6) One of my favorite questions was our final one. Where would candidates support housing in their own backyard?

5) Some of our most illuminating questions were about specific projects. They helped us see how candidates dealt with competing interests and weighed the political implications of actual homes in a DC neighborhood.

4) Every major candidate supported repeal of the Congressional Height of Buildings Act. Though some explicitly favored replacing it with a local Height Act, it's good to see candidates recognizing this is a Home Rule issue.

3) Many candidates indicated support for reforms that could be (though don't necessarily have to be) accomplished through legislation. Land use in DC is mostly determined outside the council, but legislators do play a role here.

2) Almost every major candidate indicated serious reservations with the draft Future Land Use Map recently released by the Office of Planning. It's clear that DC's leaders recognize this plan drives displacement and raises costs.

A couple brief thoughts on these responses.

1) Many candidates - including all four mayoral candidates - indicated support for our entire Comp Plan Agenda. Full implementation of our agenda would allow us to build the homes we need to drive down costs in the District.

We're currently working through our endorsement process. Our Elections Committee will issue recommendations to our members, who will vote on final endorsements.

Since DC now has ranked choice voting, we will be issuing ranked endorsements.

Responses to our endorsement questionnaire are in!

Read them all here: dcyimbys.org/blog/2026-en...

The alternative to growth is not status quo. It is displacement. It is higher rent. It is more people living paycheck to paycheck as they struggle to afford basic necessities in this city.

We build homes to open up room for more people. Those people are coming no matter what. They have new jobs and high income. They will pay what they need to have a place to stay.

Better that they move into a shiny condo near Metro than push out a lower income person in Ivy City.

This is a good article, but disturbing to see this from the OP Director.

*Not* increasing housing capacity puts pressure on renters. In the game of housing musical chairs, the wealthy will always have a place to live. The question is whether there are homes for those with less.

Supper club solidarity: Your weekly Civics Roundup Plus, a digital security workshop, an open mic, and more.

How are you getting involved around the city this week?

Our weekly Civics Roundup is out now — check out @colleengrablick.bsky.social's picks from @freedcproject.bsky.social, @dcyimbys.bsky.social, @jvp.bsky.social, @harrietsdreams.bsky.social, and more:

Thanks. I really appreciate it!

I don't think we've said anything about Kenyan being a pro-housing champion? We're still going through our endorsement process.

Photo of Aparna and Janeese smiling at something off camera and clapping, with some people behind them

Phot of Aparna speaking into a microphone with the other ward 1 candidates behind her

Phot of Aparna speaking into a microphone outside MLK library with a large group of people facing her

Photo of a large room of people foe the JUFJ labor seder, with the labor solidarity chorus singing in the front

Last weekend was so full, between a tenant rally with @janeese4dc.bsky.social, the @ward1democrats.org debate, the @dcyimbys.bsky.social rally & OP session, and JUFJ’s Labor Seder (and canvassing on top of all that!) 🏃🏾‍♀️

It’ll only get bigger from here. Join us next weekend: mobilize.us/aparnafordc/

Come out April 19 to learn all about exclusionary zoning in Lanier Heights!
actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...

A sketch of a currently-vacant building in Lanier Heights. The sketch shows a renovated building in its place that has a cafe on the ground floor.

all 4 of you who follow this account: I'm giving a walking tour of Lanier Heights w/ @dcyimbys.bsky.social in April. Join us! There'll be lemonade and maybe a prize or two: actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...

A remarkably weak vision for DC. Ward 1 makes anything bigger than a rowhome illegal less than a block from the Metro. Restricting growth in this area to 4 small sites is a recipe for rising costs and displacement.

Housing is a human right, but we cannot guarantee access to housing that does not exist.

Proud to join @dcyimbys.bsky.social to tell the Office of Planning to make it easier, faster, and cheaper to build all types of housing. Let DC grow. Their draft FLUM does not meet the moment. 🧵

DC should do this

DC YIMBYs February Happy Hour Join us for our next happy hour to celebrate our most recent wins, meet other pro-housing DCers, and get involved! This is a great opportunity to meet fellow YIMBYs in DC and deepen our understanding...

Our next happy hour is this Thursday at Red Bear Brewing. We'll be joined by @cmcharlesallen.bsky.social to celebrate our work on alley homes!
actionnetwork.org/events/dc-yi...

Same space, more housing - Brianne K. Nadeau There’s no silver bullet to our housing crisis but updating our building code allows for more, larger, and more livable family-size units at lower cost in the same amount of space.

There’s no silver bullet to our housing crisis but updating our bldg code allows for more, larger, & more livable family-size units at lower cost. Modernizing our code as NYC, Seattle, and other cities have done allows more housing for the same amount of space. brianneknadeau.com/same-space-m...

Interesting: @brianneknadeau.bsky.social has a new bill that would require that D.C.'s mayor set five-year goals for housing construction (affordable and market) and give them additional authority to propose ways to reduce barriers to construction in places that don't meet the goals.

Jesus was born in a manger because Joseph and Mary, called to Bethlehem for a Roman census, were unable to find another room in town. Today, zoning rules make this illegal. In this essay, I will 1/83

What a turnout! Thanks to everyone who came out last night and especially to @justineunderhill.bsky.social.

Together we can make DC a more affordable, inclusive city!

Reminder that our happy hour is today! So excited to see people!

cities are inherently dynamic, with cultures mixing and commerce booming on every corner in a high density area. it’s been that way since the Sumerian city-states, 1600s New Amsterdam, and present day Paris.

without enough housing for everyone, that’s when the stagnation and decay sets in.

businesses that are in the same vein as a vacuum repair shop. There's a cobbler on U St. There's a travel agency in AdMo that seems to specialize in trips to Cuba. These things are possible because there's enough people around them to support the rent they need to pay.

Great article from the former @OPinDC Director Andrew Trueblood on the inevitability of change in a city.

The tragic thing about the vacuum repair shop is it may actually have survived with more people in the area. Much denser parts of the city support...
www.trueblood.city/newsletters/...

SB 79, applied to DC metro area - Google My Maps This is an application of SB 79's standards to the DC area. This only takes into account §65912.157 (a)-(b), which set out the TOD radii that the bill is most famous for, and ignores the loophole rega...

@dcyimbys.bsky.social @baltpop.org @alexgoyette.bsky.social @janefgreen.bsky.social Just for fun, I made a map of what SB 79 would do to the DC/Baltimore region if it were passed here!

www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/e...