Section 10-A508. H-2 HOUSING CONSERVATION: RETAINING OUR HOUSING STOCK

 

508.1Preservation of housing in the District-especially affordable housing-is perhaps an even higher priority than increasing housing supply. This section focuses on two aspects of housing conservation: (1) retaining affordable housing units specifically and (2) retaining existing housing stock generally. 508.1

 

508.2The District has been losing affordable housing rapidly over the past five years, both through the expiration of federal subsidies and through rising market rents and sales prices. In 2005, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute indicated that rising rents alone caused a loss of 7,500 units with rent levels under $500 a month between 2000 and 2004. Over the same period, the number of homes valued at or below $150,000 decreased by 9,400. Between 2000 and 2005, the area’s annual median income rose by an average compounded rate of 1.25 percent a year, while housing prices rose at an average compounded rate of 14.4 percent a year. These changes have been especially hard on the District’s poorest residents, particularly elderly renters and those on fixed incomes. 508.2

 

508.3An important part of housing preservation is the maintenance and upkeep of the existing housing stock. More than half of the housing units in the city are over 55 years old, and many are over 100 years old. The rise in home prices has been accompanied by a rise in building material and labor costs, making it expensive for many owners to care for their properties. In some parts of the city, lack of maintenance by absentee landlords may threaten the longevity of the housing stock and negatively affect neighborhood character. This will continue to be an issue in the future as the existing housing stock grows older and construction costs grow higher. 508.3

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.