Posts about Live Chat

Architecture

Live chat about DC's height limit

by David Alpert   •   March 5, 2013 12:30 pm

The National Capital Planning Commission has invited experts on building height from European capital cities to come to Washington for a forum about our height limit. I'm moderating a chat with two of them today.

Update: The archived video is now available here and embedded below.

Parking

DDOT parking chat with Angelo Rao

by David Alpert   •   October 18, 2012 11:55 am

We will be talking today with Angelo Rao, parking manager for the District Department of Transportation. Angelo has been holding a series of "Parking Think Tanks" around the District, and has agreed to hold one online to hear from all of you.

Unlike the interview-style live chats we've done in the past, this time, we will not necessarily just post one question, then one answer, and so on. Instead, you can enter comments as well as questions on parking topics, and I as the moderator will try to post them in groups on various topics. Angelo will be able to give any thoughts he might have, but also will read your comments and listen to them as citizen feedback.

DDOT Parking Chat with Angelo Rao

(10/18/2012)

  

Close

11:58

David Alpert:  Live, from DDOT headquarters in Near Southeast... iiiiiiiiiits Parking Chat! Thursday October 18, 2012 11:58 David Alpert

11:59

David Alpert:  Angelo Rao from DDOT will be joining us in just a moment. Meanwhile, please put in your comments and questions about parking. We'll try to post as many as we can and Angelo will weigh in with comments and answers. Thursday October 18, 2012 11:59 David Alpert

12:01

David Alpert:  Angelo is here. Welcome, Angelo! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:01 David Alpert

12:02

Angelo Rao:  Good afternoon everyone. Welcome everyone to our Parking Think Tank: Parking Chat. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:02

Angelo Rao:  My name is Angelo Rao. I am the District's Parking and Street Lighting Support Manager. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:02

Angelo Rao:  Today I want to focus on Parking in the District. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:02 Angelo Rao

12:03

Angelo Rao:  More importantly I want to focus on your questions and comments. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:03 Angelo Rao

12:04

Angelo Rao:  As you know, parking is complex and limited in supply. Everyone wants to have a part of that limited supply. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:04 Angelo Rao

12:04

Angelo Rao:  Our job is to manage curbside parking so that it is equitable for all users. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:04 Angelo Rao

12:05

Angelo Rao:  Some of the things I would like to hear about from you are: Metered Parking, Residential Parking, Visitor Permit Parking, Venue Parking in Residential Zones, Commercial Parking, and other thoughts you have on parking. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:05 Angelo Rao

12:06

David Alpert:  It's great to have you with us. Please put any comments or questions you have about any of those topics into the comment box. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 David Alpert

12:06

David Alpert:  We have a few questions and comments already about visitor parking, so let's start with that. What do you think of the visitor parking program or what do you think DDOT should do? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 David Alpert

12:06

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  How do we get guest parking permits. I thought that each household would receive at least one permit. Is that incorrect? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 Guest

12:06

[Comment From Woodley ParkWoodley Park: ]  I think that the visitor pass program is ripe for abuse, although I know that you haven't had too many problems with it. I think you should a) charge for the pass and b) have people ask for it, not just get it automatically and c) sign something (even electronically) saying that they will obey the rules. I know that this doesn't mean they will, but I think it ups the chances. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:06 Woodley Park

12:08

Angelo Rao:  To guest, regarding visitor passes, it depends on where the resident lives. For example, in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5, and parts of 6, the visitor parking permit program has been in place for some time. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

Angelo Rao:  I do want to say though that DDOT is exploring a District wide visitor parking pass system. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

Angelo Rao:  We should have a draft plan in the spring. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Angelo Rao

12:08

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  I recently got a visitor parking pass (had to call for it—DDOT didn't send one automatically). I'm glad, because it was a pain to schlep to the police station and fill out paperwork when I had a guest. Thanks for setting up this system! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:08 Gavin

12:09

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  Re: visitor pass program- it is true that if you live on a street without RPP, but most of the neighborhood does have it, you are not eligible for a pass? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:09 Betsy

12:10

Angelo Rao:  Betsy - it is true. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 Angelo Rao

12:10

David Alpert:  I'm just going to be posting comments as they come in about the topic; Angelo is seeing all of your comments but will specifically reply to questions or follow up if he has something to say regarding one of the comments (like he just did). Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 David Alpert

12:10

David Alpert:  Let's move on to how bicycles, bike parking, and car parking interact. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 David Alpert

12:10

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  Montreal, where our bikeshare system started, made room for bikeshare stations by using space that had previously been curbside parking. In DC, we haven't done that—bikeshare stations have mostly gone in sidewalk space. Why not use street parking space to install bikeshare stations? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:10 Gavin

12:11

Angelo Rao:  Actually, we are using street space for bikeshare station use. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:11 Angelo Rao

12:11

Angelo Rao:  For example: in the Ballpark District- 1st Street and K SE has a street station. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:11 Angelo Rao

12:12

Angelo Rao:  As well as G Street and 12th NW in the Downtown area. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Angelo Rao

12:12

[Comment From ShalomShalom: ]  We have a lot of streets in the District that convert one lane from parking to driving for rush hours. Are you looking at designs that would make it possible to convert one lane on residential streets from parking at night to bike lanes during the day? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Shalom

12:12

David Alpert:  That is probably not actually a parking question, so it would be the folks in the department who do the street design who would handle that question. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 David Alpert

12:12

David Alpert:  Here is a different opinion on the previous question. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:13 David Alpert

12:12

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  Whoaa. Parking spaces are a premium in DC. Why take them away for bikeshare parking? How do you determine what parking spaces to take? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:12 Guest

12:13

Angelo Rao:  I know what you mean. We are trying to balance safety on sidewalks with opportunities on street for parking spaces. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:13 Angelo Rao

12:14

David Alpert:  Let's talk about neighborhood parking now. We got a few questions and comments about that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:14 David Alpert

12:14

[Comment From Woodley ParkWoodley Park: ]  The RPP zones should be made smaller! I know people like that they can park near the Metro or shopping with their RPP pass, but they are not called CPP (commuter parking pass) or SPP (shopping parking pass). They should be for people to park near their homes. And the price should be raised. Also, there's no reason to change them every ten years with re-districting - use OP data to figure out neighborhood boundaries, and just use those. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:14 Woodley Park

12:15

[Comment From charliecharlie: ]  thanks for taking the time to do this. My question: Are you going to re-evalulate parking needs on weekend/evening hours. In particular around the west end. I see a lot of empty metered spots on nights and saturday. I'd suggest a lower rate and/or moving back to non-metered use for that period Thursday October 18, 2012 12:15 charlie

12:16

Angelo Rao:  This is a perfect Think Tank question Woodley Park. Indeed several comments have been made on the feasibility of converting ward based RPP to ANC based RPP. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:16 Angelo Rao

12:16

Angelo Rao:  We are reviewing this approach and determining the benefits for each. We will then propose a strategy in the near future. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:16 Angelo Rao

12:17

David Alpert:  Here's another related to charlie's question: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:17 David Alpert

12:17

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  My neighborhood is primarily residential.We have 3 new restaurants and 2 more on the weigh. Parking is already a premium at night. Can DDOT meet with us to present the various options for enhanced residential parking to help us find a compromise between residents who seek parking and residents not wanting to hinder commercial growth? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:17 Betsy

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Thank you charlie. Definitely we are reviewing the differing operations of the daytime metering and evening use with the view of sharing these resources. For example, could evening use be designated more towards resident vs business interests or viceversa, depending on locality. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Regarding Betsy, we would be happy to meet with you at any time. Please call me directly at 202-671-1370 Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:19

David Alpert:  (But, of course, please wait until after the chat to call Angelo since he is busy right now talking with us! :) ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 David Alpert

12:19

Angelo Rao:  Or by email at angelo.rao@dc.gov Thursday October 18, 2012 12:19 Angelo Rao

12:21

David Alpert:  Here are a few more about enforcement and permits: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 David Alpert

12:21

[Comment From charliecharlie: ]  Followup question: why has enforcement on M st during rush hour dropped off for the rush-hour lanes? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 charlie

12:21

[Comment From AU ParkAU Park: ]  Why not plate based permiting - no need to worry about abuse and easy enforcement using camera cars. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:21 AU Park

12:22

Angelo Rao:  Charlie, what section of M Street are you referring to? If there is a problem, call 311, and we will send out a Parking Enforcement Officer immediately. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:22 Angelo Rao

12:24

David Alpert:  I think AU Park is talking about visitor passes since that question came in when we were talking about that. Would visitor passes involve the resident putting in the license plate number into a computer system in order to grant visitors the right to park in the nearby residential zone? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:24 David Alpert

12:25

Angelo Rao:  AU Park, indeed the new Visitor Parking Program we are exploring, is likely to be in the form of a hard copy booklet or virtual booklet. This approach would eliminate any physical permit or plate reading of any kind. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:25 Angelo Rao

12:26

David Alpert:  Can you tell us what is happening with expanding performance parking to other neighborhoods in the city? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 David Alpert

12:26

David Alpert:  Also, readers, if you have comments or questions about performance parking, put them in now! Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 David Alpert

12:26

Angelo Rao:  We have established criteria to determine the most viable performance parking zones in the District. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:26 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  So far, these criteria has resulted in identifying a dozen areas that appear to work well for performance parking. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  We are working on a rollout approach that includes public involvement, to determine the specificity of each area. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:27

Angelo Rao:  We should be able to engage the public in the next 60-90 days. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:27 Angelo Rao

12:28

Angelo Rao:  regarding performance parking Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28 Angelo Rao

