Housing

The mission of the Housing Subcommittee of The Committee of 100 on the Federal City is to promote an inclusive city by advocating policies and tools that will produce greater housing affordability and a larger variety of affordable units for low and moderate income people who earn less than 60% of the Area Median Income and who should not have to pay more than 30% of their income for housing. C100 promotes a broad range of simultaneous actions to stem housing loss and spur housing production. The General Principles on Affordable Housing list strategies for Housing Preservation and New Housing that we think can produce good results.

Documents

C100 Testimony DCHA FY2025 Budget Hearing: April 18, 2024, Sondra Mills
C100 Housing Subcommittee testimony before the Council Committee on Housing, April 11, 2024, concerning the proposed budget for the D.C. Housing Authority in the FY25 budget.
2024-02-28-C100-Testimony-DC-Council-OAG-Oversight: February 29, 2024, Sondra Mills
We urge greater transparency by OAG regarding its efforts to secure DCHA’s compliance with the law. The public needs to know whether OAG’s cases have achieved any real change in DCHA’s practices.
C100 Testimony DC Council Oversight Hearing For DHCD: February 14, 2024, Nancy MacWood
Focus on DHCD's data gap on beneficiaries of low income housing programs by race, ethnicity, age, and gender; and DHCD's inaccurate or vague reporting to HUD on its efforts to address Fair Housing Impediments.
C100 Testimony DC Council OTA Performance Testimony: February 8, 2024, David Marlin
We would like to take this opportunity once again to urge serious consideration of improvements in the statute. Two provisions need to be repealed outright and there are two pending bills that would accomplish that, one by CM Anita Bonds to repeal Voluntary Agreements and the other by CM Christina Henderson to repeal Certificates of Assurance.
2023 12 20 C100 Testimony to DC Council Committee on Facilities & Family Services On Bill 25-39 Common Ground Amendment Act: December 20, 2023, Nancy MacWood
C100 Testimony on 12/14/23 on the Common Ground Amendment Act of 2023 (surplussing and disposition of public property)
C100 White Paper Future Of The RFK Stadium Campus: November 2023, Beth Purcell & Monte Edwards

This white paper considers the history of RFK campus, prior planning initiatives, the District's need for additional recreation space and affordable housing, a possible new NFL stadium, economists' analysis of public financing of football stadiums, and the history of the District's financial contributions to Nationals' Park and Audi Field.
C100 Comments On The BSA And Housing Budget: May 3, 2023, Shelly Repp
Committee of 100 sends letter to the DC Council on portions of the Mayor’s proposed Budget Support Act and housing budget for FY 2024.
C100 Testimony DC Council FY24 COW Budget Hearing: April 14, 2023, Meg Maguire
The Mayor’s FY 2024 budget “doesn’t pencil out.” Generous tax breaks for office conversions in the downtown core are favored over programs for affordable housing and rental security that residents living on the margins depend on for stability and a way forward. C100 calls on Council to address problematic legislation in the Budget Support Act either by correcting some provisions or taking them up as standalone legislation.
C100 Testimony DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings Committee On Housing: February 2023, Andrea Rosen
The Committee of 100 finds that the Administration’s competing policy interests have led to a reduction in the rent-stabilized housing inventory, which by statute is meant to be protected. This is an undesirable outcome for households whose earnings are too high to qualify for housing subsidies but too low to compete for market-rate apartments in the District of Columbia.
C100 Letter To Council On DCHA Bill B24-1144: December 30, 2022, Andrea Rosen, Nancy MacWood

C100 urges the Council to rescind emergency legislation to restructure the DCHA board and to instead hold hearings on failures of the DC Housing Authority Board of Commissioners as outlined by HUD in its September 30 assessment, and on ways to improve public housing delivery. The bill's retention of a core of current appointed members while the eliminating a majority of the positions for elected public housing residents fails to address the administrative infractions cited by HUD while muffling the voices of affected residents.
C100 Testimony Green New Deal For Housing Amendment Act B24-0802 22Nov2022: November 30, 2022, Meg Maguire

