I am an 11-year resident of the Tiverton, an old apartment building three doors down from the West End branch of the D.C. public library.

Thanks to rent control, the Tiverton provides affordable housing for a cross-section of low- to middle-income residents, and is the only remaining affordable housing in the West End. But if District officials and developers get their way, the Tiverton will be demolished, and in its place will be another luxury condo complex that only the wealthy can afford.

One block to my east is the new Ritz-Carlton. Where the Ritz now stands, there was once a restaurant, movie theaters, townhouses and offices. In their place is a structure devoid of personality, occupying an entire city block and offering nothing to neighborhood residents. One block west are three new construction projects of luxury condos, selling for upwards of a million dollars apiece. Again, these projects will devour an entire West End block without offering a single unit of affordable housing.

The D.C. Zoning Commission is considering a proposal to rezone our portion of the block, known as Square 37, which includes the Tiverton, two townhouses, the library, a police station and a parking lot.

Most likely, redevelopment would mean the loss of all of these buildings. Residents like myself - some of whom have lived here for over 20 years - will lose their homes and be forced to move out of the neighborhood due to exorbitant rent.

We have formed a tenants association to try to preserve this last bastion of affordable housing in the West End. Whether it will be enough to save our building remains to be seen.

If Mayor Williams really wants to achieve his goal of 100,000 new residents in the District, this is not the way to accomplish it.

D.C. should follow Montgomery County's example of mandating developers to designate a percentage of new units for affordable housing.