in Clarksburg could impact a reservoir that provides the region’s drinking water supply and undermine plans to build a walkable town center nearby. The Montgomery County Council will soon decide whether to allow it to go forward. (Post)
The psychology of cities
Scientists are mapping the brain’s response to things like open spaces and street grids, which could influence cities of the future. (Guardian)
More cyclists, more rule followers
New York’s investment in bikes is paying off in not just more riders, but also ones that are more likely to abide by laws. Cyclists are also now more likely to be female. (Atlantic Cities)
The cost of not investing
Not investing in system improvements like 8-car trains and bus corridor enhancements could cost the region 133,000 jobs and billions in property value over the next 3 decades. (PlanItMetro)
And…
Gentrification is displacing a gang in Los Angeles. (LA Times) … Cameras on Montgomery school buses will issue tickets for drivers who pass the flashing stop sign. (Gazette) … A long-buried stream will come to the surface in Forest Hills. (Connection) (Tip: Canaan)
Top image: Photo by Jos Dielis on Flickr.
Silver test
The Silver Line completed its first test run which revealed some glitches, particularly in the automatic train control system. WMATA has still not released a firm opening date. (Post)
DC is 4th best for transit
According to WalkScore, DC ranks 4th nationwide for public transportation access, behind New York, SF, and Boston. (DCist)
Build the bridge
There is now no pedestrian or bike crossing across the Susquehanna River in Maryland, but a new Amtrak bridge could change that. There’s a petition pushing for bike and pedestrian facilities on the bridge.(TheWashCycle)
Recharged train stations
While there are big plans locally for Union Station, other cities have made their train stations more inviting by converting parking to outdoor seating in Philadelphia and reopening a downtown station in St. Paul. (Elevation DC)
Anacostia Riverwalk under construction
A 4-mile segment along the Anacostia River will soon feature improvements such as bridges and a wooden boardwalk for biking and walking along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. (Elevation DC)
Are driving apps dangerous?
Mobile apps like Waze encourage drivers to interact during their commutes, like by reporting crashes and traffic. But most drivers won’t pull over, meaning the apps could cause more crashes. (Governing)
DC homeless sent to Maryland hotels
DC homeless families are being housed in Maryland motels, due to a lack of spaces in DC shelters and hotels. (Post)
Grosso for Nadeau
Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) endorsed Brianne Nadeau, one of two candidates (along with Bryan Weaver) running to unseat sitting Ward 1 councilmember Jim Graham. (City Paper)
Light rail cuts driving
People who live near Los Angeles’ Expo Line light rail drove 40% less (and rode transit 3 times more) after the line opened versus before. (USC Price)
Happy hour tonight
We hope to see you at tonight’s happy hour in Silver Spring!
Top image: Photo by Fairfax County on Flickr.
King’s streets
Many US cities have streets that honor Martin Luther King, but many of these corridors are struggling economically. A St. Louis non-profit hopes to reverse the trend. (Post)
Can DC rival Silicon Valley?
The Washington region is starting to successfully compete for high-tech companies, rivaling traditional tech-focused hubs like Silicon Valley. (Post)
No roundtable
Congresswoman Norton’s office has decided to postpone the WMATA roundtable scheduled for tonight. Watch our calendar and the weekly event roundup posts for the new date. The zoning update happy hour is still on tonight, and you can still talk Metro tomorrow with Shyam Kannan in Arlington, though!
Eminent domain imminent?
As negotiations continue in Bethesda over the Apex Building, officials consider eminent domain. Officials want to tear down and rebuild the building with a Purple Line station underneath. (Gazette)
Minneapolis without more parking
While we experience Minneapolis-like weather, Minneapolis is using similar tools as DC to encourage growth without more cars, like lower parking requirements and more bike and pedestrian facilities. (Star Tribune)
Cleveland rocks bicycles
Cleveland is planning to add 70 miles of bikeways by 2017. The city’s latest bikeway plan calls for connecting every single neighborhood to bike friendly infrastructure. (Cleveland.com)
Metered weekend parking a success
Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco is considering curtailing metered Sunday parking, but the policy has generated funds for the city and supported local business. (Atlantic Cities)
LA’s future is Shanghai?
