Following a report on the eviction process in Washington, D.C., Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy hosted a panel discussion with the report’s authors, city officials, housing advocates, and lawyers to discuss the research.
Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that at the close of its 2020 Fiscal Year (FY20) the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) committed more than $104.5 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) to 22 projects that will create or preserve more than 1,000 affordable housing units for District residents.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday that over $104.5 million has been committed by the Department of Housing and Community Development to 22 affordable housing projects in the 2020 fiscal year.
The funding, sourced from the Housing Production Trust Fund, will facilitate the creation or maintenance of over 1,000 affordable housing units.
“Our commitment to producing and preserving affordable housing in Washington, D.C. has not waivered during the public health emergency,” Mayor Bowser said.
WDVM/Anna Wiernicki
DC Department of Housing and Community Development Director Polly Donaldson, whose office is located in Anacostia, told El Tiempo Latino on a tour of the properties that this two-home renovation project has been a direct investment by the Department to expand the offer of affordable homes in the District of Columbia.
If the COVID-19 pandemic was not already difficult enough on the D.C. real estate development community, recent proposed legislation by the D.C. Council might make developing condominiums in the city more challenging.
Douglas Development Corp. is working with the District to secure $38.5 million in federal loan guarantees to back its New City DC project near Ivy City, arguing it can't get the project off the ground without the backing.
The 1.6 million-square-foot project is “not financially feasible” without the loan guarantee as the company “cannot attract additional private financing” unless it gets access to that $38.5 million, city officials wrote in an application, citing information from Douglas, posted to the District's website Sept. 21.
The DC Council Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization held a nearly nine-hour hearing on Thursday that covered five pieces of legislation related to rent control in the city. However, testimony at the hearing was less about the bills and more about the need for broader rent control reform….
Testimony was divided in two camps: tenants who think means-testing would be divisive and burdensome, and landlords and other advocates in the real estate industry who think means-testing would ensure rent control contributes to the city's affordable housing stock.
As Douglas Development looks to move forward with its massive New City development in Ivy City, DC is looking to give the project a boost.
"Certificates of assurance” might sound like dry legal documents, but they could generate windfalls for D.C. landlords or perhaps even handcuff lawmakers if they ever try to expand rent control protections in the city.
Its technical-sounding name aside, the principle behind these certificates is relatively simple: if D.C. expands its definition of which buildings fall under rent control, the owners of any affected properties can ask for a tax credit to offset that change….
Under the terms of the DC Health Emergency declared by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) on March 11, 2020, District residents cannot be evicted or charged late fees until Dec. 9. Landlords must offer a payment plan to any tenant in arrears to help them become current.
To be eligible for a payment plan, a tenant must:
Landlords are required to:
