I was honored to receive the Advocate Equity Award from the D.C. Department on Disability Services this month. See below for more details and photos!
Hello Neighbors:
What if every medium-sized building had space for 10-15% more units? The Council gave unanimous approval this week to my bill that will help us to find out.
The One Front Door Act of 2025 allows for more and larger housing units to be built in small buildings by eliminating the requirement for a second staircase in buildings up to six stories high without sacrificing fire safety.
This change allows substantially more usable floor space – allowing for more units and/or larger, family-sized units, and for better design with more light, cross-ventilation and better internal traffic flow, while also reducing construction costs. Construction savings and the addition of more livable space makes buildings more cost-effective, can reduce rents, and opens up smaller parcels to development that may not currently be viable.
It’s a commonsense update of our building code that makes it easier to build medium-size buildings. People have been building multi-unit structures with one staircase around the world and in some cities in the U.S., such as Seattle, New York, and Honolulu.
Many people ask whether it’s safe to have multi-unit buildings with only one staircase. I also shared this concern. But modern fire safety measures, including materials, sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, and others significantly reduce fire-related deaths and injuries. And a second exit does not improve safety during fires.
The bill will get a second and final vote on May 5.
To solve for our shortage of housing and affordable housing, we need to work multiple angles. In my final year as Councilmember, you’ll hear me questioning the status quo to find as many ways as possible to increase homes of all types in the District.
COUNCIL UPDATES
Improving substance use outreach
The Council gave unanimous approval this week to my bill that will expand the highly-successful substance use disorder outreach pilot program currently operating in wards 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The pilot program contracts with community-based organizations, whose outreach workers build trusted relationships with people who are using drugs in public spaces and get them into treatment. Despite subsisting on one-time funding from the Council each year, this program has shown considerable early successes, including a 51% decrease in nonfatal overdoses in the 7th and T NW area in less than a year. B26-0226 – Place-Based Substance Use Disorder Outreach Amendment Act of 2025 will make the outreach program permanent.
Sustained outreach and the development of trusted relationships with individuals have led to greater in success in moving people from substance use to treatment to more successful lives.
Delayed: your FY2027 budget
The Council will now receive the Mayor’s FY 2027 budget proposal on Tuesday, April 14, a delay from the legal requirement of April 1. An updated hearing schedule will be announced soon. Stay tuned to the Council’s website for details and to sign up to testify.
In celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Making a law that expanded support for adults with developmental disabilities was one of the most meaningful things I did as Human Services Committee chair. I’m truly honored – not just by the Advocate Equity Award but by the opportunity to have played a role in this incredible work. It is one of the things I am most proud of in my tenure as Councilmember. We believed from the start in the moral obligation to ensure that people with developmental disabilities have the support they need to live full lives in community, across the course of their lives.
I thank the DC Department on Disability Services Director Reese for embracing this law and ensuring it is implemented with fidelity and enthusiasm. I thank Ricardo and Donna and the many people in the developmental disability community who continue to advocate.
BRIANNE IN WARD 1
Meet with me on Monday
Join us for our next Brianne on Your Block event this Monday, April 6 at Kookoo Restaurant and Lounge (3310 14th Street NW) from 6 – 8 pm. Registration is encouraged. Bring your questions, concerns, and ideas.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Join our team!
Are you looking for an opportunity to serve the residents and businesses of Ward 1?
Consider joining our team! We are hiring for a Constituent Services Specialist.
DPW spring alley cleaning has begun
Spring is here, and DPW is ready to help keep our neighborhoods clean, safe, and beautiful.
Residential alley cleaning is underway from now until September 30.
Ticketing for failure to move vehicles for street sweeping began March 16. Please check posted signs on your block and move your car on scheduled days.
More details on spring services are available on DPW’s website.
Lend a hand at the Mt. Pleasant spring cleaning
Join Jubilee Housing to beautify the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood on Saturday, April 18 from 9 am – 3 pm at Richmond Towers (3055 16th Street NW). Food and drinks will be provided.
Register by April 8
Take in original art by Duke Ellington School students
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Underclassman Visual Arts Exhibit features dynamic original works by Duke Ellington School of the Arts high school students in grades 9–11. The exhibit highlights emerging young artists and provides a platform for creative expression across multiple mediums, including painting, drawing, mixed media, and digital art. The free grand opening event on Friday, April 10 at 5:30 pm will include a live jazz performance by Duke Ellington students. The exhibit runs until May 13 at the Ellington Gallery (3500 R Street NW).
IN THE NEWS
BUSINESS JOURNAL (paywall)
D.C. Council advances single-stair building legislation for midsized multifamily buildings
WTOP
Longtime DC child care program scrambles to raise funds to continue to operate in Mount Pleasant
“Nadeau described Rosemount as an ‘incredible asset’ in the community. ‘I believe very strongly in home-visiting programs. They’re evidence-based,’ Nadeau said. ‘They help with both education and health outcomes.”
CALENDAR
Brianne on Your Block
Monday, April 7, 6 – 8 pm | Kookoo Restaurant and Lounge, 3310 14th Street NW
Additional Legislative Meeting
Tuesday, April 8, 11 am | online and in-person
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B Monthly Meeting
Thursday, April 9, 6:30 pm | online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, April 15, 7 pm | online
Council offices closed in observance of D.C. Emancipation Day
Thursday, April 16
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, April 21, 7 pm | online
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1E Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, April 22, 7 pm | online
CONTACT US
Brianne K. Nadeau | Councilmember | [email protected]
Abigail Boshart | Deputy Committee Director | [email protected]
Amanda Chulick | Senior Legislative Assistant | [email protected]
David Connerty-Marin | Communications Director | [email protected]
Kara Dunford | Communications Manager | [email protected]
David Meni | Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director | [email protected]
Maricela Nava | Deputy Chief of Staff & Scheduler | [email protected]
Sabrin Qadi | Deputy Legislative Director | [email protected]
Niccole Rivero | Chief of Staff | [email protected]
Eliza-Roche Robinson | Constituent Services Specialist | [email protected]