The filmmakers behind the Oscar-nominated film Her shoot scenes in densely populated Shanghai, and imagine a much denser, transit-friendly Los Angeles for the future. (LA Times)
Top image: Photo by Alves Family on Flickr.
Road project on hold
New Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe halted the $1.4 billion Route 460 bypass between Petersburg and Suffolk, which many called Bob McDonnell’s most wasteful road project. The new administration will evaluate the project before spending any more money. (The Tysons Corner)
Will McAuliffe stop the Bi-County?
McAuliffe will also decide whether to keep pursuing the Bi-County Parkway or cancel the controversial road. Bob McDonnell finished a key agreement before leaving office. (WAMU)
Gray in the lead
Mayor Gray attracts 24% of primary voters for mayor, compared to 11-12% for Bowser, Evans, and Wells, according to a Post poll. But Gray is only slightly ahead of David Catania in a hypothetical general election match-up. Voters generally think Gray is managing the city well but still have concerns about ethics.
More bike racks downtown
More bike racks are coming to a block near your office in downtown DC. The Downtown Business Improvement District is working with DDOT to double the number of bike racks over 3 years. (DCist)
Federal budget falls short for St. Elizabeths
The 2014 Omnibus Appropriation bill falls short of what GSA and DHS say they need to redevelop St. Elizabeths. (WBJ)
Walk under Wisconsin Ave
The Montgomery County Planning Board gave a thumbs up to a pedestrian tunnel linking Walter Reed Medical Center to NIH under Wisconsin Ave., directly linking both sites to the Medical Center Metro. (Patch)
The rent is less damn high
Surprisingly, DC rents have finally dropped, at least for Class B apartments. That’s because the inventory of brand new buildings is meeting, or surpassing, demand. (Urban Turf)
Traffic kills 1 million a year
A new report finds that there are more than 1 million traffic-related deaths each year, and traffic fatalities disproportionately affect poor countries worldwide. (Post)
Rockville #MasterPlan
The City of Rockville aims to involve residents updating their Master Plan through an interactive website and social networking. (Gazette)
Bye Geoff and Jaime!
GGW editors Geoff Hatchard and Jaime Fearer are moving to California (Geoff got a job working on maps for Apple)! The City Paper interviews them about what they like most and least about Washington. (City Paper)
Top image: Photo by Doug Kerr on Flickr.
City misses deadline for stadium deal
DC still hasn’t completed the land swaps necessary near Buzzard Point to assemble the site needed for the new soccer stadium. Will DC United back out of the deal? (City Paper)
Microunits delayed by parking
A dispute over parking is blocking a microunit project in Logan Circle. The developer wants to ban tenants from getting residential parking permits, but the zoning board won’t approve the plan. (Urban Turf)
Easier development for White Oak
Proposed changes to the White Oak Master Plan will ease the way for more development by cutting down on the number of approval stages each plan has to go through.
Some riders lose on $115 a month
A map shows where the Metro riders live who will suffer now that the federal transit benefit has dropped from $245 to $130. Most are near ends of lines, but some riders everywhere get hurt.
Plastic bag use drops
A survey finds that DC’s bag law drastically cut the number of bags used. DC residents now use about 4 plastic bags per week, down from 10 before the bag tax went into place. (Wash. Times)
Chevy Chase to lawyer up?
Chevy Chase residents will help decide whether to hire lawyers to fight the Purple Line. (Patch)
Alexandria will get a hotel
Alexandria’s Planning Commission approved a controversial waterfront hotel. Residents opposing it said the 5-story hotel was too big, and some said it looked like a motel. (WAMU)
One property tax bill moves ahead
Anita Bonds’ bill to cap property taxes for seniors who make under $60,000 and have lived in DC for 15 years got support from the DC Council, while some expressed a desire to find a way to help renters as well. Jack Evans didn’t get enough support for his bill to cap property tax increases, which would have benefited wealthier property owners the most. (City Paper)
Performance parking on BART
BART will now start adjusting parking prices based on supply and demand. If a lot is often full, the next month it will cost more; if it has space, it will cost less. (Progressive Railroading)
Top image: Photo by Alec Couros on Flickr.
