Opinion | How a bankrupt hotel could help solve D.C.’s affordable housing problem

The Washington Post • March 1, 2023

OpinionHow a bankrupt hotel could help solve D.C.’s affordable housing problem

March 1, 2023 at 3:01 p.m. EST

*D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. on Jan. 2. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)*

D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D) often says D.C. doesn’t build housing, but in fact, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) does. The greatest accomplishment of her administration, in my opinion, has been the construction of transitional housing for homeless families in each ward — all on public-owned property, all successfully managed by service providers such as Friendship Place and CORE DC.

According to the plans cited in Petula Dvorak’s Feb. 21 Metro column, “It’s time for Ward 3 to atone, beginning with the storied Wardman Park hotel,” the bankrupt Wardman Hotel could yield 500 units of affordable housing of all sizes and across income levels, including permanent places for homeless families to transition to once stabilized. Purchase of this exquisite site atop a Metro stop and overlooking Rock Creek Park should be the next step in the mayor’s vision to ensure housing affordability.

Robin Diener,Washington

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