(Washington, DC) – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Friday announced the District has implemented the District’s Inclusionary Zoning program, which affords private sector development companies the right to additional density for their projects in exchange for making at least 8 percent of the units in the project affordable.

“We’re building an inclusive city,” said Mayor Fenty. “And that means making sure there are high-quality housing options for residents at every income level throughout the city. We worked very hard to strike the right balance in putting together this program so that it will create as much affordable housing as possible while minimizing any potential burden on the development community.”

On Friday, the District published a rent and price schedule in the DC Register – the final step in establishing the program. Now, developers of new residential projects with 10 or more units are allowed to increase the size of their project by 20 percent provided half of the additional new units created are either sold or rented to residents earning between 50 percent and 80 percent of the Area’s Median Income, which is between $51,000 and $82,000 for a family of four.

Current projects that have been already filed for building permits and at several key stages of the zoning process will not be affected by the new program. It also does not apply to projects in historic districts like Anacostia or Georgetown or parts of the downtown where there is no additional density to grant as a bonus.

During the coming months, the District will devise a lottery system to ensure there is a fair and transparent process for potential buyers and renters to secure affordable units as they become available.

Media Contacts

• Sean Madigan, (202) 615-2029

• Feras Sleiman, (202) 251-8829