Arlington wants more high-tech startups
Concerned about recent job losses, Arlington will focus on attracting high-tech businesses in the new year, board members said. Also, Libby Garvey again spoke against the streetcar, Artisphere, and Long Bridge aquatic center. (Post)
Bye (for now), 7th Street businesses
The Passenger and other businesses along 7th Street in Mt. Vernon Square will have to move when Douglas Development builds a large office complex. But many may be able to return. (City Paper)
Prince George’s bans some bags
Residents can no longer put yard waste in plastic bags for pick up. Instead, they must use paper bags or reusable containers. (WAMU)
Contamination is costly
A parcel next to Nats Park on the Anacostia River may soon be apartments and retail, but it may cost millions to clean up waste on the site from old underground storage tanks. (WBJ)
Hybla Valley organizes for recreation
There are very few walking paths, soccer fields, and other facilities west of Route 1 in Fairfax County’s Hybla Valley. Residents are organizing to change that. (Post)
Google pursues the perfect map
Google hopes to create a more accurate world map using both public data and the knowledge of users. (Atlantic Cities)
Trottenberg will lead NYC DOT
New York’s new mayor, Bill de Blasio, has appointed Polly Trottenberg to run the DOT. Trottenberg, USDOT’s Under Secretary for Policy, supports better bus service, safer streets for peds and bikes, and more. (Streetsblog)
Top image: Photo by Adam Foster on Flickr.
Arlington activists push for affordable housing
Activists in Arlington are pushing for 1,500 units of affordable housing to be built on county land, but will Arlington make it enough of a priority? (Post)
More funding for homeless in MoCo
The Montgomery County Council has set aside new funds to address homelessness. The funding will provide 15 extremely vulnerable homeless individuals with housing and services. (Patch)
Stomp down on pop-ups
Neighbors around Lanier Heights have posted signs in protest of a new pop-up in their neighborhood. The signs indicate a concern about condo-izing the area, and reducing its character and value. (PoPville)
Minimum wage hike gets OK
The DC Council has unanimously sent a bill to increase the minimum wage to the mayor. The mayor is expected to sign the bill. (WTOP)
History has its costs
The historic designation of Spingarn High School is more than doubling the costs of the DC streetcar car barn. The car barn will house a maintenance and repair center for the streetcars once the line is operational. (WAMU)
More traffic forever
Driving is on the decline, but transportation agencies are still predicting increases in traffic to justify new lanes and highways. (Streetsblog)
Suburban transit commuters are rich
A new report finds that suburban transit commuters earn more, on average, than car commuters. This pattern is the opposite in the metro core. (City Paper)
Metro for non-commutes
17% of trips on Metro don’t relate to commuting to or from work. Gallery Place-Chinatown leads in the number of non-work trips. (PlanItMetro)
More than gondolas
While plans for a gondola grabbed the most attention, the Georgetown BID’s 2028 plan includes many other improvements such as bike racks, temporary sidewalk widening, and bringing the streetcar to the area. (WBJ)
Northeast is the wealthiest region
New Census data show that wealth and poverty are clustered geographically, with half of the wealthiest counties in the Northeast Corridor. Most of the poorest counties are in the South. (Atlantic Cities)
Top image: Photo by Mr. T in DC on Flickr.