12:28

Do you or your household have vehicles that are usually parked on-street in DC? No  ( 43% ) One  ( 38% ) Two  ( 19% ) Three  ( 0% ) Four or more  ( 0% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28

12:28

[Comment From AU ParkAU Park: ]  Yes - the resident could manage their guest permit via an online app Thursday October 18, 2012 12:28 AU Park

12:29

David Alpert:  Here's another visitor parking question: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 David Alpert

12:29

[Comment From Tom CoumarisTom Coumaris: ]  In revising the visitor permit process please keep in mind that many of us rent cars frequently now and there must be a easy way for car renters to get permits if the annual visitor pass is done away with. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 Tom Coumaris

12:29

Angelo Rao:  Great comment Tom. Thank you. We will definitely keep rental vehicles in mind in how we deal with this 'virtual' visitor pass. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:29 Angelo Rao

12:31

[Comment From cmccmc: ]  I support performance parking wholeheartedly. It's the best way to make sure everyone can get a spot that reaches their time/money threshold and keep cars from circling city blocks, creating more traffic. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:31 cmc

12:32

General RPP hours are from 7 AM to 8:30 PM Monday - Friday. Are there other times of the day that RPP should be in effect on your street? My street doesn't have RPP  ( 8% ) Early Morning (Midnight to 7 AM)  ( 0% ) Early Evening (8:30 PM to 10 PM)  ( 8% ) Late Evening (10 PM to Midnight)  ( 15% ) Saturday and/or Sunday  ( 23% ) Current hours are satisfactory  ( 46% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:32

12:34

David Alpert:  One of the topics of discussion has been what other users within residential communities should be able to park, or how to manage that demand. What do we do about teachers? churches? firefighters? local employees? Readers, what do you think? Angelo, how are you approaching this issue? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:34 David Alpert

12:35

Angelo Rao:  We are working on an approach to balance non-residential use with residential uses in a community. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:35 Angelo Rao

12:35

[Comment From cmccmc: ]  Also, what's your opinion on Car2Go? Will DC be seeing more of Car2Go or companies like it? A parked car is an unused car, so I imagine throwing car sharing services into the mix opens up a number of options for citizens to not have their own car(s). Thursday October 18, 2012 12:35 cmc

12:36

Angelo Rao:  We support car sharing in the District and encourage it. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:36 Angelo Rao

12:37

[Comment From NormNorm: ]  A general question: Have you formulated a philosophy/policy on street parking vis a vis encouraging use of public transit, bike-share, etc? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:37 Norm

12:38

Angelo Rao:  Treating every curbside space as a commodity, lends itself to dealing with non-automotive transportation more effectively. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:38 Angelo Rao

12:39

David Alpert:  That's a good point. Often parking debates are about whether car a or car b should park in a space, but as we discussed earlier, it could be bikes, or bike sharing, or it could be a travel lane, or a bus stop, or space for shared cars, or scooters, and so on. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:39 David Alpert

12:40

David Alpert:  What about RPPs? Should RPPs be more expensive? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:40 David Alpert

12:41

How much should an annual RPP sticker cost? $10/year  ( 0% ) $35/year  ( 22% ) $60/year  ( 11% ) $100/year  ( 56% ) $100/month  ( 11% ) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:41

12:41

[Comment From ShalomShalom: ]  On Residential Parking Permits—from a pure economics perspective, people using the streets for parking should pay a bundle. Otherwise, the City is subsidizing people to use cars over other options. But politically, that may be too hard. So what about *rewarding* people who *don't* park on the street? Give them a voucher that can be used for Metro SmartTrip, ZipCar, CaBi, etc—whatever they'd like as long as they don't register a car in the District and don't ask for RPP. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:41 Shalom

12:43

Angelo Rao:  Interesting concept shalom. This really deals with both sides of the commodity question (pay for use and be paid for non-use). Let me think about that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:43 Angelo Rao

12:44

[Comment From GavinGavin: ]  Re: the poll, it may make more sense to base the RPP cost on the zone. In a far-flung part of town with lots of spots available, $35/year may make sense. In my neighborhood, near transit and hard to find a parking spot, it should be more like $100/year. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 Gavin

12:44

David Alpert:  We also have some questions about rush hour parking rules. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 David Alpert

12:44

[Comment From MattMatt: ]  Why do rush-hour parking restrictions on routes heavily used by driving commuters and buses end at 6:30? Rush hour doesn't end at 6:30 anymore, and hasn't for years. 16th Street NW is a perfect example: When people start parking at 6:30, it becomes heavily gridlocked. It should be extended until at least 7:30. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:44 Matt

12:45

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Matt. Each street needs to be reviewed on its own merits. Safety first. Efficiency second. Coupled with the balance with residential and business parking needs. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:45 Angelo Rao

12:46

David Alpert:  What should residents do if they think that a street's rush hour restrictions are wrong? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:46 David Alpert

12:48

Angelo Rao:  They should request DDOT to review the rush hour operations. Work with our customer service officers who can guide them through the process. You can contact them at DDOT@dc.gov. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 Angelo Rao

12:48

David Alpert:  Back to RPP, here is another comment: Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 David Alpert

12:48

[Comment From BetsyBetsy: ]  Considering that some people who need a car have no option but to park in the street, I think RPP should not be prohibitive for the first permit, but should escalate greatly for multiple cars. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:48 Betsy

12:49

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Gavin for your comment on RPP pricing. Zone based pricing is an interesting idea. Establishing varying rates is a commodity based approach. I'll definitely look into that. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:49 Angelo Rao

12:50

David Alpert:  I would note that the DC Council debated doing this last year during the budget, but it didn't pass legislatively. I think Tommy Wells proposed that approach. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 David Alpert

12:50

Angelo Rao:  Betsy, part of our review of RPP should balance number of vehicles, private access, and cost of service. When we look at RPP in the future, these elements will at least be considered. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 Angelo Rao

12:50

[Comment From Tom CoumarisTom Coumaris: ]  The $30 RPP violation fee is too low. In my neighborhood night parking costs at least $15 and when those lots are full people coming in just pay the $30 ticket to get parking. $50 would be more of a deterrent. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:50 Tom Coumaris

12:53

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Tom. DDOT and DPW will continue working together to formulate an appropriate violation fine structure in the near future. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:53 Angelo Rao

12:53

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  How many RPP-eligible parking spaces are available in DC as compared to the number of RPPs granted? Is it near saturation? I am wondering about some system to put RPPs on a sort of open market, where they would be more expensive for high-demand areas. This would necessitate ANC-based zone parking, though Thursday October 18, 2012 12:53 Guest

12:55

Angelo Rao:  Thank you Guest. One of the elements we will be exploring is the potential for RPP wait list. That is, if the number of permits exceeds the number of physical parking spaces in a defined residential area, should permits cease to be administered? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:55 Angelo Rao

12:55

David Alpert:  Thanks so much for answering all of these questions, Angelo. I know you have been doing this series of Think Thanks. What are the next steps after that? Thursday October 18, 2012 12:55 David Alpert

12:57

Angelo Rao:  Thank you David. The immediate next step is our next Think Tank meeting on Saturday October 20th at 10 AM. This is at the Mt. Pleasant Library (3160 16th St NW). Hope to see you there. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:57 Angelo Rao

12:58

Angelo Rao:  I also want to mention that DDOT's online parking survey is still receiving comments. It will be closed on October 31st. I encourage you to post your opinions. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:58 Angelo Rao

12:58

David Alpert:  The survey is at http://tinyurl.com/ParkingThinkTankSurvey. (You might recognize a few of the poll questions, which I got from there.) Thursday October 18, 2012 12:58 David Alpert

12:59

Angelo Rao:  Lastly, we are accumulating the comments from all of the Think Tanks, including this online chat, and those from the online survey, to produce a draft report. Thursday October 18, 2012 12:59 Angelo Rao

1:00	Angelo Rao:  All of this data will be summarized and presented at a DDOT Parking Summit. It is anticipated to be held in early December. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:00 Angelo Rao

1:01	Angelo Rao:  The purpose of the summit is to articulate the summary of public input and form the basis for future curbside parking management strategies for the future. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:01 Angelo Rao

1:03	Angelo Rao:  Keep following our website (http://ddot.dc.gov/parkingthinktanks) for continued updates on this effort. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:03 Angelo Rao

1:03	David Alpert:  Thanks again, Angelo. Readers, please feel free to continue the discussion in the comments on Greater Greater Washington. Thanks for joining us! Thursday October 18, 2012 1:03 David Alpert

1:04	Angelo Rao:  Thank you David and all for participating this afternoon. I'm committed to seriously consider all of the comments received today and throughout the Parking Think Tank series. Thursday October 18, 2012 1:04 Angelo Rao

 

 

Parking

Talk parking with DDOT's Angelo Rao, Thursday at noon

by David Alpert   •   October 12, 2012 10:37 am

Angelo Rao, DDOT's parking manager, has been holding a series of Parking Think Tanks across the District to hear from residents about parking policy. Besides events in Anacostia, Tenleytown, and many other neighborhoods, he has agreed to have one in the virtual neighborhood of the Internet here on Greater Greater Washington.

Photo by thienzieyung on Flickr.

At the in-person Think Tanks, participants could give their own comments and suggestions around parking to an assembled group of DDOT officials. We'll do the same for the online chat. You can put in a general comment or pose a question. Several folks from DDOT will see all of the comments, and Angelo will answer as many questions as he can.

