Our government promotes an unfair double standard in our development policies when it comes equity and the acquisition, maintenance and accumulation of wealth. Specifically, a biased double standard rooted in a particular combination of race, class and gender.
This double standard when it comes to equity and wealth building is clearly illustrated in our governments roles and development politics in the Lower Georgia Avenue Corridor (LGAC) when we compare analyze the political response to Park Morton residents quest for equity to quests of entities such as Park View Community Partners(PVCP), Zuckerman-Garvey (ZG) and even Howard University.
In order to better understand the LGAC equity double standard, which also permeates economic development policies across the city, one much have a general understanding of the role(s) played by our DC government. Over the last 20 years or so, economic development policy has largely been driven by and depended on the transfer or conversion of public resources and “public equity” into “private equity” to supposedly achieve city economic and civic goals and objectives. Over the years this transfer and conversion process has evolved from a more planning, civic and regulatory based process to one today that is primarily political. A very good example of this primarily political process with have today is Adams Morgan Hotel, The Line, tax abatement.
Typically DC government regulatory and political processes for transferring public wealth to privative wealth are discretionary and include land dispositions, tax, zoning and regulatory exceptions, cash transfers and credit instruments, some direct some indirect. These political transfers of wealth or equity from public to private hands are often not done transparently, nor based on merit, performance or even need, but often arbitrary and capricious politics based on a double standard(s).
Unfortunately, the LGAC has evolved to become a text book example of the above counter productive double standard.
The residents of Park Morton under the leadership of its resident council, The Council @ Park Morton, entering their 3rd round of NCI development after two failures has requested an equity position in the project moving forward. The Council @ Park Morton and a larger portions of its households are lead by low and moderate income Black women. Their request is allowable both under HUD Section 18 regulations and local TOPA regulations. Their request(s) have been obstructed, undermined and deflected by local political leadership since 2018. Since the restart of Park Morton NCI, without building a single new unit of housing the equity position of the project has increased by $42.5M, done of which will be shared by residents.
Maryland based developer Zuckerman-Garvey(ZG) entered the LGAC market in a big way around 2013/14 when the Park Morton NCI process was restarting for the second time. ZG ultimately proposed to build over 300 new units of housing plus retail over 3 mixed use developments. In contrast to the Park Morton request, political leaders have bent over backwards to help ZG enhance their equity position in LGAC with the granting of multiple PUD zoning extensions, land transfers and etc.. My rough estimate is that without build a single unit of housing ZG’s equity position with the help of local politicians has increased by $96M. ZG is led by White males.
Six years ago, PVCP lead by The Community Builders (TCB) out of Boston was awarded development rights for the Park Morton NCI project with an 80% equity stake. TCB is a non-profit with a diverse board. Since the award of development rights in 2014 TCB with the full support of local politicians were awarded two ground leases covering close to 4 acres for $99, $5M loan/grant for predevelopment costs, two contract extensions, regulatory relief, but has produced Zero (0) housing units in those 6 years and lost a major zoning case. However, they will benefit from the $42.5M in equity accrued to date, while the residents of Park Morton are displaced during this pandemic.
So combined PVCP and ZG without building a single unit of housing have gained approximately $137M in their equity position made possible in large part by support from our political leaders. On the other hand, Park Morton residents have been obstructed in their efforts to share in this unearned equity gain, but instead have suffered anxiety, displacement and neglect as a result of political choices by our government and elected officials. In fact, residents quest for equity have been reject in part because doing so may hurt PVCP and ZG equity position gains.
It should be noted that the Comp Plan Bill B23-0736 which is enthusiastically supported by our LGAC political officials with serve to cement the PVCP/ZG $137M equity to Park Morton $0 disparity and double standard.
The great thing about the LGAC, Ward 1 and citywide is that their are people will to work, organize, campaign to deconstruct and challenge the “Georgia, One Avenue, Double Standard on Equity” by supporting the Park Morton Equity Plan. People and neighbors who are coming to understand that approving Comp Plan changes which upFLUM zoning maps without addressing our double standard on equity is a recipe for displacement, while perpetuating historic biases and inequities especially for low and moderate income Black women and their families.
Hopefully with a new City Council and ANC we will find the courage to crush this double standard in 2021.
William