Andrew Trueblood, a former director of the D.C. Workplace of Planning, is the principal of Trueblood.metropolis, a housing, financial growth and land-use coverage agency, and a nonresident fellow on the City Institute.
Washington, D.C
Opinion | Reinvigorating downtown D.C. with a monumentally modest adjustment

We now have realized quite a bit for the reason that late 1800s, together with the right way to struggle fires in buildings taller than 12 tales. And whereas each different American and world metropolis moved on with time, D.C. has saved its peak restrict at 130 toes (about 12 tales) in most components of downtown, although buildings of as much as 160 toes are allowed alongside the north aspect of Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and White Home. The Peak of Buildings Act turned regulation when the town was below congressional authority, and it was protected below federal regulation after the District gained house rule.
Over this time, a downtown that had three- to eight-story buildings (a few of which you’ll be able to nonetheless see on the 900 block of F Avenue NW) turned an expansive space of huge low-slung workplace buildings constructed to the federal restrict. This single-use industrial core has supplied vital property and gross sales taxes, buttressing D.C.’s fiscal stability and its capability to fund quite a few social packages over the previous few a long time. But, given the realities of immediately’s distant workplaces, it has shortly turn into a fiscal legal responsibility for the District and an much more desolate place.
In her third inaugural deal with, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) made downtown revitalization, together with the addition of 15,000 residents, a vital purpose. She adopted up with particulars in D.C.’s Comeback Plan, which incorporates proposals aimed toward serving to deal with the way forward for a central enterprise district that suffered considerably within the coronavirus pandemic and had been combating emptiness for years.
Extra housing downtown would assist enhance the vibrancy and financial system of the world, deal with the ailing workplace market and supply much-needed housing for the District and the encompassing area. It will assist meet the mayor’s broader housing targets and regional housing targets. And since D.C. is the middle of the area and wealthy in transit choices, it’s also the greenest approach to assist wanted progress given the comparatively decrease carbon footprint of dense city residing.
But the economics and logistics of changing workplace into housing imply that, with out coverage intervention, it is just taking place in choose, distinctive circumstances. That’s the reason the mayor’s Comeback Plan acknowledges {that a} vital obstacle to creating extra housing is that the core of the town is constructed out with workplace buildings to the utmost density achievable below the federal limits. It recommends “elevated density allowances, through modifications to zoning and federal statute, to allow buildings in focused areas to be as tall as current buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue, to encourage conversion or residential building and growth of vibrant residential nodes.”
The Peak of Buildings Act has lengthy acknowledged {that a} small quantity of extra peak alongside the enduring Pennsylvania Avenue highlights that hall as monumental. So fastidiously making use of this concept of extra peak to different main corridors and concrete parks would enhance the city design of the town with out impeding current views or considerably altering the skyline. (Folks can’t simply discern the 2 or three extra tales that will be attainable with 30 extra toes.) As essential, it might assist extra residents residing downtown, bettering the town the place we expertise it most: on the bottom stage.
The important thing to making sure broad advantages from that extra peak is to regulate zoning such that it might solely be accessible to residential buildings that meet (or exceed) the inclusionary zoning inexpensive housing necessities. Inclusionary zoning has been important in supporting inexpensive housing alternatives throughout D.C., nevertheless it has by no means utilized to downtown. It’s because this system was designed to offset the extra prices of making inexpensive items by means of permitting extra density on a venture, however the federal peak restrict prevented that extra density downtown. Further constructing peak would permit for the extra density, offering downtown properties for hundreds of recent residents, together with low-income residents.
Some would possibly argue that it’s unrealistic to get alignment from Congress, the D.C. Council and the Nationwide Capital Planning Fee. However in previous debates, the answer was not as easy or focused and there was not such a dire want. Given the potential advantages, with somewhat visualization, policymakers would come to see the worth of this strategy. For the primary time, we may make a regionally pushed choice to fastidiously form our constructing heights in a fashion that respects what has turn into an iconic skyline whereas sculpting it in a manner that helps a extra vibrant, equitable and sustainable downtown.

Washington, D.C
DC leaders working on programs to relieve congestion across the city