Join us on Thursday, October 18th from 12-1 pm right here on Greater Greater Washington. You can come back to this post, where we will embed the chat, or get there from the home page. In the meantime, if you have comments or questions for Angelo, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Development

Live chat with Matt Yglesias

by Miles Grant   •   May 23, 2012 11:50 am

Please welcome Matt Yglesias, Slate Moneybox economics blogger, author of The Rent Is Too Damn High, and frequent commentator about how regulations limiting development affect cities.

Live chat with Matt Yglesias

(05/23/2012)

  

Close

11:51

David Alpert:  Welcome to our live chat! We're excited to have Matt Yglesias on today and Miles Grant moderating. We'll get started in just a few minutes. Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:51 David Alpert

11:54

Miles Grant:  Thanks, David! Here's my summary of Matt's book setting up today's chat. Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:54 Miles Grant

11:55

David Alpert:  Matt is now here. Welcome, Matt! Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:55 David Alpert

11:55

Matthew Yglesias:  So glad to be here. GGW is an amazing site and a great community. Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:55 Matthew Yglesias

11:56

David Alpert:  Thank you so much! Miles is our moderator today, so I'll turn it over to him. Take it away, Miles! Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:56 David Alpert

11:57

Miles Grant:  Let's start with a few questions that were submitted in advance in the pre-chat post ... Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:57 Miles Grant

11:58

[Comment From RobRob: ]  If we accept the premise that density is desirable, how does building more housing units actually lower rents in practice? Housing is prohibitively expensive in Manhattan and it's also extremely densely populated, for example. Let's say we build more housing in DC's core by removing the height limit and the average rent in the metro area decreases; but rents in the core increase (due to higher demand for density) while the rents on the fringe decrease (due to greater overall supply of housing in the market). Has the policy succeeded because some housing in the overall market is now less expensive? Or has it failed because now the only affordable housing is the housing with the highest transportation cost? Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:58 Rob

11:58

Matthew Yglesias:  I think success and failure are relative concepts... Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:58 Matthew Yglesias

11:59

Matthew Yglesias:  In the scenario you're spelling out, we've hardly solved all of society's problems, but we have created a situation in which more people can afford to live in the region... Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:59 Matthew Yglesias

11:59

Matthew Yglesias:  And even if the cheapest housing continues to be in the places with the highest transportation costs, those costs would still be lower than the current cost of even-further commutes, even-more sprawl, or simply denying people access to the strong labor market and other amenities of greater DC. Wednesday May 23, 2012 11:59 Matthew Yglesias

12:02

Miles Grant:  There seems to be an all or nothing sense to some discussions of density - it's either status quo or Manhattan skyscrapers, density solves everything or it solves nothing. How can we defuse some of that tension? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:02 Miles Grant

12:02

Matthew Yglesias:  Right. I try to avoid mentioning New York when talking about other cities, because it's a unique case in so many ways... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:02 Matthew Yglesias

12:03

Matthew Yglesias:  In terms of Washington, I think it's important to note that the structures in our CBD are really really really short... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:03 Matthew Yglesias

12:03

Matthew Yglesias:  Not just shorter than the structures in Manhattan, but shorter than the ones in Richmond and Baltimore and Hartford and all kinds of places... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:03 Matthew Yglesias

12:04

Matthew Yglesias:  More broadly, there's more to density and compactness than building height. I know people point to Paris and its lack of skyscrapers, which is very true, but Paris is a wildly denser city than DC. We're closer to Fargo than Paris. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:04 Matthew Yglesias

12:05

[Comment From VikVik: ]  Can you tell us why you think an area like the CBD is a better place to lift the height limit than an underdeveloped area, such as Anacostia or Brentwood? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:05 Vik

12:06

Matthew Yglesias:  There are a few reasons. First is simply that there are no "neighbors" in the CBD to be annoyed by changes to their views or whatnot in the same way that there are in residential areas so it might be more feasible... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:06 Matthew Yglesias

12:07

Matthew Yglesias:  Second, is that a CBD is a unique area—Metrorail, MARC, VRE, and the buses are already set up to serve the needs of people trying to commute there and it's walkable from parts of the residential city.... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:07 Matthew Yglesias

12:08

Matthew Yglesias:  Third is that some of our depressed and outlying areas really need some new investments in terms of infrastructure, which is going to cost money, and that money could be most easily raised by allowing more development where the demand is highest and that's downtown. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:08 Matthew Yglesias

12:08

Miles Grant:  Thanks for the questions & please keep submitting even if you don't see them pop up right away, we'll get to as many as we can! Here's a big picture one ... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:08 Miles Grant

12:08

[Comment From CharlesCharles: ]  Matt, I was wondering if you could discuss the importance of regional governance and the problems with fragmented local governments. I know you touch on it occasionally but I was hoping to get your thoughts on it. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:08 Charles

12:09

Matthew Yglesias:  The basic issue is that state borders in the US were drawn a long time ago for reasons that have nothing to do with present-day realities... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:09 Matthew Yglesias

12:10

Matthew Yglesias:  Alexandria, DC, and Bethesda are all clearly part of a fairly intergrated metropolitan social and economic landscape that has relative little to do with events on the Eastern Shore and basically nothing to do with Norfolk or southwestern virginia... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:10 Matthew Yglesias

12:11

Matthew Yglesias:  Unfortunately, it's not obvious to me what can be done about this except that local leaders need to actively try to collaborate, and Virginia politicians in particular need to think more seriously about the fact that Northern Virginia is the growth hub of the state.... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:11 Matthew Yglesias

12:11

Matthew Yglesias:  We could also try things like extending VRE to Richmond and Charlottseville and getting Amtrak service down to the Norfolk area that might produce better real-world integration.... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:11 Matthew Yglesias

12:12

Matthew Yglesias:  But the fact is that US federalism is just very poorly designed for the northeast's metropolises and I think we're stuck with it. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:12 Matthew Yglesias

12:13

Miles Grant:  What are the chances of, say, DC, Montgomery, Prince George's, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church & Fairfax ever deciding to throw out those old boundaries & form their own state? Could discontent ever go that far? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:13 Miles Grant

12:15

Matthew Yglesias:  It'd be interesting to see them try. It's unconstitutional to split a state up without the consent of the state government so the odds aren't good. But I favor pie-in-the-sky schemes because you never really know. Maybe some unrelated constitutional crisis will emerge that allows for the redrawing of state boundaries, in which case whoever has the maps drawn up will win. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:15 Matthew Yglesias

12:15

[Comment From DavidDavid: ]  Isn't the clearest answer for why it makes sense to lift the height limit in the CBD be that there is demand for higher buildings there, as expressed through really really high land prices? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:15 David

12:16

Matthew Yglesias:  Yes, that's the simple reason! But some people feel that stifling CBD development is a good way to "force" development in under-built areas & I'm trying to lay out why I think that's an unnecessarily costly approach. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:16 Matthew Yglesias

12:16

[Comment From HankHank: ]  You have mentioned before that you thought the streetcar was a bad investment. For someone that usually favors transit, that surprised me - why do you think it's a bad idea? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:16 Hank

12:17

Matthew Yglesias:  It's not a "bad idea" per se, but H Street is already served by a pretty good bus, the X-2, that has high ridership and one of the highest farebox recovery rates in the whole system... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:17 Matthew Yglesias

12:18

Matthew Yglesias:  So if you ask, "what could we do to improve transit on that corridor" the clear answer seems to be to take a lane away from cars or parking so the bus can move faster... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:18 Matthew Yglesias

12:18

Matthew Yglesias:  If you want to go beyond that an upgrade the bus line to light rail, then so much the better... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:18 Matthew Yglesias

12:19

Matthew Yglesias:  But spending a lot of money to run a train that'll be stuck in the same traffic snarls as the already-popular bus seems a little perverse to me, especially because we didn't get much upzoning of H Street in the bargain. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:19 Matthew Yglesias

12:20

[Comment From SeanSean: ]  What do you think are the best practices for urban planning and community input and cooperation? So often, great plans are defeated or watered down bc of a very vocal minority. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:20 Sean

12:20

Matthew Yglesias:  I think it's important for people to think harder about what the point of community input is... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:20 Matthew Yglesias

12:21

Matthew Yglesias:  Presumably the idea is that you don't want outsiders who may not understand the situation to run roughshod over existing residents like in some of these urban renewal nightmare stories... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:21 Matthew Yglesias

12:21

Matthew Yglesias:  But that means you actually want to get a valid sample of the population, not just whichever subset of the population happens to have the time and inclination to come to meetings... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:21 Matthew Yglesias

12:22

Matthew Yglesias:  And you also have to listen to what people are specifically saying—are they bringing new information to light, or are they simply advancing very narrow interests... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:22 Matthew Yglesias

12:22

Matthew Yglesias:  It's understandable that people who live near McMillan prefer more parks and less new housing at the margin, but that's a tradeoff between a local community benefit and some broader city-wide objectives. It's good to listen to everyone, but that doesn't mean you have to do what they want. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:22 Matthew Yglesias

12:24

Miles Grant:  There's an assumption that people that are Democratic/progressive must be more open to urban planning solutions, yet DC's as blue as it gets & has extensive restrictions on development & new housing. What's the disconnect? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:24 Miles Grant

12:25

Matthew Yglesias:  I think you see these restrictions all over the place, because partisan politics is organized around federal issues rather than local ones... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:25 Matthew Yglesias

12:26

Matthew Yglesias:  But I find it frustrating in particular when progressives don't see the connection between very localized decisions about building permits and broad concerns about climate change and sustainability... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:26 Matthew Yglesias

12:26

Matthew Yglesias:  I'm also fairly optimistic, however, that a lot of people simply don't understand the issues correctly and that as we debate them information will improve and things will get better... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:26 Matthew Yglesias

