Two years and 1 urban planning degree later, I’ve changed my mind. The height restriction is one of the reasons DC is so walkable. In other American cities (not counting New York, which is clearly an outlier) you get a lot of haphazard development: skyscraper, parking lot, skyscraper, lowrise, parking lot, etc. Here in DC, its different. Developers can’t build high, so they build MORE. There are very few vacant lots left in the city, which makes for a more interesting, walkable city.

When ALL the vacant lots are developed and we’re out of space, lets revisit the issue. Maybe the height restriction could be restricted in selected parts of the city on the outskirts like Anacostia, New York Ave NE, or Friendship Heights. For now though, I’m very happy with the city as it is. Let Rosslyn have the skyscrapers…they’re on their way already anyway.

Take that papists!

The civil war, of course, had to be over before they could restart it, but it was not the reason it stopped. The reason was that it was being managed by a quasi-skinhead group that was partially profiled in the film Gangs of New York.

Having volunteered heavily in a PTA there’s a HUGE difference between what different classes of people find sustainable.

For instance, I do not believe that single adult me should be allowed to loiter on an elementary school playground drinking and selling drugs. I PRESUMED that no one would think that would be ok. The principal of that elementary school DISAGREED and told me that those people were members of the community and deserved to have a place to hang out.

I promise you that comment from the principal is 100% true.

I reported this to the Mayor and the police and 6 months later there were new lights and no drug dealers on the property.

To this principal, having space for adult me was “sustainability” to people who were not friends with Mayor Barry, that’s “criminal element that must be removed from the property.”

For a 4 story building and under, you can build the entire structure out of wood (called “stick built”). Above that, you’re talking concrete and steel – way more expensive. So to a builder that is allowed 5 stories, it may not be worth it to go for that one extra story. If he’s going to switch to concrete and steel, then he’s going to want 8 or 10 stories to make it worth the extra construction cost.

Above about 10 or 12 stories, the elevator technology changes and again makes going for that 13th story way more expensive. It may not be worth going above 12 stories unless you can actually get many more.

For areas of the city already above 10 or 12 stories, no height will be left on the table, since they are already past that construction method break point. But in other lower, more residential areas, a height limit change might not see much results unless it allows for some drastic height increases.

Sorry for writing a novel!