Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray will not testify on Thursday at the congressional hearing to explore modifications to the city’s building height limits, but his aides say he remains firmly committed to finding “common ground” over the issue. According to The Washington Post in April, the D.C. mayor and U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, R-California, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wanted to explore whether federal restrictions on building heights should be relaxed.
According to a preliminary copy of the hearing’s witness list, both Harriet Tregoning, director of the D.C. Office of Planning, and Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi plan to testify. Tregoning will represent the Gray administration’s argument that relaxing the standards could strengthen Home Rule while stimulating economic development in some D.C. neighborhoods. Gandhi will reportedly testify how slightly taller buildings could boost the city’s tax base. Laura M. Richards, a board member of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, is likely to speak about concerns that tall buildings could endanger the historical character of the city. The hearing is scheduled to occur on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