12:27

Matthew Yglesias:  DC in particular also has what's obviously a big social and economic divide around race that's a little bit masked by the fact that almost all its residents are Democrats regardless of income or ethnic background. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:27 Matthew Yglesias

12:27

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  How do you factor geography in your thinking about rent and transportation infrastructure. I live in a large mid-west metro with no geographical barriers to sprawl. How, given the higher unit construction costs of transit in the short term, do you balance the tendency to sprawl with the higher long term costs of that sprawl? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:27 Guest

12:29

Matthew Yglesias:  Things are different in the midwest, where land is plentiful and sprawl isn't really economically costly... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:29 Matthew Yglesias

12:29

Matthew Yglesias:  We're talking instead much more about environmental costs that ultimately require national and even global solutions... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:29 Matthew Yglesias

12:30

Matthew Yglesias:  If we had a reasonable gasoline or carbon tax or cap-and-trade plan or what have you, there'd be much more incentive for midwestern cities to think more seriously about the merits of a more compact urban form. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:30 Matthew Yglesias

12:30

[Comment From Michael PMichael P: ]  One of the significant criticisms of increasing density is that the increase in population will result in parking or congestion issues. What's a good way to address these concerns? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:30 Michael P

12:32

Matthew Yglesias:  Well ultimately you need to use pricing to control congestion and parking scarcity issues... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:32 Matthew Yglesias

12:32

Matthew Yglesias:  But on parking in particular, I think there's a lot of opportunities to just buy off incumbents... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:32 Matthew Yglesias

12:33

Matthew Yglesias:  We could lock all existing residents in to current parking permit prices, for example, and just mandate a large increase for *future* residents... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:33 Matthew Yglesias

12:33

Miles Grant:  Buried in today's Post story about improving DC area traffic is that higher gas prices helped cut congestion. What would it take for an increase in the gas tax to overcome political obstacles? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:33 Miles Grant

12:34

Matthew Yglesias:  I think it would take a change in national fiscal and economic conditions; right now a tax increase could have a really negative short-term impact on employment over and above all the other problems... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:34 Matthew Yglesias

12:34

Matthew Yglesias:  But at some point we'll either need higher taxes, or big cuts to the kind of Medicare and educational programs that Americans have come to expect and I think the politics of a push for higher gas taxes will improve somewhat. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:34 Matthew Yglesias

12:35

[Comment From Eric H.Eric H.: ]  Matt, your answers to Michael's questions about parking and traffic misses a point. I NOVA. My neighbors don't want density increases near our neighborhood because they don't want more people speeding through their neighborhoods. How can you buy those people off? It isn't just parking, it is the increase in traffic. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:35 Eric H.

12:36

Matthew Yglesias:  Right right—traffic on local streets... I think I dodged that one because I don't have a very good answer... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:36 Matthew Yglesias

12:36

Matthew Yglesias:  It's fundamentally true that denser-build areas have more noise and people and vehicles around and those with strong contrary preferences are going to be annoyed by it.... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:36 Matthew Yglesias

12:36

Matthew Yglesias:  ultimately as a society we need to balance that against other goals and advantages, but you can't please everyone. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:36 Matthew Yglesias

12:39

[Comment From EricEric: ]  I really enjoyed the book, Matt. One point I found especially interesting was the idea that typically "liberal" and "conservative" arguments in some ways lead people astray when it comes to urban development issus. To push on this a bit, what kind of strategic advice would you give to advocates of positions aligned with those of GGW? What "sacred cows" of ours should we reconsider? Who are some maybe unlikely allies we might identify and what kinds of arguments are likel to be convincing to them? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:39 Eric

12:39

Matthew Yglesias:  I think progressives are going to need to learn to love rich greedy real estate developers... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:39 Matthew Yglesias

12:40

Matthew Yglesias:  Not because rich greedy real estate developers are the greatest people on the planet, but because the fact of the matter is that things get built by businessmen looking to earn a profit... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:40 Matthew Yglesias

12:41

Matthew Yglesias:  When we want to see more schools built, progressives don't say "well that's just a way for contractors to make more money" but we also recognize that the work is in fact done by contractors who are just looking to make more money... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:41 Matthew Yglesias

12:41

Miles Grant:  We'll just go for a few more minutes, so submit your final questions now ... Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:41 Miles Grant

12:41

Matthew Yglesias:  By the same token, moving to a more efficient, economically sound and environmentally sustainable use of our scarce urban land requires structures to be built by profit-seeking businessmen. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:41 Matthew Yglesias

12:42

Miles Grant:  I hope our readers say thanks for your time by reading your book and bookmarking your blog. What's the next topic you think deserves a big exploration - what aren't people talking about that they should be? Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:42 Miles Grant

12:43

Matthew Yglesias:  Thanks! My other passion is monetary policy ... a very different subject, but also one that goes to the core of people's lives in a way that they often don't recognize. Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:43 Matthew Yglesias

12:44

Matthew Yglesias:  Anyways, this has been fun and I hope if people are interested they'll check out the blog and—of course—buy the book! Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:44 Matthew Yglesias

12:45

Miles Grant:  Thanks for joining us, Matt - and thanks for all the great questions! Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:45 Miles Grant

12:46

David Alpert:  Thanks Matt for joining and Miles for moderating! The archive of the discussion will remain available and please feel free to continue the discussion in the comments! Wednesday May 23, 2012 12:46 David Alpert

12:47

 

 

Development

Live chat: Matt Yglesias, Wednesday at noon

by Miles Grant   •   May 18, 2012 10:29 am

Are the very policies intended to sustain neighborhoods and preserve affordable housing paradoxically the same ones pushing rents up and families out to the suburbs? That's case Slate Moneybox economics writer Matt Yglesias makes in his e-book, The Rent is Too Damn High.

Photo by SusanAstray on Flickr.

On Wednesday at noon, Matt will join us to discuss the book and we hope you'll help us get things started with your questions in the comments.

"High rent is not a fact of nature," writes Yglesias. "It's a result of bad policy." Height limits, historic preservation and density caps intended to keep neighborhoods quaint, whether imposed overtly by official policy or subtly by zoning officials, act as supply caps driving up prices and imposing gentrification.

Sustainability

Live chat with George Hawkins of DC Water

by David Alpert   •   March 15, 2011 11:50 am

Our live chat guest today, George Hawkins, is the General Manager of DC Water, the water utility for the District of Columbia.

Hawkins was formerly head of the District Department of the Environment and joined us for a live chat about two years ago. Today, he's back to discuss lead pipes, the impervious area charge, and whatever else you'd like to ask.

Live chat with George Hawkins, DC Water

(03/15/2011)

  

Close

11:54

David Alpert:  Welcome to our live chat! George Hawkins will be joining us in a few minutes. Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:54 David Alpert

11:54

David Alpert:  Meanwhile, please submit your questions. We'll try to get to as many of them as we can in the hour, and questions that come in early have the best chance of getting asked. Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:54 David Alpert

11:56

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Hello everyone, George Hawkins at DC Water standing by to take your questions. I'm delighted to take part in this chat with GGW. Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:56 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

11:57

David Alpert:  Welcome! Thanks for joining us. Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:57 David Alpert

11:58

David Alpert:  Let me start out by asking this: I am a DC resident. Is my water safe to drink? How can I know? Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:58 David Alpert

11:59

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  The simple answer is yes, the water is safe to drink. We've satisfied all federal standards since 2005. However, our one caveat is that contaminants can get in the system in the portion of the distribution system connected to your home—meaning fixtures in your house, lead solder, etc. If you have any concerns, please call us for a water monitoring test. You can call (202) 612-3440 to talk to our drinking water experts. We also have an FAQ (including our system-wide test results) at http://www.dcwater.com/waterquality. Tuesday March 15, 2011 11:59 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:03

[Comment From StefanieStefanie: ]  A couple years ago, the DC government was in the process of replacing lead pipes. My understanding is that that the project was then abandoned because it was determined that the risk of increasing lead contamination (ie., stirring up the lead) outweighed the benefit of replacing the pipes. Since my pipes were replaced, does that mean my water supply is at greater risk? If so, what can we do about that? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:03 Stefanie

12:04

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Partial replacements (the public line is replaced, but not the private line if it is lead) periodically have a short-term increase in lead in the water after the line is replaced. If you've received a partial line replacement and are concerned about lead in the water, please call us for a free monitoring test at (202) 612-3440. Existing testing shows that the levels return to pre-replacement or lower. The orthophosphate in the water (an anti-corrosive) has proven to be an effective inhibitor of lead. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:04 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:04

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  The research still shows that replacing the full lead service line (on the public and private side) is beneficial in reducing lead exposure. Whenever there is a lead source, there is potential for lead in the water. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:04 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:05

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  For now, we only replace lead service lines when we replace water mains (the big pipes that carry water throughout the system). When our crews come through, we encourage homeowners to replace the private side at the same time, using our contractors so it's cheaper. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:05 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:06

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We also have a voluntary program, where if a homeowner replaces the private side as part of a renovation, we will do the public side. We have grants and low-interest loans available for low-income customers. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:06 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:08

[Comment From StefanieStefanie: ]  If the private line had previously be replaced, do you still get the temporary lead increase when the public line is changed? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:08 Stefanie

12:10

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  It's unclear, but the safe step is to assume that it would and take precautions. There may be a temporary spike, but it would only be because cutting and replacing the public side would leave shavings. Flushing would solve the problem. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:10 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:10

David Alpert:  Thanks. We might come back to this lead pipe issue but a few people wanted to ask about plastic waste for people who don't use your services for everything. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:10 David Alpert

