October 19, 2017 | Vol. 3, Issue 42
Dear Washingtonians,
We have submitted Washington, DC's proposal to become the future home of Amazon HQ2. The idea of bringing Amazon—and the 50,000 jobs that will come with it—to Washington, DC is an exciting one for our city. A must for me is ensuring that all Washingtonians have a fair shot in our
changing economy. That fair shot equation is a simple one: good-paying
jobs + quality, affordable housing = a thriving middle class in DC. Locating Amazon HQ2 here would help us
achieve that result faster.
As we put the finishing touches on our proposal, my team and I have been around the city celebrating the people, programs, initiatives, and investments that continue to make Washington, DC the greatest city in the world and the best location for Amazon's second headquarters. We kicked off #ObviouslyDC Week on Monday at the new Shop Made in DC store, which officially opens today. Shop Made in DC represents so much of what we love about our city, and 50,000 new jobs means more customers for our local entrepreneurs.
We continued #ObviouslyDC Week with a series of announcements highlighting our commitment to equitable growth and inclusive prosperity. On Monday afternoon, we presented a certificate to Lower Georgia Avenue Main Street, designating the area as a full member of the DC Main Streets program. On Tuesday, we announced the awardees for the Neighborhood Prosperity Fund. Through these grants, we are providing necessary gap funding for projects that will create job opportunities and new grocery options in Wards 7 and 8. Yesterday, we unveiled the modernized American Job Center, updated with state-of-the-art equipment that will streamline the customer service experience for residents. We also announced that Starbucks has signed a letter of intent to become the anchor tenant at a new affordable housing development in Ward 8, bringing jobs and business to a long-vacant parcel in the heart of historic Anacostia. And, today, we celebrated a new, and the District's first, Uber Greenlight Hub coming to the East River Park Shopping Center in Ward 7.
My Administration is committed to continuing to build an inclusive
city—a city that supports our DC values and welcomes people of all backgrounds
and income levels. We submitted a proposal to bring Amazon HQ2 to DC because I am sure of this: we can make DC work for Amazon
and Amazon work for us. Learn more about our proposal at ObviouslyDC.com.
Sincerely,
One more reason Washington, DC is the best city for Amazon HQ2: This week, the Walk Friendly Communities (WFC) program announced that Washington, DC has retained its gold status designation as a walk-friendly city. Washington, DC was the only community to earn gold status during this round of designations.
Over the past two years, the DC Department of Transportation has added 1.2 miles of new sidewalk throughout all eight wards, closing 20 percent of the gaps in the city’s 1,500-mile sidewalk network. In addition, new infrastructure, such as the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, has been developed with robust pedestrian transit facilities that connect to other transit modes, and the Street Smart campaigns have also grown to include more collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions. Today, nearly 14 percent of DC residents walk to their place of work, the second highest percentage amongst cities in the nation.
Learn more about DC's gold status designation HERE.
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On Tuesday, October 24, join Mayor Bowser at the 31st Annual 17th Street High Heel Race. The High Heel Race is one of Washington, DC's most unique and popular events. Each year, thousands of spectators flock to the event to watch drag queens show off their amazing outfits and race down 17th Street in heels.
The parade starts at 7:00 p.m. and the race, which generally lasts fewer than ten minutes, will start at 9:00 p.m.
RSVP to join us HERE.
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On Thursday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m. the Bowser Administration is hosting a free screening of "Marshall" at Ron Brown College Preparatory High School. Starring Chadwick Boseman, "Marshall" follows a young Thurgood Marshall during one of the first cases of his career as a lawyer for the NAACP.
Learn more and RSVP HERE.
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This week’s District
Minute features stories about the grand opening of The Wharf, AlleyPalooza 6.0, and the Mayor's visit to Shop Made in DC.
The DC Office of Planning (OP) performs planning for neighborhoods, corridors, districts, historic preservation, public facilities, parks and open spaces, and individual sites. In addition, OP engages in urban design, land use, and historic preservation review.
OP has an opening in the Historic Preservation Division. The position is responsible for performing a variety of field and site inspections and conducting historic district and site surveillances. All details regarding this
vacancy, including qualifications, can be found by visiting the job announcement.
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