|
August Edition 2017
|
August is what some people
might call the “Sunday of Summer” – a cue to the end of a season. For DMPED,
August is not the end of a season, but the beginning of one filled with lots of
exciting things to look forward to in the District of Columbia.
In particular, September to us
means “202Creates”– a month-long celebration of the District’s creative
economy. During 202Creates, we’re excited to support thousands of events across
the city -- in concert with our public and private partners -- that will
showcase the District’s creativity.
The District is the home of approximately 2,400 arts-related
businesses that employ almost 120,000 people, with 1,800 new jobs added last year; with an array of entrepreneurs and
dedicated professionals in television, film, music, arts, fashion, cosmetology,
culinary, tech, and many more. I invite you to join us for 202Creates by
checking the calendar of events here.
Later in September, we will be joining our Walter Reed team for a DCI/LAMB School ribbon-cutting event, a momentous occasion as they are the first non-military institution on the historic Walter Reed campus, where approximately 800 DCI students and 200 LAMB PCS students are currently enrolled.
In October, we will announce our fall legislative agenda, developer selections for
projects and the progress we’ve made on the District’s Economic Strategy. All
of these things, and more, are directly related to our responsibility to bring
more jobs, tax revenue and affordable housing to the District.
I could go on and on previewing what is coming this fall, but for now, you will
have to just stay tuned and make plans to join us along the way.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Kenner
#202Creates #DMPEDDelivers
|
|
On August 4, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Yelp co-founder and CEO Jeremy Stoppelman announced that the global technology company has signed a lease for a new office in Washington, DC. The expansion will bring 500 new jobs to the District over a five-year period with at least half of the positions targeted for DC residents.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Yelp already has offices in Scottsdale, New York City, Chicago, London, and Hamburg. The company chose Washington, DC for their new office because of the city’s thriving technology community, talented workforce, and its proximity to other East Coast cities. Yelp will occupy about 52,000 square-feet in Terrell Place (575 7th Street, NW) next to the Verizon Center and in the heart of Penn Quarter’s entertainment district.
The company plans to start construction on the new DC office later this summer and begin hiring late this year.
In conjunction, Deputy Mayor Kenner was featured on the Kojo Show to talk DC tech and Yelp joining the ranks! Listen to the show here..
|
|
Deputy Mayor Kenner joins Washington Business Journal's Dan Sernovitz on the Kojo Show to talk about DC tech.
On August 10, we partnered with Arena Stage, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, the D.C. Department of Employment Services, and The Wharf as proud co-sponsors of the D.C. Career Fair. This year, over 500 candidates showed up ready to work at the new Wharf!
Held twice a year, the D.C. Career Fair has featured partnerships with over 100 organizations and has served nearly 8,000 community members.
The Wharf Phase 1 will be opening (yes, with a Foo Fighters concert!) on October 12. The Wharf project represents
one of the best examples of a public/private partnership to deliver a
first-class waterfront development. Mayor Bowser is particularly committed to job creation - and the Wharf will be hiring 460 District residents with 25% being Ward 8 residents.
|
The Wharf Job Fair with over 500 candidates ready to work!
On August 10, Mayor Bowser unveiled
the iconic design and timeline of the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. The Frederick
Douglass Memorial Bridge is part of the South Capitol
Street Corridor Project, the largest public infrastructure project in
Washington, DC’s history.
The project includes replacing the 68 year-old bridge
and reconstructing the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange. It will contribute more than 1,300 District jobs and have an economic impact of $787 million for the greater Washington region.
The
South Capitol Street Corridor Project is one in a series of transportation,
environmental, economic, community, and recreation projects developed by the
larger Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) Program. From the Tidal Basin to
the city’s northeast border with Maryland, the 30-year, $10 billion AWI Program
is transforming the shores of the Anacostia River into a world-class waterfront
and enriching nearby communities.
Construction is expected to begin at the end of
2017 and last through 2021.
|
On August 22, Mayor Bowser and Destination DC's Elliot Ferguson announced a record 22 million total visitors to Washington, DC in 2016, up 3.3% over 2015 to an audience of more than 500 members of the DC tourism and hospitality industries.
DC's visitation increased for the seventh consecutive year in 2016. In the year ahead, DC's landscape will see major changes with $11.8 billion in development underway and more than 4,000 hotel rooms in the pipeline assuring our visitation is certain to keep climbing. We love our visitors to DC! Check out Mayor Bowser here talking about her summer job days as a bus tour in Washington, D.C.
Read more about 2016 visitation statistics here.
This summer, our Economic Strategy duo, Sharon Carney and Erica Soultanian, from the Business Development team hosted six Marion Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP) interns working through Accenture Consulting Company. Over the six week
period, the interns assisted Sharon and Erica with business tracking and
Economic Strategy media coverage. On August 4, they presented their findings to Deputy Mayor Kenner and the Economic Strategy team at their summer finale. Thank you and good luck in future endeavors!
Deputy Mayor Kenner and Economic Strategy team listens to interns present at program finale
The New Communities (NCI) team has been out and about in the
community this summer! From tea talks and juice bars, to pop-ups and
neighborhood walks, the NCI team has been out in the neighborhoods engaging
with residents.
