{"id":1117,"date":"2024-07-11T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2026-04-19T17:38:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T17:38:40","slug":"tonight-1617-u-street-dc-zoning-commission-may-approve-luxury-upzoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/2024\/07\/11\/tonight-1617-u-street-dc-zoning-commission-may-approve-luxury-upzoning\/","title":{"rendered":"Tonight — 1617 U Street — DC Zoning Commission May Approve Luxury Upzoning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Press Alert, July 11, 2024<\/span>
Save DC Public Land: Working for a Safe, Truly Affordable & Racially Equitable U Street<\/span>
Contact: Debby H. 202-854-1822,\u00a0 the1617project@savedcpublicland.org<\/a><\/a>
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Tonight — The DC Zoning Commission May Make a Major Decision About the Future of 1617 U Street<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Community Groups Ask for “Limited-Scope” Hearing About New Information Published After the Close of Hearings<\/span>
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Washington, DC<\/b> — 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. <\/span><\/div>\n

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The meeting starts at 4pm, Thursday, July 11, and can be watched on youtube here: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@DCOfficeofZoning\/streams<\/a><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

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1617 U Street is currently home to busy police and fire stations and their futures are in doubt.
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At the meeting tonight there will be no public comment. Zoning Commissioners will discuss the case<\/a> and may choose to approve an unprecedented 10+ story rezoning proposal.\u00a0 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.
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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<\/a>
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Over the past decade, Ward One shows some of the highest displacement of Black residents (25%) from the city.
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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<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

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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.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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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.”
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