{"id":5618,"date":"2026-01-30T00:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/?p=5618"},"modified":"2026-04-19T17:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T17:42:45","slug":"gentle-density-resolution-faces-backlash-ahead-of-anc-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/2026\/01\/30\/gentle-density-resolution-faces-backlash-ahead-of-anc-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Gentle Density\u201d Resolution Faces Backlash Ahead of ANC Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &#8212; January 27, 2026<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>U Street ANC Deregulation Proposal Likely Accelerates Displacement in DC\u2019s Black Neighborhoods <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Washington, DC\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Affordable housing advocates are raising alarm over a zoning deregulation resolution (attached) being advanced by U Street NW ANC Commissioners (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anc1b.org\/all-commissioners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ANC1B<\/a>), warning that\u00a0<strong>these proposed land use changes would likely accelerate displacement in predominantly Black neighborhoods in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8<\/strong>, where\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/maps.dcoz.dc.gov\/zr16\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly most of DC\u2019s single-family\u2013zoned land is located<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Resolution-Urging-By-Right-Gentle-Density-Throughout-the-District-of-Columbia-v4-clean-1.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Resolution Urging By-Right Gentle Density Throughout the District of Columbia v4 clean-1.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-6589e9c2-e404-4b0d-a80c-0ed488b4be4e\" href=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Resolution-Urging-By-Right-Gentle-Density-Throughout-the-District-of-Columbia-v4-clean-1.pdf\">Resolution Urging By-Right Gentle Density Throughout the District of Columbia v4 clean-1<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Resolution-Urging-By-Right-Gentle-Density-Throughout-the-District-of-Columbia-v4-clean-1.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-6589e9c2-e404-4b0d-a80c-0ed488b4be4e\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This controversial resolution&nbsp;would allow developers to demolish single-family homes and rebuild at higher density by-right, with no affordability requirements, no assurance of family-sized units, and the elimination of community-input without any displacement protections &#8212; it&#8217;s on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.anc1b.org\/upcoming-meetings\/monthly-commission-meeting-june-ath6r-fpekf-w6pnw-hwspa-tf4l8-dx7ck-sb7kf-tpyb7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>the&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anc1b.org\/upcoming-meetings\/monthly-commission-meeting-june-ath6r-fpekf-w6pnw-hwspa-tf4l8-dx7ck-sb7kf-tpyb7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>February 5, 2026 ANC 1B meeting agenda<\/strong><\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cMy end goal is to have 1B pass this resolution first and then have at least one commission from each ward throughout the District of Columbia pass the resolution as well and send this to the Office of Planning \u2026 and so hopefully we can include this in the Comprehensive Plan that we really want to make by-right light-touch density central to our land use going forward,&#8221;&nbsp;<\/em>said the proposing SMD 1B02<em>&nbsp;<\/em>Commissioner, Francois Barrilleaux (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/aWgwcYwk3h4?t=5246\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">August 18, 2025 ANC 1B Zoning Committee meeting<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ANC1B Would Not Be Affected By This Land Use Experiment<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics warn the proposal would unleash speculative redevelopment in lower-cost neighborhoods, repeating patterns that have already displaced tens of thousands of Black Washingtonians over the past two decades during this time of rapid DC &#8220;growth&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/visualizations\/interactive\/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US Census<\/a>: 60,000 Black residents were displaced from the city between 2000 and 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhat I\u2019m looking at is cheaper land, and developers trying to take advantage of it\u2014and now they want it as policy,\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;said&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5HK_q_d6dwk?si=BD0oiDJsB0mxeoX6&amp;t=1796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Aaron Harris, Commissioner in ANC 7E<\/strong><\/a>, who was apprised of the draft proposal and spoke up at a recent ANC 1B Economic Development Committee meeting.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cIf nothing else,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5HK_q_d6dwk?si=494aVqTc0M5mLITq&amp;t=1822\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I want [ANC 1B Commissioners] to at least look us in the eyes<\/a>&nbsp;and tell us they\u2019re going to do this regardless of the impact it\u2019s going to have on us\u2014while having no impact in the area it\u2019s coming out of.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the proposal suggests its a response to \u201cexclusionary zoning\u201d in Ward 3, critics&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5HK_q_d6dwk?si=1m7m4rZTrrUivXE0&amp;t=980\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>warn that market dynamics\u2014not equity goals<\/strong><\/a>\u2014would determine where redevelopment occurs, directing speculative investment foremost toward lower-cost neighborhoods thus placing more vulnerable neighborhoods in Wards 5, 7, and 8 at greatest risk from deregulation and displacement.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>No-Strings Attached Land Speculation: Elimination of Community-Input&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite months of committee meetings and associated public feedback, redline edits, and research shared by residents along with committee-level ANC commissioners, critics say few substantive changes have been incorporated into the latest draft of the resolution, if at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>As written, the draft ANC1B resolution does not:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Require family-sized or deeply affordable housing;\u00a0\u00a0Include anti-displacement protections;\u00a0Address the racial and geographic impacts of citywide zoning deregulation.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Affect any properties &#8212; zero areas &#8212; in ANC1B .