12:11

[Comment From Tom SherwoodTom Sherwood: ]  Given environmental waste, what is the future of plastic bottled water? Will there be bans, deposit fees? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:11 Tom Sherwood

12:12

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We hope there's much less of a future for bottled water than there has been a past—at least when not for emergencies. We're focused on restoring public confidence in tap water, and making it more available in public places. For an analysis of the benefits of tap vs. bottled (including the incredible cost savings), please visit http://www.dcwater.com/tap Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:12 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:13

David Alpert:  Another related question: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:13 David Alpert

12:13

[Comment From WHands80WHands80: ]  Is DC Water working to combat the "Water Club/Water Cooler" culture in DC? It's horribly inefficient to drive H2O from PA. Instead, a better way to get drinking H2O is to filter on-site & let the existing pipes & gravity do the transportation. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:13 WHands80

12:13

David Alpert:  Besides the Web site, what is DC Water doing to restore this confidence? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:13 David Alpert

12:14

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We agree completely, WHands80. In fact, we provide guidance on filters for those interested. We're also starting a bottled v. tap education campaign, including taste testing at community events. We're working to make free water refills accessible in public—more on that in the weeks and months to come. (more) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:14 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:15

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  The complete contents of DC tap water and every municipal water system are available online and go out in the mail to every address. You never know what's in that bottle, because the companies who manufacture them aren't required to tell you. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:15 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:16

David Alpert:  Taste testing seems great, but it's not the taste necessarily that many people are worried about. Are there ways for people to easily test bottled water? Cheap household testers? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:16 David Alpert

12:17

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  There isn't an easy way that we're aware of. Our water is tested in advanced labs using techniques that can't be done at home, which is one of the advantages of tap water. It would be great for customers to encourage more transparency in the bottled water industry—either in the form of voluntary or regulated disclosure. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:17 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:19

David Alpert:  We got a Zero Water filtering pitcher which comes with some kind of tester, but I don't know how good it is. However, it shows something like 006 on water that comes out of there, and more like 400-something on the water from our tap (and similarly high from the water from our fridge filter). Is this testing something real or is it some kind of gimmick? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:19 David Alpert

12:21

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Tap water contains particulates that aren't necessarily harmful, but are measured by that test and removed by the filter. Some of those are added during the drinking water treatment process, to make sure the water is clean and safe. From our perspective, this is a good filter, but there is no safety comparison between it and unfiltered water. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:21 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:23

David Alpert:  A lot of people are trying different filters. Some people I know have whole house filters. Others have under-sink ones, or pitcher ones. Should people worried about water quality get these? Can you provide any guidance on what to think about? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:23 David Alpert

12:24

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Yes, we can. The most important thing is that filters are certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, which would show an NSF-certified logo on the package. Every filter is certified to remove different contaminants, so the first thing is to decide what you want to remove and make sure you get the right kind. For lead, you want Standard 53. (more) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:24 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:25

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We typically don't recommend whole-house filters, because they remove chlorine or chloramine and you don't have disinfection protection for your household pipes. We see bacterial growth in these kinds of situations. The better thing to do is filter where you're using the water. (Point of use, rather than point of entry.) We have a water filter guide on our website at http://www.dcwater.com/waterquality. Be sure to replace cartridges as recommended by manufacturer—otherwise water quality can be worsened. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:25 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:27

David Alpert:  Thanks, that's helpful. One last question on safety. I appreciate the thorough testing you seem to do. Still, as a resident who is worried about water quality, I am concerned about just saying the water meets government standards. Aren't the standards kind of lenient? After all, the CDC said DC's water was safe when it really wasn't. And I know you weren't there at the time, but your organization was not exactly honest at certain times. How do we know that this apparent safety is real? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:27 David Alpert

12:28

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Excellent question. We have adopted a strategy to go beyond regulatory requirements. We aim to meet stricter target levels than required by EPA. And though we're meeting them, we always aim to be lower. We are providing filters and monitoring during lead service replacement, which we didn't do before. As science continues to advance, we are able to detect more things in the water than we once could, but that doesn't necessarily mean a health risk. (more) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:28 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:30

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Our perspective is that protecting the public health is the most important task we face. We now take a protective measure first even when the risk is not fully known (such as a boil water alert in 2009 in Shepherd Park, and the do-not-use advisory in Upper Northwest in 2010, neither of which were scenarios where public health was actually impacted). We're also working closely with water-quality advocates on our public outreach, and we're engaged in independent research to advance science outside of the regulatory framework. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:30 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:30

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We can and will always do better. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:30 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:30

David Alpert:  OK, enough on lead and other contaminants. Some people wanted to ask about infrastructure. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:30 David Alpert

12:30

[Comment From Ms VMs V: ]  There are several miles of sewer & water pipes that are past their useful life. What is the plan to replace those pipes & how long will it take? Are there new technologies to sustain the system? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:30 Ms V

12:32

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We love this question. This is a nationwide crisis of epic proportion—as the American Society of Civil Engineers recently ranked water and sewer infrastructure as a D-. That's actually generous. In the District, the Board of DC Water has tripled our replacement rate to double the national average, or 1 percent of our system a year. This still isn't fast enough, and our view is there should be massive federal infrastructure investment—just like for roads and bridges—to upgrade a system that sustains life. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:32 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:33

[Comment From Michael PMichael P: ]  How do Federal buildings and property contribute financially to the local water system? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:33 Michael P

12:34

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  The federal government is a customer, certainly one of our largest. (If you added all the federal accounts and agencies together, it would be the biggest.) At one point the federal government threatened not to pay a significant portion of the bill (the IAC), but a significant effort by the local congressional delegations reversed that decision. The vast majority of the federal money we receive is through rates, not direct appropriation. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:34 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:35

[Comment From Ken ArcherKen Archer: ]  You have said that much of the problem with clean water in urban areas like DC is ultimately caused by upstream pollution, such that filtering by water agencies is like playing a game of wackamole. That makes sense to me. Why don't big city water agency heads ban together, like big city schools chancellors have, to speak with a common, louder voice on this issue? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:35 Ken Archer

12:37

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We do have a Money Matters Task Force, which is the big-city water agencies banded together. The task force just hosted a congressional day here in the District, focusing on the costs borne by urban ratepayers. There's no question that the lion's share of water pollution today comes from nonpoint sources (such as suburban parking lots and rural agriculture), not wastewater treatment plants. You're right that our industry needs to speak with a unified and stronger voice. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:37 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:37

David Alpert:  And on a related note: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:37 David Alpert

12:37

[Comment From Geoff H.Geoff H.: ]  Another question - could you describe the relationship DC Water has with WSSC. This is probably delicate territory, but what could be done to make the relationship even better? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:37 Geoff H.

12:38

David Alpert:  (WSSC is the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the water utility in Maryland suburbs outside DC.) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:38 David Alpert

12:39

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  It's not delicate at all! WSSC is our largest wholesale customer—meaning a customer whose wastewater we collect and treat. So the suburban jurisdictions served by WSSC are actually having their wastewater treated here at Blue Plains in the District, but not paying a bill to us directly like a customer in the District would. For example, suburban customers (including WSSC) fund 60 percent of the upgrades at Blue Plains itself. It's calculated by volume. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:39 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:39

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  (We believe Geoff H visited us recently on a tour.) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:39 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:39

David Alpert:  (And Geoff got a neat map, which unfortunately then some federal agency asked us to take down.) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:39 David Alpert

12:39

[Comment From Eric FEric F: ]  To what degree can bio-retention features in new streets alleviate the CSO problem? Should street reconstruction in the combined sewer area of DC minimize immediate run-off? I feel that if DDOT and DC Water were one agency, this would be a standard road design policy by now since there is a big financial incentive to reduce storm water surges on the combined sewer system. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:39 Eric F

12:40

David Alpert:  Also, Geoff says: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:40 David Alpert

12:40

[Comment From Geoff H.Geoff H.: ]  I visited the Bryan Street pumping station - and I'm looking forward to a visit to Blue Plains very soon! Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:40 Geoff H.

12:41

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Low-impact development is most effective at capturing first flush in rain events. We agree that LID should be an integral part of street and neighborhood design, in both combined-sewer and separate-sewer parts of the city. Our Clean Rivers Project to virtually eliminate overflow has to handle such huge volumes in large rain events that LID is unlikely to be able to do the trick by itself. (http://www.dcwater.com/cleanrivers) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:41 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:42

[Comment From Neil FlanaganNeil Flanagan: ]  DC Water owns some very nice property that is inaccessible to the public. Do you see a possibility for opening up some of those areas to public use? What would it take for DC Water to try something novel, such as building a driving range over a filtration park, as New York City is doing now? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:42 Neil Flanagan

12:43

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Thanks for the compliment! Obviously, security issues for the water system are paramount. You might be thinking of the McMillan complex in Northwest, which is actually part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington Aqueduct. Our Main and O pumping station by the baseball stadium is an historic property, and we're looking for ways to make that a better part of the community. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:43 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:44

David Alpert:  Some people wanted to ask about plastic bottles and specifically about deposits. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:44 David Alpert

12:44

[Comment From AlexAlex: ]  What about bottle collection? What's the future of bottle collection in D.C. and what kind of obstacles does D.C. Water foresee? Do they think a successful bottle collection program is possible? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:44 Alex

12:44

[Comment From Geoff H.Geoff H.: ]  can we cycle back to the question about bottle deposits - I know that there was a push in the past to get a deposit (like they have in Michigan where I grew up), but it was shot down by a coalition that enlisted churches and others to claim it was racially motivated, etc. Long story short - much of this would cover things other than bottled water, but those bottles pollute a lot of the waterways DC Water is trying to keep clean (Anacostia, Rock Creek, Watts Branch, etc.). Would you be in favor of a bottle deposit? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:44 Geoff H.

