Ward 1 Candidate — Aparna Raj
Candidate info:
info@aparnafordc.com www.aparnafordc.com
| Question 1 — If elected, I commit to supporting a future redevelopment of the publicly owned site at 1617 U Street NW that: Maintains uninterrupted emergency services by phasing redevelopment to avoid displacement or disruption of the existing first responders. | Question 2 — If elected, I commit to supporting a future redevelopment of the publicly owned site at 1617 U Street NW that: Ensures the land and air rights remain under municipal control and includes a social housing pilot project that delivers housing for a mix of income levels including deeply affordable housing and family-sized units. |
| Aparna: Yes | Aparna: See below. |
| I would support redevelopment that maintains continuity of emergency services. This is a dense region of the city, and is adjacent to two major Ward 1 nightlife corridors. It is vital that these neighborhoods maintain ease of access to FEMS services. | To the extent possible, I will advocate for a social housing pilot at this site. We need to test and implement new approaches to address the housing crisis, including tenant-controlled, municipally owned social housing. If elected to Council, continuing the work started by Councilmember Lewis George, whether alongside her or in partnership with her Mayoral administration, will be a top priority. At the same time, we cannot rely solely on the private market to meet the needs of working class families who are being displaced. Right now, DC is not equipped to develop and maintain social housing either in pilot form or at scale. We do not yet have a public developer, and the legislative framework to create one has not yet been passed out of the Housing Committee. That process will take time. Meanwhile, this area needs more housing now. We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good by delaying development until every piece is in place. That is why I generally support moving forward with the current proposal and selecting a developer for the site. I support increased density here, and while I believe the project could have gone further on both unit count and affordability, the priority must be to move housing development forward. Building in high-opportunity, transit-rich neighborhoods like U Street is essential to addressing the citywide housing shortage and reducing upward pressure on rents. As this project advances, we must ensure that private development delivers real affordability. That means enforcing inclusionary zoning requirements, investing in deeper subsidies, and strengthening tenant protections. It is unacceptable that inclusionary zoning has been weakened to the point that the District cannot verify compliance in many buildings. We also cannot continue to underfund programs like the Local Rent Subsidy Program, housing vouchers, ERAP, and Rapid Rehousing, or weaken tools like TOPA. New development must be paired with stronger public investment and oversight across the housing system if we want to create housing that meets the needs of working people. This is also why, if elected, I will fight to expand rent stabilization – because those protections have allowed generations of Washingtonians to remain in their neighborhoods, and more of our residents should be able to access it as older buildings come down and new construction rises in their place. For future projects, we need robust community engagement that meaningfully incorporates neighborhood input while still meeting the urgency of the housing crisis. The multi-year process for this site helped improve the proposal, and elevate the fight for social housing across the District, and we must continue organizing for outcomes that truly serve working people. Which is why, as Councilmember, I will work alongside organizers and coalitions to maximize affordability in all housing development, especially on public land, and to keep pushing for social housing in DC. While this site may not ultimately become the city’s first social housing pilot, the advocacy around it has helped build the momentum we need to win. I intend to carry that momentum forward and continue fighting for a housing system that puts working people first. |
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