Wow, what a May! Thanks to everyone who made Mayor Bowser’s third annual innoMAYtion one for the record books.

Across the city, hundreds of you engaged in over 50 events last month and proved why DC is the capital of inclusive innovation.

The spirit of innoMAYtion will continue next week when the Mayor joins Politico and Playbook University at the Inclusive Innovation Incubator for a discussion on how Washington, DC is leading the way in technology and innovation inclusion.

As we move into summer this week, we turn our attention towards affordable housing, one of the cornerstones of my office.

“June Housing Bloom” as we call it, is a month where we join DC housing agencies to provide resources and education on every facet of housing from affordable housing, renting, buying, and community development, culminating in the 9th annual Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Expo on June 24 at the Convention Center.

I encourage you to join us throughout the month as we address the challenges and opportunities on affordable housing to ensure residents of all backgrounds can afford to live and thrive in this great city.

Deputy Mayor Brian T. Kenner

#DMPEDdelivers #innoMAYtion

This year marked the third annual innoMAYtion, Mayor Bowser’s month-long initiative showcasing local entrepreneurs and innovators who are making the District a global model for inclusive innovation.  

innoMAYtion brought announcements such as the new DC Inclusive Innovation Program which will support entrepreneurs facing barriers to capital, and the District’s new Data Policy, making DC one of the most open and transparent governments in the country. 

The month also featured a hackathon hosted by The Washington Post, highlighting youth and women in STEM and entrepreneurship, sparking several civic solution-focused projects that will continue throughout the year.  Follow us on Twitter to find out what’s next as we work to develop Washington DC’s innovation economy. 

#InnoMAYtion by the numbers:

- Nearly 50 events across the District

- 12 million social media impressions in May – a 4.5 million increase from 2016

- Over 2,200 engagements on DMPED posts (Twitter, FB, Instagram) during the month

Thank you to all the new and old followers for keeping up with #innoMAYtion. Until next year!

Last month, members from our leadership attended ICSC's RECon in Las Vegas - the world’s largest retail real estate convention with more than 37,000 attendees representing 58 countries.

Needless to say, this is the premier gathering place for retail real estate professionals to conduct a year’s worth of business in just three days! 

While we were there, we made a big announcement that Wegman's will open its first store in the District in 2022! The company’s first DC store will be constructed at the old Fannie Mae headquarters on Wisconsin Avenue NW (as seen in adjacent picture.) This is a huge win for the District and showcases the opportunities that are made possible through ICSC.

  DC at ICSC recap:

  - Nearly 70 meetings over 2.5 days

  - Over 400 retailers, developers, brokers, real estate professionals came through the DC booth over 2.5 days from 32 states and 4 international countries

  - Key meetings with new retailers including Lidl, Amazon, Wegmans, and City Winery 

Did you know that Washington, DC  is the second most active U.S. office market for foreign capital?

And, we continue to attract millions in foreign investment into our city, with China being the single largest investor. 

So it was no surprise that the DC Chamber of Commerce launched the DC International Business Guide - in Mandarin translation - for business owners and investors last week. At the launch were members of the Chinese diplomatic community and tourism industry from the District. As we look to invest in all corners of the city, we will continue to explore opportunities to partner with our international business community.

Check out the new International Business Guide here. DMPED's Karima Woods and Yonghong Luo represented our office at the launch, pictured on left.

Eastern Branch B&GC OurRFP/ CBE event 

We have been in the community a lot lately – and it was no different in May.

DMPED held a CBE and Small Business Development Event on May 11 to facilitate the formation of development teams interested in the former Eastern Branch Boys and Girls Club located in Ward 6.

Eastern Branch Boys and Girls Club is an “OurRFP” project, a mayoral initiative that incorporates community engagement early in the Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

Submissions are due July, 14, 2017. More information can be found here.  

1125 Spring Road

DMPED hosted a meeting for developers to present their proposals to the community on May 25 at Raymond Recreation Center. 

At the meeting, seven development teams gave presentations on their proposals and answered questions from the community. 

The presentations are posted below and members of the public are invited to review them and provide any comments through an online forum available here. The forum will close on June 9th.

Developer proposals for 1125 Spring Road: 

• Borger Management and Spectrum Management
• Gilbane Development Company and NHT-Enterprise
• Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) and NVR
• Mission First, UrbanMatters Development and Lock7 Development
• NHP Foundation, Fivesquares Development, and Warrenton Group
• Victory Housing and Brinshore Development
• Bozzuto Homes and The Menkiti Group

Data Corner: Occupied Housing in DC

The District is investing more in affordable housing than any time in our history, but what are the size and scope of these units? 

Here’s a snapshot of American Community Survey data on housing units in DC showing changes between 2005-2009 and 2010-2015. Occupied housing units of all sizes increased except for owner-occupied 3-bedrooms and 1-bedrooms. Renter-occupied 2- and 3-bedrooms actually increased the most (proportionally) between these periods.