See the Ward One Candidate Responses [click here]
1617 U CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
Save DC Public Land: The 1617 Project wants to share candidate positions as to the future of the 2-acres of public land at 1617 U Street, positions by which will point to the direction of how the city may value and use public land in the next ten years.
If elected, I commit to supporting a future redevelopment of the publicly owned site at 1617 U Street NW that:
- Continuity of Emergency Services — Maintains uninterrupted emergency services by phasing redevelopment to avoid displacement or disruption of first responders.
- Public Ownership & Social Housing — 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.
2026 D.C. CANDIDATES
MAKE YOUR POSITIONS KNOWN CLICK HERE
AFTER ANSWERING, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Save DC Public Land will present candidate positions, along with candidate campaign website/social media information, and openly share on a rolling basis with:
- Our 1,000-person Save DC Public Land petition list (most of whom live nearby 1617 U)
- Organizational connects including those who spoke up at the zoning hearings like:
- Empower DC
- Black Neighbors of 1617 U Street
- Rochelle Apartment Tenants
- 1617 U Homeowners
- Dupont Circle Conservancy
- TENAC
- Shaw-Dupont Citizens Alliance
- And, with our local social housing cohort in the Green New Deal Coalition and Center for Social Housing who have come and spoken at our public events.
BACKGROUND
The Problem
DC continues to rely heavily on privatized development models to deliver housing—including on publicly owned land. These approaches often do not produce sufficient permanent deeply affordable housing or family-sized units.
For example the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program has produced relatively few family-sized units affordable to low-income residents. Thousands of families remain on waitlists for limited affordable housing opportunities.
Meanwhile, publicly owned land—a scarce and valuable resource—is often sold or leased long-term to private developers, limiting the District’s ability to robustly shape deliverables that provide for better human-needs outcomes.
Moreover, market-driven housing production appears to be stalling in a tepid economic environment. The DMV is losing job positions and opportunities due to federal government disruption, driving down population growth, while simultaneously the uncertainty and risks of the economy are driving up the cost of construction loans.
A Proven Alternative: Social Housing
Social housing is a municipally driven housing model that:
- Is not dependent on expected private developer profits and inflated ROI’s
- Produces permanently affordable housing at a range of income levels
- Generates public revenue for the public benefit rather than speculator extraction
- Helps stabilize and put downward pressure on surrounding housing costs
- Will be able to withstand economic downturns to continue efficiently producing accessible housing supply
Municipalities across the country have adopted this model, including right up the redline in Montgomery County where their Social Housing pilot project, the Laureate, has been so successful the county is ready to break ground on two more projects this year and expect at minimum pipeline of 10 new social housing projects each decade.
Why 1617 U Street Matters
The site at 1617 U Street NW is:
- Publicly owned land in a high-opportunity, transit-accessible area
- Located along the historic “Black Broadway” corridor
- Currently home to essential emergency services (MPD 3rd District and Engine 9)
The site is at risk of being transferred to private control under existing disposition practices.
This moment presents a choice:
- Continue privatization; or
- Use public land to directly address safety, displacement and housing affordability
Our Position
Save DC Public Land, a volunteer-led community group, advocates for:
- Keeping public land in public ownership
- Using that land to deliver deeply affordable social housing
- Prioritizing residents most impacted by displacement, including those earning ~30–50% AMI
- Ensuring no disruption to critical public services
The Opportunity
A redevelopment of 1617 U Street could:
- Serve as DC’s first major social housing pilot
- Deliver deeply affordable, family-sized units
- Preserve and modernize emergency services infrastructure
- Demonstrate a scalable model for future public land use