By Aria Brent
AFRO Staff Writer
abrent@afro.com
D.C. Councilmember Robert White is on a mission to renovate downtown D.C.
On the morning of Sept. 24, White, who is chair of the Committee on Housing, welcomed local and national leaders to discuss housing and economic recovery in a public roundtable discussion. Additionally, people from across the nation with experience in revitalizing their communities were in attendance.
“The idea of building communities, the things that support communities, investing and enlarging the arts downtown and creating outdoor markets– that is our future,” said White. “But I want to hear from people who disagree with me. I’m inviting not just people who share my vision, but people who see it differently so we can say, ‘OK, now it’s time. We’ve heard everything. Time to make decisions and move forward.’ “
With hopes of solidifying a plan by the end of the year, White is aiming to get this process started sooner rather than later.
Mayor Muriel Bowser shared her five-year-plan earlier in the year and she’s looking to see more people come back to in-person work. White, however, doesn’t see that happening.
The mayor’s plan has multiple foundational elements. Bowser aims to create business space; reestablish downtown as a place to safely live, work and play; build up the residential base and improve transportation.
“Mayor Bowser and some other groups have plans, and the government has programs, but we don’t yet have an overarching vision or strategy. That’s a dangerous space to linger in for too long,” he said. “We have to know very clearly where we’re going, what it’s going to take to get there, and how we get from where we are now to there. That requires us to keep our foot on the gas.”
Mayor Bowser and President Biden have both sounded off about workers returning to traditional office settings as a way of helping revitalize downtown, but White doesn’t think that’s very likely.
“It’s not happening. Don’t waste your energy. Workers are demanding flexibility. Talented people are going to drive the market,” he said. “Let’s turn the page and stop looking at yesterday. Let’s go forward.”
Sydney Stewart, an off-campus student at Howard University gave her thoughts on the efforts by local leaders.
“I appreciate the convenience of working from home, it’s easier, but also downtown can be kind of scary at night,” said “People are living on top of each other and there’s a major crisis going on with the homeless community.”
Stewart noted the growing need for housing in the downtown area, not only as a way of combating homelessness, but for everyday people looking to live near their jobs and within city limits.
“The cost of living overall is insane but especially for housing,” she said. “We need affordable housing downtown. I’m sure it would help make the area more appealing and it would make more people want to come there.”
White emphasized the importance of making living in the downtown area more affordable to those that help keep the businesses in that area afloat.
“People who work in our restaurants and accommodate tourists– those are the folks who keep our economy revving–but they can’t afford to live in D.C. now,” said White. “We have too much office space and an urgent need for more housing.”