WASHINGTON – With more and more delivery vehicles on the roads. D.C. is trying to figure out ways to ease some of the congestion at curbs.
There are several pilot programs in play right now to deal with all the delivery drivers and vehicles—mopeds, Amazon, UPS and FedEx trucks.
There is also new legislation proposed by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen that would charge drivers for parking using cameras mounted on poles by reading their license plates.
What they’re saying:
“I don’t need to bill someone lots of money to pull over for parking. If you only need five minutes, let’s make it cheap—25 cents, very little amounts—but just manage that better and that’s what the cameras and technology can help us do,” Allen said. “My goal is, I want to keep that travel lane clear.”
Allen said that model been piloted in cities like Pittsburgh and Boston and has been fairly successful.
FOX 5 spoke with D.C. Department of Transportation Director Sharon Kershbaum to break down some of the other pilot programs they are hoping can help.
First, they are turning some high-traffic dense corridors into super-short-term parking—think ten minutes or half an hour at most.
“So if the commercial corridor has things like hair salons or vet clinic, we know those areas still need an hour or two hours of parking, but when you have a strip that has a lot of fast-casual restaurants, those are the ones that work best for the 10-minute parking,” Kershbaum said.
That way, food delivery drivers can park and pick up quicker without taking up too much curb space.
Next, they are trying to replace big 18-wheeler delivery vehicles on congested roads by hubbing them and having smaller vehicles or even pedal or E-bikes pick up packages and do the drop-offs.
And finally, on Tuesday, DDOT issued permits for those Kiwibots—the little food delivery robots you’ve probably seen or heard of—to operate on the campuses of both Howard University and George Washington University.
“Curbside is always a challenge for us,” Kershbaum said. “There’s not enough supply to meet demand so we have to be really innovative to use what we can.”
Local perspective:
Jonah Bliss with Curbivore, which he calls a community gathering around the future of transportation and delivery, said the District seems to be moving in the right direction with the changes.
“Because we leave our curbs unpriced, so to speak, especially in D.C., there’s a perverse incentive to grab every inch of curb you can, park your truck illegally in the no loading zone,” Bliss said.
DDOT is also offering nearly 70 free E-bikes to delivery drivers who want to trade in their mopeds, many of which are illegal and unlicensed in the District.
Again, these are all pilot programs in specific areas, so they will test them out and see exactly what works to implement city-wide.
Washington, D.C
Ballard Partners’ Washington office grows with four lobbyists and significant office expansion

Thomas Boodry, Grace Colvin, Alison Anway and Scott Wagner are joining the D.C. team.
Ballard Partners is announcing the addition of four lobbyists to its Washington, D.C. office: Thomas Boodry, Grace Colvin, Alison Anway, and Scott Wagner. This significant expansion of talent is complemented by the firm’s new, larger footprint in its Washington office, occupying approximately 20,000 square feet.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Grace, Thomas, Scott, and Alison to our powerhouse Washington team,” said Brian Ballard, President of Ballard Partners. “Their combined experience and deep understanding of the policy landscape will be invaluable to our clients as we continue to navigate complex issues in Washington.
“This expansion of both our talent and our physical presence in the Homer Building underscores our firm’s sustained growth and unwavering commitment to providing unparalleled advocacy and strategic counsel.”
Boodry is the former Special Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Senior Director for Legislative Affairs at the National Security Council. He also served as Legislative Director to former U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz and as Legislative Aide to then-U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
Colvin is the former VP of Federal Advocacy and Strategy for The League of Credit Unions and Affiliates, where he represented nearly 400 credit unions across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia before the White House, Congress, and regulatory agencies.
Anway is a health policy specialist formerly in Ballard’s Tallahassee office. She started her career with Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas during the ACA debate and later led federal public policy for Anthem.
Wagner is a Yale and University of Miami Law graduate who co-chaired Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2022 Transition Team. He serves on the Biscayne Bay Commission and is Vice Chair of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board. He was previously based in Ballard’s Miami and Tallahassee offices
Washington, D.C
India-US trade deal: Indian team reaches Washington DC for fresh round of talks; Donald Trump’s tariff deadline nears – Times of India

India-US trade deal: As US President Donald Trump’s fresh reciprocal tariff deadline of August 1, 2025 nears, a senior delegation from India’s Commerce and Industry Ministry has landed in Washington DC. The team will look to finalize an interim trade deal between India and the US.India and the United States aim to resolve disagreements in key sectors, particularly agriculture and automobiles, whilst working towards a mutually beneficial trade agreement.
The US administration under Trump has extended the deadline for implementing additional tariffs on various nations, including India, until August 1, providing extra time for negotiations beyond the initial July 9 cut-off date.Donald Trump has been on a tariff letter spending spree since last week, and has threatened high tariffs on over 20 countries. Notably, India has not received any such letter till now and Trump said last week that the US was nearing a trade deal with India.Also Read | India-US trade deal: Will Donald Trump go for less than 20% tariff rate for India? Top 10 developments to track
India-US Trade Deal Talks
- According to an ANI report, discussions on the mini or interim
bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between India and the US are expected to start Monday morning (US time) and will span across four days. - The Chief Negotiator and Special Secretary of the Commerce Ministry, Rajesh Aggarwal, is scheduled to participate in the talks from Wednesday, the report said.
- The early arrival of the preliminary team before the chief negotiator indicates a systematic approach, where initial talks will likely address agenda setting and procedural aspects, followed by detailed negotiations with senior officials.
- A few days ago, a Bloomberg report quoting sources said that the US is working on a trade deal with India, in which America will impose a tariff rate of less than 20%. This would be lower than the 26% tariff rate announced by Trump on April 2.
India and the US have expressed interest in expanding their trade relationships and bolstering their economic collaboration through diversified partnerships.India maintains a significant trade relationship with the United States, which stands as one of its principal trading partners. American companies increasingly view India as a crucial market for their international expansion plans.Also Read | India-US trade deal: Opening India’s dairy sector to America could cause huge losses; ‘Rs 1.03 lakh crore annually…’An official statement last week confirmed that Indian negotiators would visit the United States to advance the ongoing trade discussions.Both nations have set a target to enhance their bilateral trade volume to $500 billion by 2030, with plans to establish a formal Bilateral Trade Agreement.Officials from India’s Department of Commerce have engaged in multiple discussions with their counterparts from the Office of the US Trade Representative to finalise a comprehensive trade agreement.
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