Jenny Kaplan of the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP) joined the Washington DC Mastermind Meeting this month to present the nonprofit’s current initiatives to improve transportation flow in the Baltimore-to-Richmond corridor with investments in public transit, inner-city and commuter rail, and performance-driven tolling. Kaplan’s colleague Stephen Harrington also gave some insight into GWP’s work with Urban Institute to study the region’s housing needs and best practices in each jurisdiction to maximize housing affordability for residents earning anywhere from 30 to 200 percent of area median income.

The attendees discussed how over-supply of office space in DC is depressing the market, the emerging demand for wellness-oriented amenities, and how uncertainty is hampering economic development in Montgomery County. Discussion also included previews of what could be next in the pipeline for Wards 7 and 8 and what is likely on the boards for the recently-sold Safeway in the Palisades.