12:45

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  This is probably a better question for the DC Department of Public Works, but the bag bill (which I began implementing before I left DDOE) is a great example of how legislation can change behavior to benefit the environment. Under the right circumstances, DC Water would absolutely support a bottle deposit bill. We spend about $500,000 a year on boats that pull trash out of our rivers, and a lot of it is bottles! Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:45 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:46

[Comment From TMTM: ]  Can you give us a brief update on the massive Combined Sewer Separation Project? Do you know whenthe work on Q St. in Georgetown will be done? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:46 TM

12:48

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  For TM: The massive project is the tunneling project, but a small portion is sewer separation. O and P Street just started, and goes from Wisconsin to 33rd. We are replacing water mains in conjunction with DDOT street restoration. The project has its own website, which we believe is fixingoandpstreets.com. It gets updated every Tuesday. For more information about our big tunneling project, please visit http://www.dcwater.com/cleanrivers. We break ground on the first tunnel in the spring! Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:48 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:48

[Comment From Adam LAdam L: ]  The story in the District I've heard is that much of the infrastructure in the District (like the sewer sysetm) was put in following the Civil War and that much of that original system is still in place. Can that possibly be true? I know that there is an ongoing effort to separate out the storm drainage system from the sewers (primarily in the rebuilt downtown area) but does DC seriously have 130-year-old infrastructure still in use? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:48 Adam L

12:50

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  Yes. The median age of a water main in the District is 77 years, and sewers are slightly older. About 120 miles of the system went in the ground before 1900, with another three miles or so predating the Civil War. This is not uncommon in older cities around the country. And it's a main reason why we have 400+ water main breaks in an average year. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:50 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:50

David Alpert:  Speaking of that: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:50 David Alpert

12:50

[Comment From Michael PMichael P: ]  What's the long term strategy for addressing the recent water main failures? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:50 Michael P

12:51

David Alpert:  There's the big CSO project, but what else in the meantime? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:51 David Alpert

12:51

David Alpert:  Renee has a similar question: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:51 David Alpert

12:51

[Comment From ReneeRenee: ]  George: I understand that DC Water is undertaking a large tunneling project to reduce CSOs, but that it will take years for the good results to be achieved - what are you doing in the short-term to improve our waterways? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:51 Renee

12:52

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  The long-term strategy is to keep increasing our capital improvement program to replace these as quickly as we can. We are using analytics to target the best use of the dollars. We also have to beg our customers' patience, because even replacing 1 percent of the water pipes in a year is 11 miles. That's a lot of torn up roads and traffic delays. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:52 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:52

David Alpert:  Michael also said: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:52 David Alpert

12:52

[Comment From Michael PMichael P: ]  I fail to see how replacing 1% per year keeps a system together unless the components last 100 years, which they don't. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:52 Michael P

12:53

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  In addition to the skimmer boats we already mentioned, we've reduced the amount of overflows 40 percent just within the sewer system itself. We're reducing the number of nutrients going into the Potomac every year and are consistently meeting or exceeding our Chesapeake Bay goals—to the tune of $1 billion in the last 10 years in upgrading Blue Plains. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:53 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:54

David Alpert:  OK, in the last few minutes I want to get back to a few more water quality questions. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:54 David Alpert

12:54

[Comment From Ken ArcherKen Archer: ]  I think that, given the history of WASA before you took the reigns, many DC residents trust VA Tech researcher Marc Edwards (whose tests of DC water were found to be more accurate than WASA's) above all when it comes to the safety of DC water. Yet Prof Edwards has yet to say publicly that our water is safe to drink. Have you asked him what DC Water needs to do for him to declare our water safe to drink? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:54 Ken Archer

12:55

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  We have not asked that explicit question, but we have recently partnered directly with Virginia Tech and Dr. Edwards on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study to evaluate how to effectively sample for lead in District households, and how to effectively communicate with customers on the issue. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:55 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:56

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]  When will we be able to safely swim in the Potomac, Anacostia, Rock Creek and other local waterways? Wasn't that part of the point of the Clean Water Act? What is it going to take to get to this level of water quality? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:56 Guest

12:57

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  This is an issue we handled extensively when I was the director of DDOE. Our plan for the Anacostia, for example, targeted 2032 as the answer to your question. The CWA has been very successful at reducing pollutants from plants like Blue Plains or those that manufacture. But the new challenge is nonpoint sources, like agriculture and suburban runoff. While DC Water has a role, and a big one, in keeping these waterways clean, our neighbors do too. And we strongly believe it's not just up to our ratepayers to foot the bill. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:57 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

12:58

David Alpert:  As a ratepayer, I agree! :) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:58 David Alpert

12:58

David Alpert:  Let's finish with one more question from a ratepayer: Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:58 David Alpert

12:58

[Comment From Ryan PatrickRyan Patrick: ]  I do not have an AMR meter. My bill is estimated when I call to have a service person come read my meter and reconcile the bill, why should I not be refunded the difference for your incorrect guess? In fact, they noted to put in a new meter I would have to pay a plumber to put new fittings (5-way) so DC Water could then put in their new AMR meter. Does DC Water not have any licensed plumbers who can fix this, and what does that have anything to do with reconciling my bill? Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:58 Ryan Patrick

12:58

David Alpert:  (An AMR meter is a meter the utility doesn't have to come read in person, but can get the information electronically, I believe.) Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:58 David Alpert

12:59

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  This is probably too specific for us to get into a general answer, but please contact my office directly at gmsuggestions@dcwater.com, and we'll get the top people in our Customer Service departments on the case to help you. Tuesday March 15, 2011 12:59 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

1:00	David Alpert:  Well, that's all the time we have, but thanks so much for joining us! And thanks to everyone who submitted great questions! Tuesday March 15, 2011 1:00 David Alpert

1:01

George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  I'm sorry we didn't get to everyone's questions. This is a great way to interact with our customers. The others are Facebook, Twitter (@mydcwater), with the email address I just mentioned, or by phone. Our customer service office is (202) 354-3600, and our 24-hour emergency command center is (202) 612-3400. Finally, we have town halls in every ward that just started. Let us hear from you in person! Details at http://www.dcwater.com/rates. Let's do this again soon. Tuesday March 15, 2011 1:01 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

1:01	David Alpert:  Also, thanks to Alan Heymann who was typing in George's answers. Alan clearly wins the award for fastest typist of any GGW chat ever! Tuesday March 15, 2011 1:01 David Alpert

1:02	George S. Hawkins, DC Water:  (Knuckles cracking.) Tuesday March 15, 2011 1:02 George S. Hawkins, DC Water

1:02	David Alpert:  Thanks again to both of you. Readers, you can continue the discussion in the comments section. Tuesday March 15, 2011 1:02 David Alpert

1:02

 

 

Politics

Live chat with Jacque Patterson

by David Alpert   •   February 14, 2011 12:50 pm

Jacque Patterson, candidate for DC Council at-large and a resident of Ward 8, is joining us today for a live chat.

Live chat with Jacque Patterson

(02/14/2011)

  

Close

12:49

David Alpert:  Welcome to our live chat. Mr. Patterson will be joining us in a few minutes. Please enter your questions now; we'll try to get to as many of them as we can in the hour. Monday February 14, 2011 12:49 David Alpert

1:01	David Alpert:  Jacque Patterson has now joined us. Welcome! Monday February 14, 2011 1:01 David Alpert

1:03	jacque patterson:  Hello, thanks for having me on. Monday February 14, 2011 1:03 jacque patterson

1:04	David Alpert:  Thanks for joining us! First, what would your 3 top priorities be on the Council, if you are successful in winning election? Monday February 14, 2011 1:04 David Alpert

1:05	jacque patterson:  My first 3 priorities are the Budget Deficit, continuing Education Reform, and Job Readiness. Monday February 14, 2011 1:05 jacque patterson

1:05	David Alpert:  We can start with the deficit. Would you raise taxes? What programs would you cut? Monday February 14, 2011 1:05 David Alpert

1:07	jacque patterson:  Before I'd look at raising taxes, I'd like to look at where we need to become more efficient in claiming what's owed us by the federal government, such as medicaid reimbursements. Monday February 14, 2011 1:07 jacque patterson

1:08	David Alpert:  On education: What do you think Michelle Rhee and the Fenty Administration did right, and what did they do wrong? Monday February 14, 2011 1:08 David Alpert

1:09	jacque patterson:  I think former Mayor Fenty and Michelle Rhee did a great job of right sizing our facilities and IMPACT, they didn't do well in engaging the communities that were impacted. Monday February 14, 2011 1:09 jacque patterson

1:10	David Alpert:  And Denise asked about the 3rd: Monday February 14, 2011 1:10 David Alpert

1:10	[Comment From DeniseDenise: ]  When you say "Job Readiness" what does that mean? Monday February 14, 2011 1:10 Denise

1:10	jacque patterson:  Job Readiness, making sure DC Residents are prepared to take and keep the jobs that we create in the District.... Monday February 14, 2011 1:10 jacque patterson

1:11	jacque patterson:  We created over 28,000 jobs in the District over the last two years, but only about 20% went to District residents. We have to do a better job at preparing our residents for jobs. Monday February 14, 2011 1:11 jacque patterson

1:12	David Alpert:  Given that we have such budget deficits, what do you think DC should specifically do? Each new job training program costs money, doesn't it? Monday February 14, 2011 1:12 David Alpert

1:13	jacque patterson:  We need to make sure that each appenticeship program has a 6-8 wk life skill proponent to make sure that applicants are truly ready to do the work. Monday February 14, 2011 1:13 jacque patterson

