Today, the Eckington Civic Association (ECA) sent letters to D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie asking them to reinstate Eckington’s Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan Act of 2021.
The letters explain that Eckington strongly supports adding desperately needed new housing to maintain our neighborhood’s affordability and diversity and that the decision to drop the Eckington Amendments from the FLUM directly contradicts the wishes of our community.
Simply put, the Chair’s decision to drop the Eckington Amendments at this late stage, despite the support of the Eckington Civic Association, ANC 5E, Office of Planning, and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (and the absence of any on-record opposition) is an example of the “exclusionary and inaccessible” process that the Council Office on Racial Equity found objectionable in its Racial Equity Impact Assessment of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2020.
Eckington’s Metro- and trail-adjacent properties are precisely where D.C. must add more housing if the city is going to achieve its affordability, equity, and environmental goals. Furthermore, the continued concentration of Production, Distribution, and Repair (PDR)-designated land in Wards 5 and 7 poses “racial equity issues,” as the Chair has acknowledged in discussions about this Comprehensive Plan. But by dropping these amendments, the Council will perpetuate those issues until the next planning cycle.
Our letter to Chair Mendelson is available here.
Our letter to Councilmember McDuffie is available here.
Please contact us at eckingtoncivic@gmail.com for any inquires regarding these letter.
Eckington Civic Association 