Press Alert, July 11, 2024
Save DC Public Land: Working for a Safe, Truly Affordable & Racially Equitable U Street
Contact: Debby H. 202-854-1822, the1617project@savedcpublicland.org
Save DC Public Land: Working for a Safe, Truly Affordable & Racially Equitable U Street
Contact: Debby H. 202-854-1822, the1617project@savedcpublicland.org
Tonight — The DC Zoning Commission May Make a Major Decision About the Future of 1617 U Street
Luxury High Density Zoning on 2-Acres of Public Land a Possibility After Ward One Councilmember Brianne Nadeau “Put Her Thumb on the Scale” of the Decision
Community Groups Ask for “Limited-Scope” Hearing About New Information Published After the Close of Hearings
Washington, DC — Tonight the DC Zoning Commission meets to discuss and possibly make a decision about the Mayor's request to rezone 2-acres of public land at 1617 U Street.
The meeting starts at 4pm, Thursday, July 11, and can be watched on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/@DCOfficeofZoning/streams
1617 U Street is currently home to busy police and fire stations and their futures are in doubt.
At the meeting tonight there will be no public comment. Zoning Commissioners will discuss the case and may choose to approve an unprecedented 10+ story rezoning proposal. If approved, the decision paves the way for Ward One Councilmember Brianne Nadeau to push the privatization of the public air rights as a gift for a to-be-named developer to build a high-rise mostly luxury residential mixed use building.
Recently, Councilmember Nadeau publicly said “I wish people would stop with the narrative that upzoning displaces people because it's just wrong … it's not a black issue, it's not a white issue, it's a human issue.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgDNk0Sz1Xc
Over the past decade, Ward One shows some of the highest displacement of Black residents (25%) from the city.
Nadeau also claimed that “Upzoning builds more housing and in this case upzoning will build more affordable housing.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkS7FU0llj0
UNPRECEDENTED — Likely a first in DC Zoning history, there are five certified community parties in opposition to the high-rise luxury rezoning proposal at 1617 U Street NW.
Opposition parties recently asked the Zoning Commission to hold a “limited-scope hearing” on new information published to the record by the DC Office of Planning “after hearings were over.”
Black Neighbors of 1617 U Street oppose the luxury high-rise rezoning for fear of the likely displacement of the area's remaining Black residents and families and because city officials have not proactively communicated with the remaining vulnerable neighbors, small businesses, churches, and civic groups that remain along this part of the U Street corridor historically known as Black Broadway.
In addition to other issues of concern, the Black Neighbors are asking the Commission to probe the effect of Councilmember Brianne Nadeau's new “thumb on the scale” legislation about 1617 U Street on this zoning process: “[We] are owed the right to ask about and to refute this newly introduced legislative factor that now appears to be interwoven into this zoning proposal and directly affecting the outcomes of this case.”
The Zoning meeting for 1617 U Street (Zoning Case 23-02) starts at 4pm, tonight, Thursday, July 11, 2024. View online at: https://www.youtube.com/@DCOfficeofZoning/streams
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