The number one priority of the 20-year DC Comprehensive Plan is to preserve and protect inclusive affordability in the City.

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The implementation of Inclusionary Zoning (IZ), one of DC’s affordable housing programs, was to help meet the goal of inclusivity as DC’s growth machine charges forward driving up housing costs and expenses.

That is, per the IZ rules, when developers construct any new building (over 10 units) — rental or condo — they are required to build residential space dedicated as “affordable” IZ units.

In concept, the IZ requirement is good, but the results since 2009 have been unspectacular due to disengenuous defintions of “affordability” as found within the IZ rules — rules which we must seek to change.

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Passed as law in 2006, and implemented starting in 2009, IZ largely produces so-called “affordable” housing units set at 80% of the Area Median Income.  The AMI for the DMV area is now $109,000 a year!

This means, if you currently live in the District of Columbia, are single, and make $60,000 a year you can qualify for an “affordable” studio/one-bedroom thanks to the DC Inclusionary Zoning program.

Also, the IZ requirement comes with a big carrot — Bonus Density!

This means developers get to build bigger buildings to create more “market-rate” luxury units to, as they say, “offset” costs associated with the IZ requirement (To compensate developers, they are allowed to build about 20% more luxury or “market-rate” housing).

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As an example, lets say a developer wants to build a 5-story rental apartment with 100 units made of stick all of equal size. For the developer to fulfill the current mandatory IZ units in this new building, they are required to market only 8 units as “affordable” out of the 100 units constructed, and then they can market these 8 units to singles making 80% of the AMI (those making $60,000 a year).

By this example, you can see how due to disengenuous definitions of “affordability,” DC’s IZ program has mistakenly backfired and instead has directly challeneged the city’s traditional rent metrics for working families ($500 to $1000 rent per month). It’s a case of good intention that has failed reality.

IZ is not currently helping to alleviate the affordable housing crisis in the District.

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Further, many people have called the current IZ rules “racist & classist”, in that the current IZ rules exempts affordability requirements for Downtown and parts of Georgetown, and other wealthy parts of the City.

We can eliminate Exclusivity & Redefine “AFFORDABILITY” in the District! PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO SIGN THE PETITION & SEND A LETTER

Use the easy online at the following link to send in your thoughts about fixing the broken IZ program.

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