3 Citizen Groups Petition DC City Council to Rein in “Undemocratic” Zoning Commission
- w3hjwg
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 1
Press Release -
For release December 31, 2025
Contacts: Gail Sonnemann, W3HJ, 202-286-0845, gsonnemann@gmail.com
Meg Maguire, NW Opportunity Partners CDC, megmaguireconsultant@msn.com
Judy Chesser, Committee of 100 for the Federal City, chair@committeeof100.net
Three grassroots citizens groups have asked the DC City Council to intervene in two cases pending before the DC Zoning Commission, ZC No. 25-09 and ZC No. 25-13.
The Commission is poised to authorize massive development on 217 lots on upper Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues with no future citizen input allowed when individual projects are rolled out over the next decade, or longer, because development will be “matter-of-right.” This silencing of the public is being described as the model for zoning changes in other parts of the District.
The Office of Planning and the Zoning Commission are proposing huge density increases and heights of 130 feet in Tenleytown and 150 feet in Friendship Heights. While the city has justified these massive height and density increases in the name of affordable housing and racial equity, the vast majority of units will be luxury for maximum land owner benefit, and the “affordable” units will be at income levels unreachable by most Black and Brown households.
The 3-group letter to Council members is below.
*******
Ward 3 Housing Justice NW Opportunity Partners CDC
Committee of 100 on the Federal City
December 17, 2025
To: DC Councilmembers,
We are writing on an urgent matter that deserves your attention. Following the conclusion of this month's Zoning Commission (ZC) hearings on the Office of Planning’s (OP's) plans for rezoning parts of Wisconsin and Connecticut Avenues, the case records were closed, terminating further public engagement. The rulemaking process enforced by the ZC in these cases, ZC No. 25-09 and ZC No. 25-13, exposes a bias against considering public comment in decision making. It is blatantly undemocratic.
Informed by testimony and letters opposing the rezoning plans1, ZC commissioners asked OP to provide essential new data and explanatory information on several important matters. For example, during the hearing OP officials didn't know the details of how Inclusionary Zoning Plus would be applied which led to the commissioners asking for details about IZ+ to be included in a post hearing submission. However, the public is not allowed to submit follow-up statements on the record in response to what OP provides.
That we are shut out from influencing the final decision in rulemaking cases is an affront to due process. The 30-day comment period after the decision is published in the DC Register is inadequate and ineffective for meaningful public response because it is timed after the ZC decision.
Of critical importance is the equitable inclusion of affordable housing in Ward
3. The administration claims that racial equity and economic inclusion are its
goals for Rock Creek West, but OP's proposed new zones fail to require adequate affordable housing commensurate with the increased density that will hugely benefit landowners. In Friendship Heights, OP's proposal would grant enormous density increases, as much as 330% in one new zone. We have proposed how to equitably require more affordable housing as the development rights increase. We don’t know how OP will advise the ZC on this matter, but we want an opportunity to react and respond to the ZC. It is unfair to have OP be the only voice on these critical matters of importance to all of us.
The outcome of these rezoning cases could transform major parts of Ward 3. OP intends to recommend a regulatory format for other citywide corridor rezonings based on changes to the Future Land Use Map. These unprecedented cases are replacing individual property owner map amendments with a consolidated case to permit maximum development standards that in some cases are more generous than Planned Unit Development bonus densities. In most cases, there will be no further public engagement in how properties along these corridors are developed. For decades to come, developers will be able to build as a matter of right and no member of the public or elected official will have any say. The total public engagement will have been three minutes of public testimony before the Zoning Commission or a letter filed prior to the hearing. We have asked the Zoning Commission to reconsider its decision to close the case record and allow the public to continue to engage in these cases, but the Zoning Commission staff has not agreed to pass our request to the commissioners.
Closing the case records on the day of the hearings after hours of testimony suggests that the Zoning Commission isn't interested in what the public has to say. The Council would never show such disregard for the public's views by closing the official record even if no new information had been requested.
In our view this is not a democratic process, and it insulates the Zoning Commission from engaging with anyone but OP. We urge the Council to intervene by asking the ZC to reopen the record to allow public comment on all future case submissions.
Thank you for your consideration.
Gail Sonnemann, Ward 3 Housing Justice, gsonnemann@gmail.com
Meg Maguire, NW Opportunity Partners CDC, megmaguireconsultant@msn.com
Shelly Repp, Committee of 100 for the Federal City, chair@committeeof100.net
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Comments