- Eliminate some key notice requirements to ANC's and the general public
- Eliminate open meetings regarding changes to already agreed upon projects
- Ignore racial equity principles just passed into law by the Council
From: Gail Sonnemann <gsonnemann@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 10:13 PM
Subject: Re: Urgent: Halt New Zoning Rules, Demand Council Briefing
ORGANIZING FOR EQUITABLE HOUSING IN WARD 3
TO COUNCIL: URGENT CALL TO ACTION
Urge Zoning Commission To Put Rule Changes on Hold
Tenant, ANC & General Public Participation Restricted
DC AG Asks for Racial Impact Analysis
April 9, 2024
Dear Councilmembers,
Act today to avert injustice. Ward 3 Housing Justice and allies urge you to contact Phil Mendelson, Anthony Hood and Zoning Commission (ZC) members to put Zoning Case 22-25 on hold until Council can be fully briefed on the many serious issues at stake. As is, these ZC rule changes ignore Office of the Attorney General Equitable Land Use section recommendations for streamlining public notice rules and for codifying racial equity standards and procedures, as well as community comments.
Ward 3 Housing Justice and allied organizations resoundingly rejected Zoning Case 22-25 during the March comment period: Ward 3 Housing Justice, Northwest Opportunity Partners Community Development Corporation, Empower DC, and The Committee of 100. Addressing the same concerns the Office of the Attorney General Equitable Land Use Section offered alternative language.
Council should review defects of the new rules which include:
Severely weaken requirements for notifying ANCs, tenants and neighbors within 200 feet of a proposed project of zoning changes;
Fail to codify racial equity standards or procedures, enabling applicants to ignore the impact of their projects on displacement; and
Place community benefits negotiated through Planned Unit Developments in jeopardy of change without public notice.
Without your immediate action to stay this vote on Thursday April 11, the Zoning Commission will significantly reduce its own requirements to notify the public and to determine the racial equity impact of its decisions. The ZC April 11 agenda and contacts are below.
Thank you for acting quickly,
Margaret Lenzner, Susan Gallucci, Ibrahim Y. Taher, Nancy MacWood, Meg Maguire, Emma Coleman Jordan, Tamara Duggleby, Gail Sonnemann
Signed on behalf of the members of Ward 3 Housing Justice,Contact: Gail Sonnemann 202-286-0845
___________________________________
Zoning Commission contacts:
Sara Bardin – Director Office of Zoning sara.bardin@dc.gov,
Sharon Shellin – Secretary sharon.shellin@dc.gov,
Anthony Hood – Chair Zoning Commission dcoz@dc.gov,
Rob Millet – Member Zoning Commission millersway55@gmail.com,
Tammy Stidham – Member Zoning Commission tammy.stidham@nps.com,
Joseph Imamura – Member Zoning Commission j.imamura@aoc.gov,
