The Fight Over U Street’s Future

To build, or not to build? That is the big question for the site of an unsightly old firehouse and police station on U Street where the city has proposed a 10-story building with 36,000 housing units by 2028, including affordable units.

While there’s no actual proposal or developer, the mayor is proposing a change to the zoning laws to build as high as 100 feet. That possibility sent shockwaves through the community, as the Zoning Commission has heard about 30 hours of testimony, 700 exhibits, letters, and petitions against this change. Concerns range from the physical shadow the building could create to how market-rate rentals could displace existing residents. But many also want to see the unattractive and long abandoned property on the edge of Adams Morgan replaced, recognizing D.C. desperately needs more affordable housing.

The Washington Post’s Paul Schwartzman joined City Cast DC and walked us through the wild details surrounding this controversy. As he and host Michael Schaffer discussed on the podcast, this debate also raises the question of “what version of D.C. do we want to be?”