D.C. has surpassed a goal Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) set to add 36,000 housing units to the market by 2025 — a housing construction boom that officials expect to cool rocketing rental prices in a city that has long struggled with major housing affordability challenges.
Addressing a large crowd of city employees at the new Department of Housing and Community Development headquarters in Anacostia, Bowser reflected on what led her administration to set the ambitious goal five years ago. With housing costs on the rise and the housing market still catching up to D.C.’s population boom, Bowser said one thing was clear: The city needed to rapidly build thousands of new homes.
“We have good paying jobs, we have great transportation, we have incredible amenities, and so when you have all of those things, the demand on housing is high,” Bowser said. “When we came together in 2019, I told you we can’t undo the previous 15 years — but we can double down on what we’re doing now.”
