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COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING 1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
November 14, 2025 Nyasha Howard, Secretary Council of the District of Columbia 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20004 Dear Secretary Howard, Today, along with Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau and Kenyan McDuffie, I am introducing the “Expanding Downtown Affordable Housing Options Amendment Act of 2025” to catalyze housing development in our Downtown core. The Council established the Housing in Downtown program in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to support the conversion of vacant office buildings to residential uses. Despite the District’s investment in this program, office-to-housing conversions remain both architecturally and financially challenging. The Expanding Downtown Affordable Housing Options Amendment Act aims to reduce barriers to conversions and encourage conversions to community housing to expand affordable housing options downtown. First, the bill would ensure that bedrooms in affordable units are held to the same standards as those in market-rate units. Currently, while bedrooms in market-rate units are required to meet lighting and ventilation standards, bedrooms in affordable units are additionally required to have a window. This discrepancy makes affordable units significantly more expensive to construct, particularly in office-to-housing conversions, where large floorplates make designing apartments with bedroom window access especially challenging. Second, the bill would establish a grant program to support preliminary feasibility analyses for property owners considering office-to-community-housing conversions. Community housing is a residential development consisting of independently rented bedrooms with shared common space. This type of housing was once common in the United States. However, in the mid-20th century, zoning regulations and other restrictions began to prohibit community housing. Approximately 56% of renter households in the District are single-person households; 30% of these renters earn less than $30,000 annually and another 12% earn between $30,000 and $50,000.1 A study by Pew Charitable Trusts found that a prototypical office-to-community-housing conversion could accommodate 560 residents across 530 units. Pew estimated that these units could be rented at market-rate between $750 and $1,250 a month, significantly below the District’s median rent of $2,155. 1 Gensler and Pew Charitable Trusts, Flexible Co-Living Housing Feasibility Study, available here.
Community housing could be transformative for expanding affordable housing options in the District. As Pew’s report demonstrates, community housing could be particularly well-suited for office-to-housing conversions to most efficiently make use of large building floorplates. In addition, locating community housing Downtown would also take advantage of existing transit accessibility and walkability, while avoiding parking minimums that apply elsewhere in the city. The Council does not have the authority to amend zoning regulations to permit community housing by increasing the permissible number of unrelated household members. However, this bill is an important first step in encouraging the Zoning Commission making these necessary changes. Community housing has proven popular in Washington State, San Francisco, and across Europe, where rooms are rented by college and graduate students, young professionals, transient workers, and retirees alike. By encouraging action by the Zoning Commission and funding feasibility studies, the District can make meaningful progress towards building community housing, which is both a financially viable and high-demand housing model. The Expanding Downtown Affordable Housing Options Amendment Act will open more opportunities for office-to-housing conversions and encourage the development of hundreds of affordable housing rental units in Downtown. Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Policy Advisor, Ella Hanson, at ehanson@dccouncil.gov. Thank you,
Brooke Pinto Councilmember, Ward 2 Chairwoman, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety Council of the District of Columbia
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_____________________________ _____________________________ Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Brooke Pinto _____________________________ Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie A BILL __________ IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA _________________ To amend the Housing in Downtown Tax Abatement Amendment Act of 2024 to align the 1 ventilation requirements in affordable housing units with those of market rate multifamily 2 residential units to permit bedrooms without windows, and to amend the Deputy Mayor 3 for Planning and Economic Development Limited Grant-Making Authority Act of 2012 4 to establish a Community Housing Feasibility Grant Program to support eligible 5 commercial property owners to assess the financial feasibility of converting an office 6 building to community housing. 7 8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 9 act may be cited as the “Expanding Downtown Affordable Housing Options Act of 2025”. 10 Sec. 2. Section 47–860.02(a)(3) of the District of Columbia Official Code is amended to 11 read as follows: 12 “(3) The affordable housing units are designed and administered in accordance 13 with the requirements of the Inclusionary Zoning Program; except that, for purposes of both 14 affordable and market rate housing units provided pursuant to this section, a room with a closet 15 that is designated as a bedroom or sleeping room on construction plans submitted with an 16 application for a building permit shall not be required to have immediate access to an exterior 17 window; provided, that the room complies with all natural light and ventilation requirements as 18
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defined in the District of Columbia Building Code and that the market rate and affordable 19 housing units shall incorporate such unit configuration in the same proportion.”. 20 Sec. 3. Section 2032 of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development 21 Limited Grant-Making Authority Act of 2012, effective September 20, 2012 (D.C. Law 19-168; 22 D.C. Official Code § 1-328.04), is amended by adding new subsection (ss) is added to read as 23 follows: 24 “(ss) The Community Housing Downtown Feasibility Grant Program. 25 “(1) The Deputy Mayor shall establish a Community Housing Feasibility 26 Grant Program to support eligible commercial property owners to assess the financial feasibility 27 of converting an office building to community housing. 28 “(2) The Deputy Mayor may issue grants of up to $75,000 to eligible 29 commercial property owners to support preliminary analysis, including but not limited to 30 financial feasibility analysis, market research, project proformas, engineering and architectural 31 reports. 32 “(3) An eligible commercial property owner shall: 33 “(A) Own a commercial office building located in the eligible area, as 34 defined in D.C. Official Code § 47–860.01, that has been at least 50% vacant for the previous 12 35 months; 36 “(B) Be in good standing with the DLCP, OTR, and IRS; and 37 “(C) Submit an application to the Deputy Mayor that includes: 38 “(i) A cost estimate for the financial feasibility analysis; 39 “(ii) The name of the consultant; 40 “(iii) A scope of work; and 41
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“(iv) A timeline for the completed analysis. 42 “(4) Grant recipients shall provide the Deputy Mayor a copy of the completed 43 financial feasibility analysis no later than two weeks from when it is transmitted from the 44 consultant to the grant recipient. 45 “(5) For the purposes of this section, the term “community housing” means a 46 building with sleeping units that include a natural light source and are independently rented and 47 lockable, and in which residents may share kitchen facilities and other common elements with 48 other residents in a building.”. 49 Sec. 5. Fiscal impact statement. 50 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 51 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 52 approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 53 Sec. 6. Effective date. 54 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 55 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review 56 as provided in section 602(c)(l) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 57 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code§ l-206.02(c)(l)). 58