Testimony given on November 22, 2022 before the D.C. Council, Committee on Housing and Executive Administration, concerning the Green New Deal for Housing Amendment Act of 2022, Bill no. B24-0802
C100 Testimony Before Council, Two Limited Equity Co-op Bills- B24-0430, B24-0431: 2022-06-28, Andrea Rosen
C100 testimony re: B24-0430, "Limited Equity Cooperative Advisory Council Act of 2021," recommends that a greater proportion of the Advisory Council membership be resident-owners, as they are the ultimate stakeholders; that a second Community Based Organization slot to cover both pre- and post-purchase technical assistance be added; and that the number of unspecified "other representatives" be capped. C100 also suggested that a resident-serving "LEC Bureau" be prioritized, given the challenges LEC actual and potential shareholders face. Re: B24-0431, "Limited Equity Cooperative Property Tax Assistance Amendment Act of 2021," testimony argues that making permanent the property tax exemption for LECs as outlined in the bill is a reasonable extension of existing tax policy, given the benefit of LECs to affordable housing, community stability, and self-determination. C100 recommends the Committee augment the bill’s mandates with additional guardrails.
C100 Letter To OTR On Resumption Of Tax Auctions: 2022-06-16, Nancy MacWood
June 16, 2022 C100 letter to the Office of Tax and Revenue questioning the consequences of resuming property auctions beginning on July 19, 2022.
2022-03-31 C100 Testimony Council DHCD Budget FY23: March 31, 2022, Nancy MacWood
C100 testimony before the D.C. Council, Committee on Housing and Executive Administration, on the FY 2023 budget for the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development.
C100 Testimony DC Council Housing Authority 2021 Performance Oversight: January 30, 2022, Andrea Rosen
Testimony at Performance Oversight Hearing on DC Housing Authority asserts that the Mayor-heavy membership of the Board of Commissioners, lacking not-for-profit and seasoned tenant advocacy representatives, has allowed the agency to drift away from its stated mission of providing affordable housing to the population earning zero to less than 80% MFI and fostering sustainable communities. Passing responsibility for housing to the private market results in no net gain in affordable units.
C100 Testimony Council HPTF 2021 Performance Oversight Hearing: January 24, 2022, David Marlin
Committee of 100 testimony to the DC Council Committee on Housing and Executive Administration regarding failures of the Housing Production Trust Fund.
C100 ZC 21-05 Comment On Office Conversions To Housing IZ Phase #2: November 15, 2021, Nancy MacWood
Comments on the potential conversion of existing office buildings, especially in the downtown area, for residential purposes, noting that currently the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) program does not apply to the downtown area.
C100 Comments On Mayor's Office Of Racial Equity Guide: November 12, 2021, Meg Maguire
Comments submitted to the Mayor's Office of Racial Equity (ORE) on the ORE's draft Meaningful Community Engagement Resource Guide.
C100 Letter To The Mayor Re DHCD New Director: October 29, 2021, Meg Maguire
Letter to Mayor Bowser with recommendations for the selection of a new DHCD Director.
Committee Of 100 Letter To Chair Bonds Re HPTF Mismanagement: October 25, 2021, Caroline Petti
Letter to D.C. Council Housing and Executive Administration Committee Chair Anita Bonds requesting that Bonds to correct long-standing mismanagement of affordable housing funds by the Department of Housing and Community Development as found by the Office of the Inspector General and the District of Columbia Auditor.
C100 Testimony DC Council DHCD HPTF Perf Oversight: March 9, 2021, Caroline Petti
Testimony presented at the Performance Oversight hearing on the Department of Housing and Community Development/Housing Production Trust Fund.
C100 Comments DC Council 2021 Action Plan: August 10, 2020, Nancy MacWood & Meg Maguire
The 2021 Annual Action Plan is deficient as a source of current information, as an accountability tool to measure DHCA and DHHS performance, and as a transparent document that educates the public on how federal and city taxpayer dollars are applied to achieve housing equity.
C100 Letter DC Council Housing Budget Testimony: June 24, 2020, Kirby Vining
Letter to the D.C. Council summarizing C100 testimony on several aspects of the Mayor’s proposed FY2021 budget.
C100 Testimony DC Council FY2021 Budget Tax Abatement: June 17, 2020, Kirby Vining
The Budget Support Act of the Mayor’s FY2021 budget contains a proposed 40-year tax abatement for housing projects in four specified areas of the city on the condition that the projects, containing 350 or more housing units, also provide 30% of the units at the 80% MFI level. 80% MFI is by all accounts market rate housing, so there is no justification for providing such a bonus for housing that is not addressing affordable housing needs at all and is in fact continuing an apparent policy of providing help to sectors of the housing market that do not need it or deserve it.
C100 Testimony DCRA Budget And Oversight HPTF: June 8, 2020, Nancy MacWood
The Council’s decisions on how public funds are appropriated in FY21 take on extra pressure and meaning since the city, nation, and world are spiraling from the devastating effects and uncertain future caused by both the coronavirus pandemic and pain from structural inequities and injustices. This budget review is the first test of how our leaders and we citizens will respond.
C100 Testimony DCHA Budget And Oversight Maguire: May 28, 2020, Meg Maguire
Covid 19 must count for some higher purpose. Our city must make a far greater commitment to housing for those at or under 30% of AMI with a new mindset that puts tenants and preservation of public housing first. Only then can we transform equity rhetoric into equity reality.
C100 Press Release DCHA Board Expansion: October 30, 2019, Andrea Rosen