<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>Deregulation Origin Story: Strange Bedfellows<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The draft deregulation resolution borrows heavily from the recently published \u201cGentle Density\u201d or \u201cLight Touch\u201d zoning policy framework promoted by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ggwash.org\/view\/101486\/a-modest-proposal-to-bring-homeownership-back-in-the-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Greater Greater Washington (GGW)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/op-eds\/a-light-touch-could-bring-homeownership-back-in-the-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>American Enterprise Institute (AEI)<\/strong><\/a>\u2014an unusual convergence of self-described progressive urbanists and hawkish-right free-market policy wonks.<br><strong><br>The proposing ANC1B Commissioner, Francois Barrilleaux\u00a0is an employee of AEI<\/strong>, whose\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Enterprise_Institute\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">board includes very wealthy figures playing major roles in national real estate development, finance, and private equity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/foia-1b02-dec-2025\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/foia-1b02-dec-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Recent FOIA documents<\/a><\/strong> also show regular collaboration between Barrilleaux and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ggwash.org\/about\/staff-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alex Baca, Policy Director at GGW<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ward1democrats.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chair of the Ward 1 Democrats<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Call for a Different Approach<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Affordable housing advocates are urging ANC1B to reject this \u201cexperiment\u201d in land use policy that will likely harm Black DC communities first, and instead prioritize policies that positively ensure housing stability without accelerating displacement, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expanded funding for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (<a href=\"https:\/\/erap.dhs.dc.gov\/ERAPIntroduction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ERAP<\/a>);\u00a0Repeal of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.legalaiddc.org\/blogs\/rental-act-red-flags-rushing-evictions-and-wiping-out-tenant-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RENTAL Act<\/a>;\u00a0Support for limited-equity cooperatives, community land trusts, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/socialhousing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social housing on public land<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates say the choice before ANC1B is clear: double down on speculative deregulation that has had debilitating results for longtime DC neighborhoods\u2014or pursue housing solutions that keep longtime residents in their communities.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>###<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Press contact:<br><\/em><\/strong>Debby Hanrahan, Save DC Public Land<br>debby@savedcpublicland.org<br>202-462-2054<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RELEASE ADDENDUM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"256\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2003kingweb.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2003kingweb.png 256w, https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2003kingweb-218x300.png 218w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Colby King on Black Displacement from Washington D.C.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe most destructive force to strike my native District of Columbia in my lifetime has been displacement: the forced removal of Black families and their community-binding activities and institutions from areas such as the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods of Northwest D.C. and the southwest side of town. Displacement of thousands from places they had lived for generations to make room for new housing, better buildings and ultimately more affluent and privileged people.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opinion, \u201cD.C. shoved Black neighborhoods aside. It\u2019s still paying the price\u201d by Colbert I. King, published in the Washington Post on January 19, 2024,<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/5gxwK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/archive.ph\/5gxwK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The city&#8217;s \u201cpoor folk [are being forced] out of their neighborhoods\u201d by the city&#8217;s \u201cactive role in development, selling or leasing publicly owned land, changing zoning laws, closing alleys and providing developers with inducements to construct new \u2014 or refurbish old \u2014 buildings \u2026 with resultant racial and class tensions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opinion, \u201cQuit the posturing in the Banneker-Shaw school dispute\u201d by Colbert I. King on May 24, 2019 in the Washington Post,<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/OSHig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/archive.ph\/OSHig<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe city&#8217;s growing tax base of middle-class couples and singles makes D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams giddy. The sight of \u201cundesirable\u201d neighborhoods being rapidly transformed into places where wealthier folks want to live makes Williams go weak in the knees. These changes are just what the mayor, his economic planners and his business friends ordered. Besides, there&#8217;s no time for the displaced. The mayor&#8217;s too busy with the National League of Cities and, when he&#8217;s home, being wined and dined in glitzy downtown restaurants, Georgetown salons and the homes of folks he never thought he would meet when he was laboring as an Agriculture Department bureaucrat. The whole thing has turned his head. So what if booming property values and a richer downtown cultural life aren&#8217;t doing much for renters or the evicted?\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Opinion, \u201cTurning a Deaf Ear to the Displaced\u201d by Colby King dated January 8, 2005, published by the Washington Post,&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/ps8ft#selection-949.33-949.846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/archive.ph\/ps8ft#selection-949.33-949.846<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &#8212; January 27, 2026 U Street ANC Deregulation Proposal Likely Accelerates Displacement in DC\u2019s Black Neighborhoods Washington, DC\u00a0\u2014 Affordable housing advocates are raising alarm over a zoning deregulation resolution (attached) being advanced by U Street NW ANC Commissioners (ANC1B), warning that\u00a0these proposed land use changes would likely accelerate displacement in predominantly Black [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1617u"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-from-2026-02-03-12-08-40.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5618"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5623,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618\/revisions\/5623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedcpublicland.org\/the1617project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}