Support Affordable Housing in Shaw

The Public Welfare Foundation is working with the Manna Community Development Corporation to build 12 affordable homes in Shaw, a DC neighborhood that has seen marked increases in real estate prices in recent years. Yet despite unanimous community support from local ANCs and neighborhood associations, the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) has refused to grant permission for the development to go forward.

The houses are located on the site of Temperance Row, once a thriving community for working people, behind the Metro at 13th and U Streets NW. The new Temperance Row homes will be owned by those who live in them, through a limited equity cooperative, and will be available to people who have been forced out of the Shaw neighborhood because of the rising real estate market. Ten permanently affordable housing units will be given to families earning between $25,000 and $45,000, in the heart of a neighborhood that is rapidly losing any semblance of affordability.

Although Manna addressed all of the formal concerns raised by the BZA (and has the support of the Fire Department, Office of Planning and Department of Transportation), the application for zoning variances was still rejected. If this decision is not overturned, the project will not be able to move forward. On Saturday, May 10, from 11 a.m. to noon, supporters of Shaw and affordable housing will rally to deliver a clear message to the BZA and those who feel that development should be only for those with incomes above $80,000. Meet at the southeast corner of 13th and U Streets NW.

Affordable housing is necessary and desired by our communities. You can help get the word out by printing and posting a flyer (PDF file) available here. If you have any questions, call Martha Davis or David Haiman at 202/232-2915.