📣 GREAT news — MoCo Council votes UNANIMOUSLY to restore 2022 budget language calling for a mixed-use redevelopment w/ housing at the Chevy Chase Library! 🎉 CE Elrich's proposed 2026 CIP had removed this language and replaced it with 'improvements to the existing library.'

A population study tracking 30 years of housing moves found that by the third round of a moving chain, new market-rate homes free up units for households earning 60% of average income. Without new construction, old homes don't filter down — they get renovated up. cayimby.org/blog/movin-o...

DC mayoral frontrunner Janeese Lewis George's housing platform: —Zone for high density around Metro —Allow 6-unit apartments districtwide —End parking requirements citywide —Offer pre-approved building designs —Establish a social housing program —Build 72,000 homes in 5 years, double current rate

METRO THEMED WAFFLE MAKER. Do you see the vision?? @wmatagm.bsky.social @wmata.com

An oldie, but an important lesson: Arlington added 50,000 residents. Traffic fell. Wilson Blvd (its main street): –23%. Transit ridership: +34%. When you build housing around transit, people drive less. @ggwash.org ggwash.org/view/35122/a...

brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis

Montgomery County residents want more leadership on housing, Banner poll suggests

decompressed from an awesome first time at @yimbytown.bsky.social by reprising last night's dinner, the life-changing flank steak pad see ew at Noa I may not be a pizza person, but New Haven delivers on multiple fronts

We’re seeking public feedback on proposed changes to Twinbrook Metrorail Station, and we want to hear from you! 🚇 ➡️ Learn more here: wmata.com/about/news/M...

Many of our land use / building codes are rooted in exclusion + prejudice, even if they are facially anodyne and widely accepted as common sense today Case in point: early 1900 fire safety reforms were primarily designed to ⬆️ the cost of tenements / MF apts (old and new) to reduce immigration

HUGE NEWS!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

When should neighborhoods have stopped changing? The 00s? The 80s? The 50s? The early 20th century when Montgomery County was mostly farmland? The only alternative to evolving is to continually build further out. This is sprawl, which is unsustainable & inequitable for a multitude of reasons.

Join us at @montgomery4all.bsky.social as we keep fighting to expand housing choice!

Thanks to the 8 CMs who supported allowing small multiplex homes along major corridors in MoCo! Esp thx to CMs Friedson & Fani-González for their leadership. I took a celebratory walk around my n'hood where there are 4-story multifam bldgs next to townhouses & single fam homes. It's beautiful!

Early observation from the Better Bus changes is that the M20 Silver Spring stop should be more centrally located at Wheaton station. It's a super popular transfer and people are always running for it, but it's at the far end of the row. @wmata.com

As rents continue to rise across the country, they're falling by ~12% to 16% in Jersey City. Why? The city spent 2019 to 2024 on an absolute building tear. Building more housing works. jerseydigs.com/jersey-city-...

Join us at our June meeting, with @montgomery4all.bsky.social! Who: County Councilmember @natalifg.bsky.social What: More & Better - The Future of Housing & Transit in Montgomery County MD When: Tues, June 10, 7:30 pm Where: Ellsworth East Room, Silver Spring Civic Building Why: To learn stuff!

ICYMI, Ride On will be free in Montgomery County starting June 29! I haven't seen or heard much about it at all, but this will undoubtedly make MoCo one of the few and largest jurisdictions with free bus service. (Metrobus will still charge fares in MoCo, though.)

I'm gonna be sick

Very much related to today's pod: Sightline has just released a guide on persuasive rhetoric for parking reformers. Do not discuss: density, driving, cars Do discuss: more homes, more community, less waste

You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

While everyone was packing onto the Metro train at Gallery Place this morning, I heard someone say, "Still beats traffic."

Soooooo many fun conversations at Greenfest today w/ @montgomery4all.bsky.social about sustainable land use, transit + the environment! Highlights included: - @jlyonsraeder.bsky.social rocking a Ride On poncho during a freak downpour - me getting to talk to people about birds + conservation

Led by WNN member @futurewise.bsky.social, Washington state has passed the most ambitious, impactful transit-oriented development law in the country! WA has legalized apartments up to 4 stories on every lot near light rail & 3 stories near bus rapid transit. Absolutely MASSIVE win!

this is such good news. i think it is also an opportunity for democrats to state forthrightly that when they win power again everyone responsible for this crime will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law and will face the american people to answer for their lawlessness

Urban expansion isn't inherently bad, but the U.S. has demonstrated an inability to do so in an environmentally sustainable way — although that doesn't mean it's impossible. Housing, land use, and transportation are interconnected & should be treated in order to build great, affordable places.