1:15	jacque patterson:  Budgetary wise, the life skills should be paid for by those who get government dollars (tax breaks) from the city. Monday February 14, 2011 1:15 jacque patterson

1:16	David Alpert:  A number of people posed questions about east of the river, where you live but few or none of your fellow candidates do. Monday February 14, 2011 1:16 David Alpert

1:16	[Comment From Ms VMs V: ]  As a leader East of the River, can you speak to 2 specific accomplishments under your tenure that have had a positive impact East of the River? Monday February 14, 2011 1:16 Ms V

1:18

jacque patterson:  I'll do you one better and give you three. As an ANC for 8 years, I worked with the Williams C. Smith Co. to bring THEARC, the Giant grocery store, and a federal credit union to an area that didn't have one grocery store in the Ward, few recreational facilities, and was being victimized by check cashing joints. Monday February 14, 2011 1:18 jacque patterson

1:21

David Alpert:  Speaking of that Giant, it's great for the neighborhood to have it, though it was designed in a way that is very much oriented around cars and driving, and not around creating a pedestrian or bicycle friendly neighborhood. Do you think that any more needs to be done to guide the design of developments in needy areas east of the river? Monday February 14, 2011 1:21 David Alpert

1:23	jacque patterson:  Yes I do. We could have done a much better job in the design of the Giant to make it more pedestrian and bike friendly. In the future, we need to ensure that we take those thoughts into consideration. Monday February 14, 2011 1:23 jacque patterson

1:26	David Alpert:  Did you push for any of those types of changes during that particular project's design? Monday February 14, 2011 1:26 David Alpert

1:28	jacque patterson:  We did discuss with the first design team that many of the shoppers would be using the public transportation to get to the store, but teams changed during administrations (Williams to Fenty) and it was lost in the final decisions. Monday February 14, 2011 1:28 jacque patterson

1:28	David Alpert:  Thanks. Let's get a few more great reader questions in there. Monday February 14, 2011 1:28 David Alpert

1:28

[Comment From TheAdvoc8teTheAdvoc8te: ]  New Question: Ward 8 is definetly on an upswing both economically and socially but there is still this negative perception by most DC residents that Ward 8 has a lot of problems. How would you address DC residents who may be wary of electing an At-Large candidate from a Ward that many people feel has a lot of problems? Monday February 14, 2011 1:28 TheAdvoc8te

1:32

jacque patterson:  As an Ward 8 resident also (TheAdvoc8te), we have both worked to ensure that the great things that are happening in Ward 8 are being told as loudly as the issues that affect all neighborhoods. In the end, I believe as people meet me and discuss the issues with me, it will reasonate that many of the concerns they have are city wide issues, not just East of the River. Monday February 14, 2011 1:32 jacque patterson

1:33	David Alpert:  We have 2 reader questions about different groups that sometimes seem like shadowy overlords controlling the people of DC: Monday February 14, 2011 1:33 David Alpert

1:33

[Comment From DWard4DWard4: ]  Gay marriage in DC, as well as medical marijuana and our needle exchange program, seem threatened by the new GOP majority in the House of Representatives. How do you plan to fight for our sovereignty against the Right's social agenda? Monday February 14, 2011 1:33 DWard4

1:35

jacque patterson:  At the end of many of question is Congress having the Constitutional authority over legislation passed in the District. We need either a constitutional amendment or statehood. That is the only way to have sovereignty over our social agenda. Monday February 14, 2011 1:35 jacque patterson

1:36	[Comment From DeanwoodenizenDeanwoodenizen: ]  What has been your role with the Federal City Council, which is often derided as the hidden hand behind DC? Will you keep this job? Monday February 14, 2011 1:36 Deanwoodenizen

1:37	jacque patterson:  There is a lot of misperception of what the Federal City Council is and isn't... Monday February 14, 2011 1:37 jacque patterson

1:39	jacque patterson:  My role at the Federal City Council is as a managing director of projects that are driven by elected officials. I specialize in Economic Development, Libraries, Public Safety, and Government Operations. Monday February 14, 2011 1:39 jacque patterson

1:40	David Alpert:  Can you give some examples of programs you've managed? Monday February 14, 2011 1:40 David Alpert

1:43	jacque patterson:  Yes, I'm currently working on an ecomomic development project that would like to redevelop 10th Street SW in the L'Enfant community into the country's first Eco-District. It would call for the restructuring of that whole avenue. Monday February 14, 2011 1:43 jacque patterson

1:44	David Alpert:  There's an exciting-sounding public meeting on this project on Thursday, by the way: http://www.ncpc.gov/ncpc/Main%28T2%29/Planning%28Tr2%29/SouthwestEcodistrict.html Monday February 14, 2011 1:44 David Alpert

1:44	David Alpert:  Let's talk about communities some more. Monday February 14, 2011 1:44 David Alpert

1:44	[Comment From Ms VMs V: ]  Moving forward how do we balance creating livable-walkable communities East of the River when desire of some residents to keep it "suburban"? Monday February 14, 2011 1:44 Ms V

1:48

jacque patterson:  We balance that by taking advantage of our beautiful topography East of the River. Connecting Anacostia Park with bike lanes along Suitland Parkway. And then connecting walk-ways that will lead to Martin Luther King Jr. Ave in increase economic development. And I'm looking forward to getting streetcars East of the River. Monday February 14, 2011 1:48 jacque patterson

1:49

David Alpert:  Speaking of bike lanes, you served on the bicycle advisory council. Some other Ward 8 ANC commissioners have said they don't want any bicycle lanes and basically speak derisively about anyone bicycling east of the river. How do we move forward with cooperation and consensus instead of divided? Monday February 14, 2011 1:49 David Alpert

1:51

jacque patterson:  The putting in of bike lanes to this point haven't had great community outreach. To that point, I don't believe residents and businesses don't want bike lanes, they want to be included in the discussions of where and how they will be put in. I think that's true East of the River and anywhere that bike lanes are planned.... Monday February 14, 2011 1:51 jacque patterson

1:53	jacque patterson:  We move forward by having DDOT reach out to ANC's during the planning phase and take into considerations the "great weight" that is afforded to ANC Commissions to set the tone of the conversations. Monday February 14, 2011 1:53 jacque patterson

1:55

David Alpert:  Does the same go for the Anacostia Streetcar? It seems that not everyone can get everything they want, even if there is outreach, and DDOT has had a number of meetings. If you're on the Council, would you push for 1. the project to be continued as planned on MLK Street, though with more outreach, 2. the streetcar to go on some other street, or 3. not to go through historic Anacostia? Monday February 14, 2011 1:55 David Alpert

1:57

jacque patterson:  As an At-Large Councilmember, I would push for the streetcar project to continue East of the River. With any proposal, you're going to have opposing sides, and I would work to mitigate as many of those concerns as possible, but the project will go a long ways in the revitalization of downtown Anacostia. And I can't wait to ride a streetcar down MLK Ave. Monday February 14, 2011 1:57 jacque patterson

1:58	David Alpert:  Last transportation question, and maybe last question: Monday February 14, 2011 1:58 David Alpert

1:58	[Comment From DouglasDouglas: ]  In your opinion, how should Metrobus service be improved East of the River? Monday February 14, 2011 1:58 Douglas

2:01	jacque patterson:  We need to look at which routes are being heavily used and which aren't and make sure we are restructuring our routes around those areas that have new development.... Monday February 14, 2011 2:01 jacque patterson

2:04

jacque patterson:  We have a number of new housing projects that have come on line in the last few years and many of the new residents would like to use Metro, but the routes are not conducive. As At-Large Councilmember I would look at this issue city-wide to encourage higher usage of Metro. Monday February 14, 2011 2:04 jacque patterson

2:04	David Alpert:  And that's all the time we have. Thank you so much for joining us! Monday February 14, 2011 2:04 David Alpert

2:05	jacque patterson:  David, I appreciate you having me on and I'd like to ask those... Monday February 14, 2011 2:05 jacque patterson

2:06	jacque patterson:  who joined us to visit our website at www.jacquepatterson.com or our HQ at 2917 Georgia Ave. NW. Monday February 14, 2011 2:06 jacque patterson

2:07	David Alpert:  And thanks to everyone who was reading along and who submitted questions! Monday February 14, 2011 2:07 David Alpert

2:08	David Alpert:  Come back Thursday for our live chat with Vincent Orange. Also, please give your thoughts in the comments. What did you think of Mr. Patterson's ideas? Are you considering voting for him? What else would you like to hear from him? Monday February 14, 2011 2:08 David Alpert

2:08

 

 

Politics

Live chat with Joshua Lopez

by David Alpert   •   February 11, 2011 12:05 pm

Today we welcome Council candidate Joshua Lopez for a live chat. Lopez is a former Fenty campaign aide, and seems to be following a similar campaign strategy to that which got Fenty elected and taking strongly pro-Fenty (and anti-Gray) policy stances.