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City (C100), the District’s oldest planning advocacy organization, testified on October 30, 2019 before the DC City Council in support of Councilmember Anita Bonds’ bill to add two Council-appointed members to the Board of Commissioners (Bill 23-0121, the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Qualification and Expansion Amendment Act of 2019).
C100 Testimony Bill 23-0391 The Public Housing Rehabilitation Oversight Task Force Act Of 2019: October 30, 2019, Kirby Vining
As we know all too well, the DCHA has done an abysmal job of maintaining its housing stock. By any standard, the deterioration of some 2,500 of the DCHA units to the point that they are currently described as “uninhabitable” is disgraceful. While the subject of how this happened over several years is important to understand going forward, the greater priority is to adopt a multi-faceted approach to expanding and stabilizing public housing in partnership with families that are threatened with displacement.
C100 Testimony Hearing On Bill 23-0121 The Housing Authority Board Of Commissioners: October 30, 2019, Andrea Rosen
The Committee of 100 applauds the initiative of Chair Bonds in introducing this very necessary and timely legislation to ensure that the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners is highly experienced and engaged with public housing issues.
C100 Testimony DC Council DHCD Budget Oversight: April 23, 2019, Kirby Vining
Our government has a fiscal obligation and moral responsibility to be a better steward of public funds for public projects than has been demonstrated, and we would like the Council to emphasize in this budget oversight process that accountability and transparency are necessary, both for the sake of fiscal responsibility, but also for the sake of the people who are the customers of DHCD projects and programs.
C100 Housing Subcommittee What Assumptions Are Driving The Intense Pressure To Build: 2019, Housing Subcommittee
There is no trickle-down housing effect from market rate housing, and the bottom is getting worse. The C100 strongly advocates robust public funding to create housing for those in the 0%- 50% AMI range ($58,600) first, before subsidizing developments catering to those above that level. For those at the lower end of the scale, the availability of publicly subsidized housing is the difference between having a home and not having one. Further up the scale a subsidy merely enhances the quality of a home and the profits of the developer.
C100 Testimony On Brookland Manor TIF: November 14, 2018, Caroline Petti
If the Council approves Tax Increment Financing for Mid-City Financial's redevelopment of Brookland Manor, it 1) should require the developer's continued commitment to the affordable housing and public benefits promised as part of the redevelopment Planned Unit Developments (PUD) approved by the Zoning Commission, and 2) should include additional affordable housing over and above what was approved in these PUDs. Furthermore, the conditions of the TIF should be set forth in writing, should be publicly available, and should be enforceable.
C100 Comments On Case 04 33I: September 20, 2018, Caroline Petti
At a time when building affordable housing is of the highest priority for our city, we're hard-pressed to understand why the Office of Planning IZ regulations arbitrarily limit the 10% Inclusionary Unit "Set-Aside". The 10% "Set-Aside" applies to stick-built construction (not the more expensive concrete and steel construction), but only in zones with a by- right height limit of 50 feet or less. The height limit of the underlying zone is irrelevant. All stick-built construction projects --regardless of the height limit of the zone they're located in -- should be subject to OP's 10% Inclusionary Unit "Set-Aside".
C100 Comments On IZ Proposed Rulemaking: October 9, 2016, Nancy MacWood & Caroline Petti
Comments on a range of issues pertaining to the inclusionary zoning regulations including: the targeted family income, size of units, applicability in DC's Downtown area, arbitrarily limited "Set-Aside" requirements, bonus density, height and lot occupancy requirements, bonus density and small residential projects (i.e., fewer than ten units), city's right-to-purchase inclusionary units, and off-site compliance.
Housing Subcommittee Principles: November 13, 2018,
The mission of the C100 Housing Subcommittee, in close alignment with the District’s Comprehensive Plan, is to promote an inclusive city with strong and stable communities by advocating for policies that will guarantee housing affordability and fair housing compliance throughout all wards; and an adequate number and variety of units to meet DC’s housing needs, with particular concern for the housing needs of extremely low, very low, low and moderate income families at rents they can afford.
C100 Testimony On Office To Affordable Housing Task Force Final: November 16, 2017, Caroline Petti
The housing affordability problem the city faces argues not only for doubling down on the current “tools” in the existing affordability “toolbox” but also for searching for creative solutions. That is why we are here today to testify in support of the “Office to Affordable Housing Task Force Establishment Act of 2017”. Bill 22-0289 – introduced by Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. with co-sponsors Silverman, Grosso, Cheh, Bonds, Todd, and Gray – would establish an “Office to Affordable Housing Task Force” to examine various issues associated with the transition of existing vacant commercial office space to affordable housing.
C100 Comments On DHCD IZ Implementation Proposal: October 1, 2017, Stephen A. Hansen, Kirby Vining, & Caroline Petti
In general, the Committee of 100 believes DHCD's proposal does a good job of addressing recent Zoning Commission changes to the IZ program as well as incorporating additional streamlining and flexibility into the program' s implementation without compromising its integrity or effectiveness. We do, however, have concerns about changes DHCD is proposing to the housing cost limitations currently found in Section 2213.5 (f) and (g) of the existing lnclusionary Zoning Implementation regulations. In pa11icular the Committee of 100 is concerned about DHCD's proposed changes to allow IZ households to spend as high as 50% of annual income on housing costs.