rapid transit along Route 29 has been discussed in some form since the 1980s and now it’ll finally get the thing that makes buses fast: dedicated lanes with barriers so cars can’t go in them

If the Supreme Court decides that the government can "erroneously" disappear you off the street to a foreign torture prison, and that federal courts have no power to do anything about it, that is, in a meaningful way, Pretty Much It www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

more big news from Annapolis: a bill that would legalize accessory dwelling units statewide in Maryland, passed the House of Delegates yesterday 138-1! HB 1466 requires cities and counties to allow ADUs anywhere you can build a single-family house by October 1, 2026–

tonight is A Lot but 1) there’s been EXTREMELY moving testimony from folks who support building more of the housing we need including the incomparable @justupthepike.bsky.social! 2) the afternoon hearing had a lot more support and was more chill 3) t-shiiiiirrrtttsssss

I was dreading tonight’s public hearing on more housing now—and ngl it’s brutal—but proud to see my neighbors and friends testifying tonight, including @jlyonsraeder.bsky.social @mocomikee.bsky.social @klm.bsky.social @bnhowe.bsky.social and so many more. community is good

Montgomery for All steering committee member and all-around icon @jlyonsraeder.bsky.social on More Housing NOW:

@jlyonsraeder.bsky.social "if you can't afford a single family detached home 80% of the county is off limits to you. that's exclusionary zoning"

On Wednesday, I tagged along on a volunteer team conducting the Montgomery County's annual homelessness point-in-time survey. I've covered the report every year, but being on the ground, meeting our unhoused neighbors gave me a different perspective. My latest: bethesdamagazine.com/2025/02/03/i...

At a time with a lot of scary, bad news, it's great to have something exciting and good happening! I am so grateful for CM Fani-González and CM Friedson's leadership on this issue. Get ready to turn out to support this package!

Thrilled to introduce today with CM Friedson the More Housing NOW package to build more homes that are affordable to working families. Building housing of different types on corridors - targeting our workforce - is imperative to support working families and local economy.

Key issue relevant to the land use–housing link ⬇️ Building costs are lowest at 3 & 6–7 stories; allowing skyscrapers isn't necessarily producing a more affordable building environment. But allowing 3-story 6-flats in single-family neighborhoods, or 6-story apts in neighborhood centers, can be!

Great job by the Washington National Cathedral Bishop! If you have not watched and listened to the CSPAN clip, be sure to do so: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwa...

My #MetroRewind! I'm in the top 8% of WMATA customers, nbd. 💁 I love that this is a thing, and that this year it's even better than Spotify Wrapped. Kudos to @wmatagm.bsky.social!

The take I am most certain of that gets me in the most trouble is just "The reason homes are so expensive is because there are not enough of them, so we really really really need to build more of them."

State requirements to evaluate *and* mitigate GHG impacts of highway projects are a big deal, and it's awesome to see Colorado and Minnesota's programs get more national attention. Let's get this going in Maryland! tmtcoalition.org/tca

Also, our housing crisis is directly related to these issues. You can't fix our education crisis without addressing our housing crisis, creating opportunities for more middle-income folks to move/stay here, & opening that opportunity in all zip codes, not just those that are dense already.

For far too long our leaders have ignored our housing crisis. We must confront it NOW. I strongly believe that we need to create more housing for families at all income levels, and zoning reform is a key strategy to do so.

Denver gave people experiencing homelessness $1k/month. A year later, nearly half had housing. They also had fewer ER visits, nights spent in a hospital, and jail stays. The report estimates that this reduction in public service use SAVED the city $589k. www.businessinsider.com/denver-basic...

if no one's got me I know that the heat on Metrobus got me (too much) ((oh my god help it's always so hot in here))

Maryland tenants -- As of October 1, 2024, a Maryland tenant has the right to file an application with the District Court to shield court records that relate to eviction filings, if certain conditions apply. Go here for more info: econaction.org/housing-just...

Curious about “flex” funding for transit? Join @gnd-network.bsky.social for a virtual training at 4pm ET today to learn how states can move money they *already have* to fund transit now. us02web.zoom.us/j/88604234068

This will make my commute faster and more reliable! The Veirs Mill corridor is one of the highest bus ridership corridors in the *state* so it's great to see it prioritized for better service.

YIMBY MOMENT: Led by California Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia, the YIMBY Caucus is set to launch today with 25 members who agree on one key concept: that the solution to America’s affordable housing problem is to accelerate production. www.politico.com/newsletters/...