In the afternoon, LOCUS members went on a walking tour of metro DC’s booming, mixed-use neighborhoods to see how the shift in market demand for walkable, urban developments is playing out in the nation’s capital. Members visited the Clarendon neighborhood in DC, where they heard from an executive at BF Saul about the firm’s Clarendon Center project, and Capitol Riverfront, where they heard from the director of that neighborhood’s business improvement district about the neighborhood’s incredible transformation in recent years.
On Day Two of the summit, LOCUS members embarked upon what many considered the highlight of the trip to Washington: Hill visits with members of Congress and Obama Administration officials. LOCUS members strongly encouraged these national leaders to pass legislation that would make it easier to build the kinds of transit-oriented, walkable projects in high demand across the country.
Specifically during their meetings with members of Congress and the Administration, LOCUS members encouraged members of Congress to support transportation bill changes proposed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mark Warner (D-VA) and included in Chairman Mica’s transportation reauthorization bill, H.R.7., which will expand Transportation Innovative Financing Infrastructure Act (TIFIA) eligible costs to include transit-oriented development (TOD). This amendment is one of many being considered as both houses of Congress work to find common ground on a final version of the bill.