Angie Schmitt explains why the debate over removing Washington DC's famous height regulations depends on the city's transportation plans.
Currently, DC buildings are limited to a height of approximately 10 stories (the height of the Washington Monument). However, according to Schmitt, "right now, DC is in the enviable position of having high demand for downtown office space, but there's a limited amount of land available for development."
DC has three options, says Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic:
"1) Make no new investments in transportation, in which case there would likely be growth in residential development near downtown, a la Chicago high rises. 2) Invest in expanding its highway system and see its downtown overrun by parking lots, in the way of Houston. 3) Invest in improving the transit system, which would boost the accessibility of downtown and enable more jobs to be located there."
FULL STORY: Condos, Parking Lots, and Transit: DC's Transportation Crossroads
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