DC YIMBYs
banner
dcyimbys.bsky.social
DC YIMBYs
@dcyimbys.bsky.social
Washingtonians for a more affordable, accessible city. Follow along for commentary on DC land use.

Join our mailing list and get involved at DCYIMBYs.org.
Pinned
Our December happy hour is coming up, featuring the one and only @justineunderhill.bsky.social!

Come join us for a great presentation from a local elected official about housing, urbanism, and the systems that shape our lives.
actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...
Reposted by DC YIMBYs
Happy Thanksgiving
November 27, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Happy Thanksgiving! Today we're grateful for everyone who's made our city the best city in the world and everyone fighting to make it even better.

Together we can build a vibrant, affordable DC for everyone!
November 27, 2025 at 4:28 PM
If downzoning leads to fewer new homes and more racial segregation, what do we think upzoning does?
What happens when you downzone?

Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.

Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Downzoning Chicago: How Local Land Use Policy Has Reduced Housing Construction and Reinforced Segregation | Published in Findings
By Yonah Freemark, George Kisiel. Downzonings were used by US cities in the postwar period to preserve neighborhood character. These land-use policies were associated with lower housing supply, higher...
findingspress.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Hey @safeway.bsky.social can we get this in DC?
November 25, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Interesting paper from AEI promoting "light touch density" in DC. A strong case for a simple concept - allow duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes everywhere in DC!

It would boost homeownership and allow more starter homes in exclusionary, high-opportunity neighborhoods.
bsky.app/profile/ggwa...
Greater Greater Washington (@ggwash.org)
It would only take a light touch to light the way for more homes in the District’s lowest-density neighborhoods.…
bsky.app
November 21, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Genuinely so excited for our next happy hour!

For those not familiar, our guest, Justine Underhill, has a fantastic urbanism-focused YouTube channel. Here's one really good video to get you started: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQW4...
DC YIMBYs (@dcyimbys.bsky.social)
Our December happy hour is coming up, featuring the one and only @justineunderhill.bsky.social! Come join us for a great presentation from a local elected official about housing, urbanism, and the…
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Our Neighbor to the North is eating our lunch when it comes to allowing new homes. They got rid of parking mandates and are poised to eliminate exclusionary zoning, too! Will @OPinDC draft a comp plan anything close to what Baltimore has been passing?
archive.is/qXdY0
November 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Our December happy hour is coming up, featuring the one and only @justineunderhill.bsky.social!

Come join us for a great presentation from a local elected official about housing, urbanism, and the systems that shape our lives.
actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...
November 20, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Good work by GGWash digging into the written and verbal comments on the Chevy Chase Civic Center to find that there's significant support for more housing on the site.

61% of written comments to DMPED that had an opinion on housing supported it!
November 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
This is some great reporting from @wcp.bsky.social, and it's awful we're losing $35M in affordable housing credits because of agency dysfunction.

But can anyone explain the issue being described here? Do we lose the 2020 credits or something?
washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7742...
November 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Great turnout for our Cleveland Park walking tour! Wonderful seeing everyone and talking about housing in Ward 3.
November 15, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Our Cleveland Park walking tour is Saturday! Come join us!
How can people join you in getting involved across D.C.?

Our picks this week:
🥋 A jiu jitsu 101 fundraiser for immigrant rights
🔮 D.C. 2050 with @opindc.bsky.social
🌆 @dcyimbys.bsky.social's Ward 3 walking tour
✊ A @freedcproject.bsky.social orientation + food drive
Your weekly roundup of ways to get involved in D.C.
Plus, plug into mutual aid, or learn jiu jitsu for a cause.
51st.news
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Reposted by DC YIMBYs
How can people join you in getting involved across D.C.?

Our picks this week:
🥋 A jiu jitsu 101 fundraiser for immigrant rights
🔮 D.C. 2050 with @opindc.bsky.social
🌆 @dcyimbys.bsky.social's Ward 3 walking tour
✊ A @freedcproject.bsky.social orientation + food drive
Your weekly roundup of ways to get involved in D.C.
Plus, plug into mutual aid, or learn jiu jitsu for a cause.
51st.news
November 14, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Cleveland Park walking tour this Saturday!

Join ANC Commissioner Jay Bose to see what the neighborhood could become with more housing. You'll also learn about the historical context of Ward 3 and why it has struggled (refused) to build.

actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...
DC YIMBYs Presents: Cleveland Park Walking Tour
Have you always wondered what life in D.C. is like north of Dupont Circle? This fall, the D.C. Zoning Commission is considering upzoning both Connecticut Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue and potentially ...
actionnetwork.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Hard to overstate what a disaster this would be for DC. The way to solve the housing shortage is to build more housing, and this proposal would kill any new home production.
NEWS: D.C. activists are proposing a new ballot initiative that, if approved by voters, would impose a two-year rent freeze in the city (and again when inflation was high), impose a stricter income cap for affordable housing, and more.
November 5, 2025 at 2:17 AM
This article is specifically about NYC, but DC also often requires special one-off zoning exemptions for apartments, which drives costs and kills housing
November 3, 2025 at 2:48 AM
I HATE YIMBY Halloween.

What do you mean you're SB69!?
November 1, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Going through some of the letters submitted on the omnibus amendment (allows more in-law suites and other things). These stories show exactly why we need to build more homes in DC.

Want to help? Add your story by sending the letter below!
October 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by DC YIMBYs
Interesting: Today @mayorbowser.dc.gov is cutting the ribbon on an affordable senior housing development in Friendship Heights, the first project west of Rock Creek Park built with funds from the Housing Production Trust Fund, the city's main tool for financing affordable housing.
October 29, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Cooking
October 27, 2025 at 12:05 AM
So many of our institutions are just blind to the housing crisis
IBC-G committee just voted to approve G143-25, which will – if ultimately approved (and most things are) – ban windowless bedrooms in apartment in the 2027 IBC. It was a close one and the chair had to break the tie. As written, it would apply to rehabs of existing buildings, not just new ones.
October 26, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Huge win! Thanks to everyone who rallied neighbors, sent in letters, and testified to make this happen. A more vibrant DC is possible!
October 25, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Simply elasticize the housing stock
This really is it. If you live in a metro area with an inelastic housing stock you will see no benefit from low unemployment and higher wages, you'll just see higher housing prices. No progressive economic project can work until housing is fixed.
I am stubborn I still think Bidenomics was correct and it worked! People experienced lifestyle creep and depression, and/or lived in NYC where housing costs genuinely got untethered for completely separate reasons!
October 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Check out these beautiful alley homes off U St!

If you think we should build more of these, sign our letter: actionnetwork.org/letters/alle...
October 23, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Can't wait to see everyone this evening!
Reminder we have a happy hour coming up this Wednesday, October 22. Come hang out and learn what we have going on!
actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...
October 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM