Housing

This resolution declares an emergency to maintain a freeze on new applications for certificates of assurance under DC's rent stabilization laws. It prevents a legal gap between the expiration of an emergency moratorium (February 20, 2025) and the start of a new temporary moratorium (March 6, 2025). The resolution ensures continuous protection for rent-stabilized properties during congressional review of related legislation, without changing the underlying rent stabilization policy.

This bill approves the transfer of jurisdiction over the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus (approximately 177 acres) from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia. The transfer is required by the federal D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act (approved January 6, 2025), which mandates completion within 180 days. This resolution allows the District to control the waterfront property for redevelopment, including housing, jobs, parks, and recreational facilities along the Anacostia riverfront. The District already leases the land from the National Park Service, and this transfer enables expanded uses permitted by federal law.

This bill limits annual rent increases for rent-stabilized housing in Washington D.C. for two years (May 2023-April 2025), affecting tenants in stabilized units. It caps general rent increases at 6% annually or the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) plus 2%, with a 12% total cap over two years. For units leased to home/community-based services providers or occupied by elderly/disabled tenants, increases are capped at 4% annually or the Social Security COLA, with an 8% total cap. The bill applies retroactively to rent increases issued before its effective date.

This resolution (PR 26-0015) extends existing rent stabilization protections for District of Columbia tenants in rent-stabilized housing. It maintains the current annual rent caps - 4% for elderly/disabled tenants or certain co-leased units, and 6% for all other rent-stabilized units - along with cumulative caps (8% and 12% over two years) that prevent excessive rent hikes. The resolution ensures these protections remain in place through April 2025, protecting over 70,000 tenants from displacement due to rapid rent increases. It is a procedural continuation of prior legislation (2023 and 2024 acts) rather than a new policy change.