Green affordable housing: DC breaks ground on building

Developers and D.C. officials broke ground Tuesday on an affordable housing building that will be 100% green, with no carbon footprint.

The Cycle House building along North Capitol Street in the Truxton neighborhood will be home to 18 low-income families. Using solar panels and other technology, it’s designed not to add any pollution.

“This is about making sure that as a city we’re doing our part in controlling climate change,” said Nina Albert, the acting deputy mayor for planning and economic development. “I think what's unusual, though, and the unique opportunity to a resident about having a net-zero building, is that now your operating costs come down.”

Mark James is one of the developers. He said he wants to see net-zero housing available for people at all income levels.

“It surprises people to find out who lives in affordable housing. It's our school teachers, it's our police officers, it's our bus drivers, government workers, the person serving you a coffee,” he said. “[…] This city is a city for everyone.”

Faith Stewart is among the District’s affordable housing residents. She’s a recent college graduate who is applying to law school while holding a full-time job.

“As someone who just graduated college, I'm now working to not only build but also maintain credit,” she said.

“Affordable housing is extremely important where I can be able to afford to maintain a livable and secure area as far as environment and also pursue my educational journey,” she added.

The District will need more housing, as new Census numbers show the city’s population grew for the second straight year. D.C. has more than 8,000 additional residents, according to recent numbers. For the first time since before the pandemic, more people moved into the District than moved out. D.C.’s population is now almost 680,000 residents.

The building on North Capitol Street is due to be complete in 2025.