After years of dramatically rising rents, relief for D.C.'s renters may have finally arrived. A weakened local economy combined with a glut of new properties on the market (and more coming) will lead to more leasing discounts for area residents.
"Since the start of 2012, nearly 10,000 new apartments have been added to the local market, a level of new supply not seen since the peak of the prior building boom," writes Erica Champion, a senior real estate economist with CoStar Group in D.C. "Although the supply is not far beyond the typical volume of demand, which has historically handled about 1,500 units per quarter, recent leasing activity has not necessarily been tracking at historical levels because hiring has slowed and the local economy has been taking some well-known lumps recently."
"As a result, it could be a renter’s market here in the near term," she notes. "With more available units than renters to fill them, landlords are expected to pull out bigger incentives in order to lure tenants to their properties. While rents may appear to be just as expensive on the surface, the concessions offered should become more generous, and most of that will likely come in the form of free rent."
FULL STORY: Increase in supply of apartments bodes well for D.C. area renters

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont