Washington, D.C.
With a robust economy and stable employment sectors, the Washington D.C. region is expected to add more than 2 million new residents and 1.6 million new jobs over the next 25 years. With growth come challenges:
- Some of the worst traffic congestion in the country
- Deflection of growth from established communities within washing and its older suburbs outward to second-and third-ring counties, rural enclaves and even to neighboring states
- Steady deterioration of water quality
- Increasing costs to taxpayers to provide the infrastructure needed to support this increasingly dispersed development pattern
- And, housing demand that far exceeds supply, contributing to increases in housing prices and lack of homes for moderate-and low-income residents.
The specific problem—that of housing our workforce for today and the future—is, ironically, a reflection of the success of the region as one of the nation’s major economic engines. People continue to be attracted to the Washington region because of a strong job market for the middle-income households. And, conversely, the middle-income household is key to the success of the region.
With the support of more than 70 housing experts and community and civic leaders in the region, the ULI Terwilliger Center in Washington, D.C. aims to provide a comprehensive, innovative Action Plan to significantly improve the landscape for workforce housing in the region. The Workforce Housing Action Plan will build on the region’s accomplishments in this field and offer a model to the nation for how to expand services and policy initiatives to the region’s most precious assets—working families and the places they call home.
Michael Pitchford, Chair, Community Preservation and Development Corporation
Tom Bozzuto, Chair, The Bozzuto Group
Bob Youngentob, Chair, EYA, LLC