On August 5, the NCI team organized
a community clean-up in Northwest One. DMPED staff, DPW and partners got up
bright and early Saturday morning along with neighborhood residents, members of
the HOU team, Mission First Housing Group, and ANC 6E to remove trash from the
cul-de-sac along First Terrace, NW. DPW staff followed up the next week to cut
down the overgrown greenery.
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!
Stay tuned to http://dcnewcommunities.org/
for all upcoming events and updates!
|
Community comes out to help keep Northwest One clean & beautiful!
|
|
Deputy Mayor Kenner joined DC Police Chief Peter Newsham at DC's National Night Out. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live.
Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. DMPED is always happy to support our community and DC agency partners!
|
HPTF Financing Helps Tenants Preserve Affordable Housing Units in Columbia Heights
The DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) closed a loan agreement totaling more than $1.5 million that will help preserve 13 affordable housing units in Ward 4 for a tenant organization that invoked their rights under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). The funding was made available through the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF).
"Columbia Heights is one of the most diverse areas in the District, and tools like the Housing Production Trust Fund and TOPA are helping it to stay that way," said DHCD Director Polly Donaldson. “Here, tenants who don't speak English as their primary language were able to mobilize and take charge of their destinies by buying their building to keep it affordable, and begin a rehabilitation of the building with HPTF monies that will ensure the building gets much needed improvements."
DHCD provided $1.5 million in HPTF financing to HOPE Cooperative Association for the acquisition and preservation of their 13-unit apartment building at 1445 Spring Road NW. The Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), a community-based organization (CBO) funded by DHCD, worked with the tenants throughout their journey to homeownership.
See full release here.
|
Hebrew Home: 1125 Spring Road NW
On August 22, we announced Victory
Housing with Brinshore Development as the developer selected to
redevelop the historic Hebrew Home at 1125 Spring Road, NW in Ward 4. The
project will produce 187 residential units, with 80 percent (150) of the units
created as affordable housing for seniors and families.
The
1125 Spring Road, NW site was the third project under Mayor Bowser’s OurRFP
process, which incorporates community feedback early in the Request for
Proposals (RFP) process and ensures that the priorities and perspectives of
residents are considered during development. After extensive community
engagement as part of the OurRFP process, both ANC
4C and ANC
1A passed resolutions recommending the proposal by Victory Housing
as their preferred choice.
See full story here.
|
New Strand Theatre Plans
On August 22, 2017, DMPED completed the (long awaited) closing for the predevelopment funding of the Strand Theatre
Project. The Project is part of the New
Communities Initiative, a District program designed to revitalize severely
distressed subsidized housing and redevelop communities plagued with
concentrated poverty, high crime, and economic segregation.
DMPED selected the Washington
Metropolitan Community Development Corporation in 2008 to redevelop the Strand
Theatre. Since then, The Warrenton Group, L.L.C. and the NHP Foundation have
been brought on as development and financing partners. In the Fall of 2016, the Council approved
development finance agreement for the predevelopment, construction and
development costs of the mixed use redevelopment of the Strand Theatre and
adjoining parcels. The full development
program includes the construction of eighty-six (86) affordable rental housing
units and 9000 square feet of ground floor commercial and retail space.
The development team has
already submitted its PUD application and the Zoning Commission has approved in
for set-down. This closing makes the progress official and the NCI
team looks forward to the final construction closing in Fall 2018.
|
DMPED Social Corner:
On August 15, DMPED took part in #CityHallSelfie Day to make sure our beautiful John A. Wilson Building was featured! This "tax dollars paid by DC residents" sign is well known outside our building and as you all know, Mayor Bowser tasked Deputy Mayor with three jobs for the District: one, job creation; two, affordable housing and prominently displayed in our photo - three, generating tax revenue! Follow us on Twitter at @DMPEDDC
|
|
|
Why Yelp chose DC
We Went to 'Form-a-Palooza,' a Hackathon For Better Paperwork
A New DC Circulator Fleet Will Hit The Streets On Tuesday
The new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, revealed
Wharf career fair for DC residents only
Destination DC Announces Record 2016 Visitation and FY2018 Plans at Annual Marketing Outlook Meeting
Can Buttoned-Up D.C. Become A Startup Hub?
DC plans mission to expand China ties
Upcoming Events
September 1-3: Labor Day Music Festival at Historic Lincoln Theatre 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Friday, September 8: Economic Intelligence Round table on Creative Economy at Chamber of Commerce 9:00 AM
Saturday, September 9: 202 Art & Music Festival at Randall Field SW 11:00 AM
Tuesday, September 12: Inclusive Smart Cities Summit at the US Institute of Peace 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Saturday, September 16: Northwest One Homecoming and Walker Jones "Back to School" Event at RH Terrell Recreation Center & Walker Jones Ball Field 12:00 - 5:00 PM
Monday, September 18: 5th Annual Entree DC Food & Drink Forum at the Convention Center 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Tuesday, September 19: DC Radio Station Launch at Office of OCTFME 6:00 PM
Thursday, September 21: DCI/ LAMB School Ribbon Cutting at Walter Reed 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004 (202) 727-6365 ǀ http://dmped.dc.gov/
Please feel free to forward this newsletter and colleagues can subscribe here.
|
|
|