Ward 3 Housing Justice
Release: April 13, 2023
Contact: Gail Sonnemann, gsonnemann@gmail.com, 202-286-0845
Margaret Dwyer, the head of Ward 3 Housing Justice, made the following statement on Mayor Bowser’s promise to meet to discuss real affordable and community planning for Friendship Heights.
Ward 3 Housing Justice (W3HJ), a grassroots group advocating for affordable housing and community planning in Ward 3, enthusiastically welcomes Mayor Bowser’s promise to meet with us to discuss how to have real community input into the future of Friendship Heights, a future with a significant amount of affordable housing, in keeping with the Mayor’s goal of 1990 units of new affordable housing by 2025.
We are focused on two of the most desirable sites for mixed use development in Friendship Heights: the 6.3 acre former Lord & Taylor site on Western Avenue and the 3.77 acre Western Bus Garage site on Wisconsin Avenue. The Washington Area Metro Transit Authority (WMATA) intends to purchase and develop the Lord & Taylor property for a new bus garage and unspecified mixed-uses, while operating the current garage, thereby controlling two major parcels for years.
W3HJ is proposing a ‘2 SITES / 1 PLAN’ major collaborative planning effort involving WMATA, city agencies and community stakeholders for both the Wisconsin and Western Avenue locations at the same time so that we can ensure that both sites
are beautiful and environmentally respectful,
address the Mayor’s goal for 1990 units of new affordable housing in Rock Creek West by 2025,
meet the needs of WMATA,
respond to the concerns of the neighbors, and
contribute significantly to the life and vibrancy of Friendship Heights.
We will present the ‘2 SITES / 1 PLAN’ proposal to Mayor Bowser and ask for her support. We look to the Mayor to bring stakeholders like us to the table with the new Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the Office of Planning, WMATA, our Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin and all other stakeholders to ensure that the outcomes live up to community aspirations.