Live chat with Josh Lopez

(02/11/2011)

  

Close

12:06

David Alpert:  Welcome to our live chat with Joshua Lopez. Mr. Lopez will join us momentarily. Please start entering any questions you'd like to ask and we'll try to get to as many as we can! Friday February 11, 2011 12:06 David Alpert

12:11

Joshua Lopez:  Good afternoon. Thanks David and the Greater Greater Washington Community for having me on today. Friday February 11, 2011 12:11 Joshua Lopez

12:12

David Alpert:  Welcome! Many readers don't know much about you. Can you briefly fill them in on what your background is and what brought you to be interested in elective office? Friday February 11, 2011 12:12 David Alpert

12:18

Joshua Lopez:  I am a Native Washingtonian, graduate of DC public schools, and proud UDC alum. I have been active in the local political arena dating back to my years as a youth activist. I served on a Blue Ribbon Commission on Youth Safety and was a member of the Youth Advisory Council. After the murder of a close friend due to gun violence, my eyes were opened to the importance of public policy and the impact it has on the community. I reached out to my local council member, Adrian Fenty, and landed a job in his office doing constituent services and later became a legislative analyst. I have also served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and first Vice President of the Ward 4 Democrats. I love DC and I want to see the city continue to move forward. Friday February 11, 2011 12:18 Joshua Lopez

12:20

David Alpert:  Thanks. What are the top three policies you would like to change, if you are successful in getting elected? Friday February 11, 2011 12:20 David Alpert

12:20

Joshua Lopez:  Implementing the progressive tax increase to assist with the budget shortfall Friday February 11, 2011 12:20 Joshua Lopez

12:21

Joshua Lopez:  More parental involvement in our public school system Friday February 11, 2011 12:21 Joshua Lopez

12:22

Joshua Lopez:  Implementing effective strategies to create jobs for DC residents Friday February 11, 2011 12:22 Joshua Lopez

12:23

David Alpert:  Let's get to some of the reader questions. Friday February 11, 2011 12:23 David Alpert

12:23

[Comment From David SpettDavid Spett: ]  What's your opinion on the proposal by the group Save Our Safety Net (saveoursafetynet.com) to generate additional revenue by adding a new tax bracket for income above $200,000 a year? Right now, all income beyond $40,001/year is taxed at the same rate, 8.5%. Friday February 11, 2011 12:23 David Spett

12:24

Joshua Lopez:  I am fully supporting the proposal. The added revenue could help with budget deficit we are currently facing. Friday February 11, 2011 12:24 Joshua Lopez

12:26

David Alpert:  Even that will not do nearly everything necessary to close the budget gap. Friday February 11, 2011 12:26 David Alpert

12:26

[Comment From Ward 6 ResidentWard 6 Resident: ]  What programs will you cut if you are elected? Friday February 11, 2011 12:26 Ward 6 Resident

12:27

Joshua Lopez:  The reality is we will have to make cuts in every agency in the city. However, whatever cuts are made I will make sure they do not reduce the quality of programs and services provided for district residents. Friday February 11, 2011 12:27 Joshua Lopez

12:29

David Alpert:  It seems that no matter what is cut someone experiences a decrease in quality of services. Do you have any specific thoughts about what might be able to be cut without decreasing quality of service? Friday February 11, 2011 12:29 David Alpert

12:30

Joshua Lopez:  We can start out with cutting city council's pay. Friday February 11, 2011 12:30 Joshua Lopez

12:33

Joshua Lopez:  With special education we could reduce the budget by providing the necessary resources inside of DC, instead of wasting millions of dollars transporting them outside of the city. Friday February 11, 2011 12:33 Joshua Lopez

12:35

David Alpert:  You mentioned more parental involvement in schools. Let me bring back a question that came up in one of the other candidate chats: Friday February 11, 2011 12:35 David Alpert

12:35

[Comment From SusieSusie: ]  Much has been made of improving parenting across the board as a way to improve school success and child and youth outcomes generally. Do you have any thoughts about how schools and others might do this? Friday February 11, 2011 12:35 Susie

12:38

Joshua Lopez:  A new program that would email parents with information regarding their child's homework assignments and progress would be a low-cost, efficient way to encourage parental involvement. Friday February 11, 2011 12:38 Joshua Lopez

12:38

Joshua Lopez:  Bringing in ANC's to assist with PTA's and parental outreach. Friday February 11, 2011 12:38 Joshua Lopez

12:39

Joshua Lopez:  If there is a more specific need with illiteracy and parental empowerment we should identify them and address them accordingly. Friday February 11, 2011 12:39 Joshua Lopez

12:40

[Comment From EricEric: ]  Is DC economically competitive with surrounding jurisdictions? If not, what would you do to change that? Friday February 11, 2011 12:40 Eric

12:43

Joshua Lopez:  Yes, DC is competitive with surrounding jurisdictions. However, we could cut some of the red tape and bureaucracy that prohibits potential small business owners from getting their licenses in a timely manner. Friday February 11, 2011 12:43 Joshua Lopez

12:45

[Comment From CarenCaren: ]  Would you have voted for the Adams Morgan hotel tax break? Friday February 11, 2011 12:45 Caren

12:49

Joshua Lopez:  No, I am against all tax break until we pass legislation that effectively evaluates whether these breaks will help us in the long run Friday February 11, 2011 12:49 Joshua Lopez

12:49

David Alpert:  Yesterday, the WMATA Board discussed whether to cut back late-night service. This might be necessary if DC and other jurisdictions don't come up with more money. DC's share would be $23.5 million more. Do you think DC should add that money for WMATA to its budget, or consider service cuts or fare increases? Friday February 11, 2011 12:49 David Alpert

12:50

Joshua Lopez:  We have done a poor job going to the federal government and encouraging stronger investment on their end. Thousands of their workers use the system everyday and do not pay taxes to the city. Friday February 11, 2011 12:50 Joshua Lopez

12:51

Joshua Lopez:  I am against cutting back late night service. It would have a negative impact on local business owners who offer services during those hours. Friday February 11, 2011 12:51 Joshua Lopez

12:52

David Alpert:  Can you elaborate on what we've done poorly to go to the federal government? I agree that the feds should do more, but it also can be too easy to just say we should get more from the feds. How would you do more to encourage investment from them? Friday February 11, 2011 12:52 David Alpert

12:53

Joshua Lopez:  Our current Mayor has met with the President and the Speaker of the House. Friday February 11, 2011 12:53 Joshua Lopez

12:55

Joshua Lopez:  During the meeting with the House Speaker, Gray failed to speak on a House GOP proposal to cut federal aid to DC for housing the country's government. I see these as missed opportunities to encourage the federal government to pay their fair share. Friday February 11, 2011 12:55 Joshua Lopez

12:56

[Comment From JoshJosh: ]  Can you talk to us about your approach to crime in the district besides saying you are opposed to it and hope to help the MPD fight it. What programs do you see that are working? What isn't working? Friday February 11, 2011 12:56 Josh

12:56

Joshua Lopez:  The traditional approach to fighting crime in this city only goes so far. Friday February 11, 2011 12:56 Joshua Lopez

12:59

Joshua Lopez:  We need to actively engage ex-offenders in this city. We should do more around job placement and ending the cycle that creates repeat offenders that increases crime. Friday February 11, 2011 12:59 Joshua Lopez

1:01	Joshua Lopez:  They should play a role in mentoring at risk youth. We also need to take a serious look at the relationship between the police department and certain communities. Friday February 11, 2011 1:01 Joshua Lopez

1:02	Joshua Lopez:  There are still issues with trust that we need to bridge in order to build a collaborative relationship. Friday February 11, 2011 1:02 Joshua Lopez

1:03	David Alpert:  Thanks. In the last few chats, people have asked, how to do you get to and from work? Do you ride transit, walk, bike, drive? Friday February 11, 2011 1:03 David Alpert

1:03	Joshua Lopez:  BMW Friday February 11, 2011 1:03 Joshua Lopez

1:03	Joshua Lopez:  Bus, Metro, Walk Friday February 11, 2011 1:03 Joshua Lopez

1:03	Joshua Lopez:  and carpool Friday February 11, 2011 1:03 Joshua Lopez

1:05	David Alpert:  What neighborhood do you live in? How would you like to see your neighborhood change over the next 10-20 years? Friday February 11, 2011 1:05 David Alpert

1:05	Joshua Lopez:  Kennedy St corridor off of Georgia Ave Friday February 11, 2011 1:05 Joshua Lopez

1:06	Joshua Lopez:  I would like to see more sit-down restaurants, cafes, bookstores, and family friendly establishments. Friday February 11, 2011 1:06 Joshua Lopez

1:08

David Alpert:  One debate on Georgia Avenue has often been about how much to build. For example, some people didn't want mixed use housing and retail both on the site that is now likely to be the Walmart, and opposed buildings more than 2-3 stories at Walter Reed. What do you think is appropriate? Friday February 11, 2011 1:08 David Alpert

1:09	Joshua Lopez:  I am all for the development that would retailing and housing. Friday February 11, 2011 1:09 Joshua Lopez

1:09	Joshua Lopez:  *bring more retailing and housing Friday February 11, 2011 1:09 Joshua Lopez

1:11	Joshua Lopez:  You can strike a balance that does not significantly alter the look of the neighborhood and maximize the full potential of the land. Friday February 11, 2011 1:11 Joshua Lopez

1:12	David Alpert:  Well, that's all the time we have. Thanks so much Josh for joining us. Friday February 11, 2011 1:12 David Alpert

1:12	Joshua Lopez:  Thanks David and Greater Greater Washington Friday February 11, 2011 1:12 Joshua Lopez

1:14	David Alpert:  Please post your thoughts on this chat in the comments. What did you like or dislike about what Josh said? Are you considering voting for him? What else would you like to know to make up your mind? Friday February 11, 2011 1:14 David Alpert

1:14	David Alpert:  We'll have 2 more candidates on next week: Jacque Patterson on Monday, and Vincent Orange on Thursday. Stay tuned! Friday February 11, 2011 1:14 David Alpert

1:14	Joshua Lopez:  Also feel free to reach me directly at 202-631-9072 or email me at josh@joshualopez2011.com Friday February 11, 2011 1:14 Joshua Lopez

1:14