2021 May Newsletter

Big events, campaigns, and changes at CSG!

Dear {{FirstName or 'Friend'}},

Spring is a time of hope and change! Join us as we celebrate livable communities and community heroes, testify for sustainable communities, and welcome a new teammate.

Livable Communities Leadership Award & Community Heroes

Our 18th Annual Frederick and Diana Prince Livable Communities Leadership Awards event is this Monday May 10th!

We’ll be honoring Mayor Muriel Bowser for her work to make DC a more affordable and inclusive place for all residents. We will also be honoring Community Heroes from throughout the region for their achievements on safe and open streets, dedicated bus lanes, and equitable community development! Learn more about our awardees and register here.

A special thanks to our individual and corporate sponsors for this event:

CSG Staff and Regional Updates

Introducing Bernard Holloway, our new Senior Advocacy Fellow!

Bernard has joined us to expand our capacity in Prince George’s County and build support for more affordable housing, strong public transit, and safer streets. Bernard will be energizing our Rise Prince George’s team of local advocates and highlighting the benefits of Prince George’s economic development for a more sustainable and equitable region.

A fond farewell to Emily Maurer, our terrific Communications and Fundraising Assistant, who departs at the end of the month to become an environmental educator. Thank you Emily! You will be missed! If you or someone you know has a background in

advocacy communications with an interest in smart growth and regional equity issues, please share our job notice! Deadline to apply is Sunday, May 9th.

CSG’s campaign for a better regional transportation plan is having an impact. Thanks to supporters like you, all 116 of the comments submitted to TPB during the first half of the Visualize 2045 public comment period spoke of the importance of climate, land use and ped, bike and transit investments. We have just finished submitting detailed comments opposing business as usual and calling for a plan that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Virginia

This evening! We are hosting a community forum on the redevelopment of the West Falls Church Metro from 6:30-7:30pm.

A Fairfax County community task force has created a plan to transform the acres of parking lots at West Falls Church Metro Station into a mixed-use community with enhanced transit, inclusive housing opportunities, new bike/ped connections, open space, and upgraded stormwater management. Register here.

The deadline for comments on the Active Fairfax Transportation Plan has been extended until May 15th. If you bike, walk, run, or roll in Fairfax County, you know major improvements are needed!

Please fill out the survey here, and make location-specific suggestions using two different interactive maps.

Washington, DC We’re finally closing in on passage of the amended DC Comprehensive Plan! The Council held their first vote yesterday.

You can read Chairman Mendelson’s edits to the plan here.

Please send a letter to the DC Council supporting two CSG suggested amendments: to allow more housing in Ward 3 and to focus housing policies to serve those with the greatest need.

Now online! The recording of our event Building Inclusivity in Ward 3: What’s in the Affordable Housing Toolkit? Thanks to all the affordable housing experts who shared their expertise with us, as well as Councilmember Mary Cheh and everyone who participated.

Maryland

The proposed Maglev train between DC and Baltimore is a boondoggle that will potentially divert millions from the upgrades we need for MARC commuter rail, Amtrak, and local transit. It will harm communities and parks in Prince George’s, with ticket prices beyond the reach of most residents. Read our letter to Congress here. You can comment on the project’s draft environmental impact statement until May 24th here.

If you missed our event Connecting the Corridor: A Century of Racism and Resilience Along the Purple Line Corridor with Kaiser Permanente and the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, the recording is now posted in English and in Spanish!

The Montgomery County Council’s public hearing on Thrive 2050, their General Plan update, is June 17th. In the meantime, RSVP for Montgomery for All’s May meeting on May 13th from 7-8pm!

We will be joined by Vice Chair of the Planning Board, Natali Fani Gonzalez to talk about the intersection between planning and economic development.

That’s all for now! Don’t forget to register for our Livable Communities event on May 10th.

Thanks for all you do,

Stewart Schwartz

Executive Director Coalition for Smarter Growth

Image from angela n., Flickr; MWCOG; EYA; Fairfax County; Max Talbot-Minkin, Creative Commons; Kaiser Permanente

Support a thriving D.C. region today by donating!

Visit us online at smartergrowth.net

Coalition for Smarter Growth

P.O. Box 73282

2000 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

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