Zoning Commission Votes to Strengthen Affordable Housing in DC

​The DC Zoning Commission took an important step Wednesday night to expand affordable housing in the District, with a vote to strengthen the city’s Inclusionary Zoning program. The Commission’s action largely adopts the recommendations of the DC Campaign for Inclusionary Zoning, a group of affordable housing advocates and supporters. “By strengthening this affordable housing policy, the Zoning Commission helps ensure working people can still call DC home," said Carlos Jimenez, Executive Director of the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO. As a result of the Commission’s action, IZ will generate over 2,600 apartments affordable to low-income families over the next five to ten years, based on the pace of new development which has climbed to a 25-year high. “The Zoning Commission’s decision comes at an opportune time to ensure IZ does the most it can for families severely squeezed by DC’s high rents and closed out of many neighborhoods,” said Claire Zippel of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.