Events roundup: How can longtime and new residents coexist?

The District is changing rapidly as many people, including many young professionals, want to move to walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented neighborhoods. That is also creating tension with long-time residents worried about themselves or their neighbors getting pushed out or favorite businesses closing. What can we do to build harmony rather than conflict?

The Washington Interfaith Network (WIN) is holding a forum about this very issue tonight, Thursday March 6, 7-9 pm at All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW. It will feature longtime residents and new residents who share the same concerns about housing affordability, transit, and more, along with candidates for DC mayor.

Also, get your zoning update questions answered at open houses, get an update on Red Line repair progress, and more after the jump.

WIN’s Drew Bongiovanni writes,

[DC’s demographic change] has created in our city a constant tension, a perception that DC is split between new and long-term resident, between have and have-not, where residents of differing age, race, and class do not see one another as neighbors. The voice of the media often insists that new and native DC residents are at odds, pitting these communities against one another by warning that they do not share the same vision for the city.

The action is about seeing whether DC residents can meet that tension head-on and unify around common interests such building affordable housing, ending homelessness, creating living wage jobs, and building a better transit system that better serves all residents.

WIN seeks to … bring together young voters who share rooms and split rents on Capitol Hill, the families that move into the suburbs, and the seniors who are all struggling to afford housing in the District. To bring together the 18 year-old that has found themself without a place to sleep and the recent college graduate who has moved to the city for their very first job. To organize the rider of a city bus and the bus driver to work together to demand a better transit system. To discover the common ground between the young couple that worries they will need to move from the city to raise kids to those whose roots to this city are too deep for them to ever imagine leaving.

More details are on this flyer.

Zoning update open houses: DC’s Office of Planning is holding a series of open house meetings for residents to discuss the proposed changes to the zoning regulations. You can talk to OP staff about the changes on a one-on-one basis to learn more about the proposals. Go here for the draft zoning regulations.

Here is the schedule for the remaining open houses:

• Friday, March 7, 8:30 am-5 pm at the DC Office of Planning, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E650.
• Tuesday, March 11, 4-8 pm at Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue NW.
• Wednesday, March 12, 4-8 pm at Deanwood Recreation Center, 1350 49th Street NW.
• Friday, March 14, 8:30 am-5 pm at the DC Office of Planning, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E650.
• Saturday, March 15, 10 am-2 pm at Thurgood Marshall Academy PCHS, 2427 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE.
• Friday, March 21, 8:30 am-5 pm at the DC Office of Planning, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E650.
• Friday, March 28, 8:30 am-5 pm at the DC Office of Planning, 1100 4th Street SW, Suite E650.

Women and transportation webinar: The American Planning Association is hosting a free webinar on issues facing women who work in transportation. The webinar is on Friday, March 7 from 1-2 pm. To register, go here.

Get a Red Line progress report: Next week, hear about Metro’s work to rebuild the Red Line from deputy general manager Rob Troup. He’ll be speaking at the Action Committee for Transit’s monthly meeting this Tuesday, March 11 at 7:30 pm at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place. As always, ACT meetings are free and open to the public.

Organize for 16th Street bus lanes: The Coalition for Smarter Growth is kicking off a campaign for a dedicated rush hour bus lane on 16th Street, where half the people move by buses which get stuck in traffic. Join them for a happy hour from 6-8 pm at JoJo Restaurant and Bar at 16th and U on Wednesday, March 12.

Speak up for King Street bike lanes: The King Street bike lane saga continues at the Alexandria City Council meeting on Saturday, March 15. Show your support for pedestrian and bicycle improvements with fellow walkers and bikers, and the Coalition for Smarter Growth. The public meeting is 9:30 am-12 pm at 301 King Street #2300 in Alexandria. If you’d like to speak at the meeting, please RSVP through CSG.