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Chevy Chase Civic Core
Our Foundation: Built on Years of
Housing Advocacy Work
Chevy Chase Forward was not formed in a vacuum. Our organization is driven by a coalition of neighbors—including current and former ANC 3/4G Commissioners and committee members who spent years laying the groundwork for racial and social equity in our neighborhood.
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However, as the local ANC shifted in 2025, it became evident that the current Commission's actions no longer aligned with the foundational values of housing equity or equitable treatment within its own ranks. Whether through outward resistance or passive silence, a clear departure from the core mission of the RASE Committee prompted these leaders to chart an independent path. They transitioned their shared values of equity, justice, and inclusive housing to form Chevy Chase Forward, ensuring this vital work continues uninterrupted. Today, the foundational principles established by these Commissioners, committee members, and other community members, drive our primary advocacy project: bringing affordable housing to the Chevy Chase Civic Core.
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The Foundation of Chevy Chase Forward's Advocacy
The push to reimagine the Chevy Chase public library and community center campus as a hub for affordable housing is the direct culmination of years of dedicated, community-led policy work. While Chevy Chase Forward is a new organization, our advocacy is built on three essential pillars developed by our founding members over several previous ANC Commissions:
Establishing an Equity Lens
(The Task Force on Racism)​
For many of our members, the commitment to inclusive housing began with a formal acknowledgment of systemic issues within the community. On June 8, 2020, ANC 3/4G approved a Statement on Racism and established a Task Force to identify local equity and justice issues.
By November 2020, the Task Force—led by individuals who now guide Chevy Chase Forward—presented concrete recommendations to the community, making it clear that housing access was a fundamental barrier to equity in Chevy Chase.
Engaging on Housing
(Information Exchanges)
From Fall 2021 through Spring 2022, these commissioners took these equity frameworks and applied them directly to the Chevy Chase Small Area Plan. As the District’s Office of Planning mapped out the future of the Connecticut Avenue corridor, Commissioners hosted a series of Information Exchanges. They brought in planning experts, advocates, and nonprofit developers to educate the community on how to actually build equitable housing.
This multi-year effort directly shaped Chevy Chase Forward's current focus on the Civic Core, specifically highlighting the rare opportunity to leverage the redevelopment of the library and community center campus for affordable housing.
Institutionalizing the Work
(The RASE Committee)
To ensure the Task Force’s recommendations resulted in real change, the Racial and Social Equity (RASE) Standing Committee was formed. Many of Chevy Chase Forward's current members served on or collaborated closely with RASE, using it to develop frameworks for analyzing neighborhood policies through an equity lens. This committee cemented the idea that advocating for disadvantaged groups and valuing data-driven analysis must be at the heart of any future neighborhood development.
For many of our members, the commitment to inclusive housing began with a formal recognition of systemic issues within the community.
Supporting Progress, Demanding More:
Maximizing Housing at the Civic Core
As the District moves forward with the library and community center campus, we are actively monitoring the project's progress. While Chevy Chase Forward strongly supports the surplus and disposition process as the necessary mechanism to unlock this public land for neighborhood housing, our commitment to equity demands that we push further. We believe the current proposal leaves opportunity on the table.
In our official policy statement, we outline our support for moving the Civic Core redevelopment forward, coupled with our firm demand for a significant increase in the number of dedicated affordable housing units.
Read the Mayor's announcement of the Rift Valley team selection here.
Review the Rift Valley Chevy Chase Civic Core project page here.
Read our official policy statement on the revitalization of the Chevy Chase Civic Core here.
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