Premier FAQ on Controversial 1617 U Street Redevelopment Published by the Community

<Press Alert> Contact U Street AIR

(202) 854-1822 – DensityBegetsDensity@gmail.com

Community Produces 1st Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the Controversial 1617 U Street Redevelopment; DC Zoning Commission Postpones High Density Rezoning Hearing Until the Fall

Washington, DC — July 11, 2023 — Following on the recent news that the DC Zoning Commission postponed a hearing to consider the high-density rezoning of 1617 U Street, U Street A.I.R. (Area Impacted Residents) is the first to publish a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the future of this 1.88 acres of public land (attached as PDF).

Highlights from the FAQ show that the rezoning application will likely result in a 120-foot tall building at 17th and U Street (where the police and fire stations exist now) and will mean the end of long term public control of the entire almost 2-acre site.

Moreover, the FAQ spells out the likelihood that the current police and fire stations will be displaced not just temporarily, but maybe forever. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau confirmed that MPD has, “considered other sites that would be more central to the Third District” (Source: Adams Morgan ANC meeting dated May 3, 2023).

The FAQ also says: “Notably, despite her claims, Ward 1 Councilmember Nadeau has never hosted a publicly-noticed community townhall about the future of 1617 U Street, NW.” Councilmember Brooke Pinto has also been surprisingly silent about this major redevelopment proposal located at the crown of Ward 2.

Publishing the FAQ is another first for U Street AIR. This all-volunteer community group is also the only entity in the city to seek feedback about the future 1617 U Street by way of a written neighborhood survey as well as by a petition entitled, “Stop the Steal of 1617 U Street — Public Land for Public Needs.“

Posters have gone up around the area that show photos of Bowser, Nadeau and Pinto with a central message: “No Luxury Housing on Public Land” and asking the city to consider alternatives to the status quo trickle down unaffordable housing (such as social housing: July 18, 2023 “Taking Action” on WPFW FM).

The 1617 U Street rezoning hearing is likely to be rescheduled by the DC Zoning Commission sometime for October 2023. For more information, visit www.UStreetAir.com

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1617 U Street FAQ (v1.2) Download

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