Larry Hargrove & Laura Richards

On October 8, the City Council, urged on by Mayor Bowser, acted to smack down citizen activism with its vote aimed at making zoning decisions appeal-proof. But at what cost? Eager to keep the developers’ cranes in the air, the Council transferred a sizeable portion of its own authority under the Home Rule Act to the Zoning Commission. A proverbial giant sucking sound might have been audible as the vote on the Plan’s Framework Element proceeded and part of our self-government drained away.