Rome wasn’t built in a day
December is an interesting time of the year. It is both really busy and seems calm and slow at the same time. As I spend this time with family and friends it becomes more and more apparent why I am so adamant about getting our new shelter built! I can’t imagine having to be in such a critical state during the holiday season and having to seek help to ensure the safety of my family. DC SAFE is the only organization that admits clients into our crisis housing 24/7/365 days a year and within an hour of a need being assessed. That said, we cannot do this alone! It takes so many partner non-profits, local/federal agencies, communities to ensure that a family remains safe and can break the cycle of violence.
What has been interesting to me about this project is that this idea of “community responsibility” keeps popping up. Our city has just gone through a very interesting conversation about what it means to be responsive to and responsible for the wellness of our most vulnerable. The Mayor planned to close down the largest family shelter and create a new shelter in each ward. Her platform was around this idea of community responsibility. There are many critics and many supporters on both sides. At the point that this was all going on we had just started our building project. I decided to attend many of the community forums around this topic and it was very educational for me. I got to see the many viewpoints our city has on this issue, how much of that was culturally dependent based on were in the city the conversation took place, and how the city responded to those views. I can’t say that I came out with one cohesive story to tell but I did learn that this issue of homelessness and community responsibility is not an easy one.
What I can say is that I do believe that as a city we need to find a way to live a balanced urban existence. I do think that those of us who have the fortune to be able to contribute to others that are more vulnerable should. I do think that housing should be a human right and that we should be able to support those in our community struggling with homelessness while preserving their dignity and self-respect. I think the big questions we are facing right now is how do we do this in the face of mounting gentrification and that is a question we all need to solve together.
I also believe that there is a way for all of us to become more civic-minded and to participate in these conversations more holistically. I have been an advocate for women’s rights for over 15 years and I did not fully appreciate how much more I could be doing to further this conversation on a personal and professional level until I set off to build this shelter.
It was very apparent that our first challenge in this project was moving into a newly gentrifying area. As a non-profit, we want to be good neighbors and we want to make sure we give back. The interesting part about this is that for the first time as a non-profit our engagement with the community was dictated by a formal process. We were now “developers”. As we all cringed at the idea we also realized that we had a responsibility to our new community and that we had to take this on in a way that was keeping with our ideals. So we set off to talk to our stakeholders. We met with local law enforcement, local civic groups, we had our neighbors over for coffee and we spoke to businesses and non-profits. It was worth the effort and it was very informative. We learned a lot about our new community and our role within it.
This particular neighborhood had seen so much development in so little time that it was reeling from the weight, all they wanted was for us to be mindful of what their concerns were and to listen to their needs. As we were so transparent it became clear that our interests were aligned with theirs and that we were going to be a permanent fixture of the community, unlike traditional developers. The neighborhood is also located in an area that has a very high concentration of non-profit and government providers that already manage a large number of city residents with challenges. That meant that they wanted to make sure that we would be responsive and willing to solve problems with them should they arise. If I take out the many conversations I had about property values all of the above sounded reasonable. We made sure that our building was discrete and easy on the eyes, but we also made sure that the community understood that we saw our clients as partners and that we wanted them to feel the privilege and the responsibility of being part of the community.
The formal part of this process began because our existing building was zoned as a commercial building. Meaning the use of the building was predetermined and if we wanted to use it for our residential program we would need to seek permission to use the building in this way. I had never really thought of all the factors that shape what a community will or can look like. So this part of the project was fascinating. In theory, zoning allows local and national agencies to regulate and control land and property to ensure complementary uses. I guess that a world without zoning could potentially lead to deeper segregation of resources and people. It can also stimulate or slow down development in specific areas. Hence it is an important process in urban planning and in helping the community impact how their neighborhoods are built.
The largest player in this process is the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). Like many things in DC, this plan is a partnership between the Federal Government and the District Government. The NCPC provides a blueprint for the development of the District of Columbia over time, the local government then puts forth their plan based on their interests, the NCPC then ensures that the local plan aligns with their federal plan, and then a finalized version is provided to the proper agencies to carry out.
Here is their mission: “Together, NCPC and the District of Columbia share a stewardship commitment to enhance Washington, DC as a great national capital and to plan for its equitable development through inspiring civic architecture, rich landscapes, distinct neighborhoods, vibrant public spaces, environmental stewardship, and thoughtful land-use management.
https://www.ncpc.gov/plans/compplan/ Here is a link if you want to learn more.
At the local level, the entity tasked with the execution of this plan is the Zoning Commission (ZC). This is an independent quasi-judicial body. They do this by updating, adopting and amending zoning regulations. This body is made up of 3 members who are residents and are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the city council. The 4th member represents the city and is an Architect. The 5th member is the Director of the National Parks Service.
Under this same agency, there is also the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA). One member of the ZC sits on this board and it is structured similarly as they are. This is where the magic happens. This board is tasked with granting relief from zoning regulations, approving how land is used, and to hear appeals of any actions taken by the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs because they manage the building permit process.
To paint a better picture let’s say…You want to build a patio on the back of your house and that is allowed within the zoning regulations, however, it only allows for at 10ft by 20ft patio and you want to blow all other patios out of the water. You would have to seek a special exemption to do so and you would still have to meet all other conditions laid out in the regulations. For example, one requirement could be that for every foot of patio built you must also plant 5 flowers on the city sidewalk.
Now let's say you purchased a small building in an industrial zone but now you want to turn it into a doggy fluffing business. In this case, you want to do something that is not permitted in a particular zone and you need to get a variance.
All of that was oversimplified of course but I wanted to illustrate that there is a process for every type of building and use of land that exists. This board sees tons of cases and their hearings are open to the public, televised and a matter of public record. Why is this important? Because, if you oppose a certain developer’s plans in your neighborhood or if your neighbor’s hideous patio affects you, you can attend and speak on the matter and follow its progress in real-time. In addition to that, any new construction or business is required to post their intent outside of the property with the date of the hearing posted.
Interestingly enough there is an entity that is much closer to the community that we should all know about and participate in. The Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC’s) are made up of non-partisan locally elected officials. Their existence is an interesting byproduct of DC’s home rule. Officials are non-paid and each represents a subsection of their neighborhood. Their role is to be the voice of their neighbors as it pertains to the city/federal agencies and individuals that are conducting business there. This may seem like it does not have any teeth but having attended some contentious ANC meetings I think they can be an effective way for neighborhoods to be heard. The city agencies do not have to take the ANC’s advice but they do have to give it “great weight” and if they plan to take any action that will “significantly” impact your neighborhood they must be given 30 days' notice to come up with their response. So if you have any issue in your neighborhood be it streets, education, sanitation, traffic… etc. feel free to contact your local ANC commissioner and start a dialogue. Conversely, if you are that neighbor that has your finger on the pulse of your community and you have experience with sitting on boards please apply!
http://www.ancdc.us/ you can find your ANC here.
The big lesson learned for me here is that we can and should all take the time to participate in civic life and to feel empowered to participate and be heard in matters that affect us. How our communities are getting or not getting resources, what businesses and development projects are being allowed, and what types of city services are at our disposal is an essential part of our standard of living in cities. So go forth and take action!