Curbed DC by Michelle Goldchain

Affordable housing is hard to find, but what’s even harder to find is affordable housing with enough room to fit a whole family. In order to fix this, Washington, D.C. Councilmember and Chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development Kenyan R. McDuffie introduced new legislation, called the Family Unit Amendment Act of 2017.

If approved, this legislation would require the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development to produce a biennial report that would study the District’s need for three-, four-, and five-bedroom apartment units.

According to a press release, the legislation would also amend the Housing Production Trust Fund Act of 1988 to require 10 percent of the Housing Production Trust Fund to create affordable rentals with a minimum of three bedrooms.

In a statement, McDuffie said, “Despite our focus on Affordable Housing, people have felt left out, specifically families that already live in the District ... The bill will give our District government the tools and data to ensure the units that we build meet the needs of all District residents and families.”