On April 25, 2023, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted by DCist:
The bill echoes a proposal floated by Bowser in her budget support act that would allow the D.C. government to buy land underneath rental or owner-occupied housing, entering into a ground lease with the owner with the intent to secure its long-term affordability.
It comes as Bowser also proposed reducing funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund, D.C.’s main tool for building and preserving affordable housing. (Yesim Sayin Taylor, executive director of local think tank D.C. Policy Center, told DCist/WAMU in March: “If our goal is to increase affordable housing, we may have to look for ways that are different from the Housing Production Trust Fund. It is very expensive to build new housing; preservation is much cheaper. And perhaps we’ll have to prioritize preservation.”)
Read more: This Bill Could Help D.C. Turn Vacant Homes Into Grocery Stores | DCist