Less parking, please
A Rockville developer has asked to build fewer parking spots than required at a proposed Town Center project, citing an abundance of parking spots elsewhere around the project site. (Gazette)
No more parking at apartments
Apartment and condo buildings are now being built across the country without parking spots. One new project in Miami features car2go parking spaces and bike parking, but no spaces for cars. (Streetsblog)
More hearings for zoning rewrite
The zoning rewrite will have yet more hearings in 2014. The process started in January 2008, but some activists still think that’s not enough time. (Post)
CaBi continues to grow
New data from Capital Bikeshare shows plenty of growth with 20% to 50% more ridership over last year for most months. In August of 2013, there was a record 296,000 trips. (TheWashCycle)
What DC would (not) look without height limit
Illustrations by artists give us a not terribly accurate idea of what DC would look like if the height limit is modified. (Fast Company, City Paper)
Gaithersburg to tackle bike-friendly streets
Gaithersburg town officials hope to bring bike-friendly streets to the community over the next few years, featuring shared-lane street markings and additional bike and pedestrian signage. (Gazette)
Minimum wage week for Wells
DC mayoral candidate Tommy Wells plans to spend a week living on the minimum wage for his food and transportation costs. Wells hopes to demonstrate how difficult it is to live on minimum wage with DC’s high cost of living. (Post)
Top image: Photo by MIT-Libraries on Flickr.
DC Council approves wage boost
The DC Council has unanimously approved a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $11.50 an hour. The Council approved expanding paid sick leave to tipped workers, such as restaurant servers. (WAMU)
Planners back Bethesda residential project
Despite a 1994 Master Plan to keep Bethesda’s “Metro Core” commercial, planners are urging the Montgomery County Planning Board to approve a residential project adjacent to the Bethesda Metro. (BethesdaNow)
Winter attractions coming to St. Elizabeths
The St. Elizabeths Pavilion in Ward 8 may feature snow slides, lights, and other winter activities to draw families. (DCist)
Hopscotch crosswalks come to Baltimore
Baltimore has installed brand new crosswalks in the Westside neighborhood featuring hopscotch. The crosswalks are 1 of 4 designed by artists to draw visitors to the new arts district. (Atlantic Cities)
More kids are walking to school
A new report released by the National Center for Safe Routes to Schools suggests that the number of children walking to school is on the rise. School bus ridership has dropped. (Streetsblog)
Can you tell if WMATA gets better?
WMATA’s metrics show service is getting better with improvements in on-time and reliability measures, but do these improvements translate to riders’ experience? (Post)
And…
Condo values are actually falling in Ward 8. (CHOTR) … Take a peek inside the H Street Walmart, which opens today. (City Paper) … Could a gas tax hike be on the way? (Streetsblog)
Top image: Photo by Daquella manera on Flickr.
Streetcar uncertainly slows development
The prolonged debate over where the Columbia Pike streetcar line may be built is causing potential developers along the route to hesitate. Despite uncertainty, Arlington County is prepared to move forward with the project. (ArlNow)
McMillan goes to Zoning Commission
Plans to redevelop the McMillan site will finally go to the Zoning Commission for approval. The proposal includes a seven parcel plan, combining medical facilities, housing, retail, and parks. (WBJ)
Lighter and faster trains en route?
The Federal Railroad Administration will likely allow lighter European train designs beginning in 2015. The trains would be faster and more fuel efficient, possibly making tickets cheaper. (Daily Beast)
Minimum wage in Montgomery to rise
The Montgomery County Council voted to increase the county minimum wage to $11.50 by 2017. Because the bill will only apply to firms operating within the county, some legal limitations remain. (Post)
Uncertainty after auction
A large chunk of Congress Heights recently sold at auction, but the sale went largely unnoticed and no one seems to know what the mysterious buyer will do with the property. (City Paper)
Next stop: Georgetown?
As WMATA considers expanding over the next 40 years, a metro stop in Georgetown is one possibility. The stop would be along a new blue line, running between H Street and Georgetown. (Urban Turf)
Put a lid on it
The Nationals approached DC about building a retractable roof over their stadium in July, but Mayor Gray refused to spend any taxpayer dollars on the project. (Post)
And…
Police are looking for a woman who allegedly stabbed a man at the Van Ness Metro. (DCist) … Ticketing of parked cars along the H Street streetcar tracks will begin in December. (PoPville) … Chicago’s innovative infrastructure bank is off to a slow start. (Next American City)
Top image: Photo by Brett VA on Flickr.