DMPED's Closer: August Edition

DMPED logo 2
CLoser

August Edition 2017 


Yelp Joins the #DCtech Ranks

Yelp

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..

kojo
Deputy Mayor Kenner joins Washington Business Journal's Dan Sernovitz on the Kojo Show to talk about DC tech.

Annual Summer Job Fair: The Wharf!

joe

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. 

wharf
The Wharf Job Fair with over 500 candidates ready to work!

Unveiling of New Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge

Bridge

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. 


"What's Trending?" Visiting the District

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.

ddc

Thank You, MBSYEP Interns!

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! 

MBSYEP
Deputy Mayor Kenner and Economic Strategy team listens to interns present at program finale

Northwest One Community Clean-Up Day

nw1

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! 

nw1
Community comes out to help keep Northwest One clean & beautiful!

Annual National Night Out!

NNO

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! 


Affordable Housing Spotlight: Ward 4 Rehabilitation Made Possible by HPTF

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

HPTF