 Greetings Washingtonians,
The District recently lost a strong affordable
housing advocate, Oramenta Newsome, who passed away February 1 after a brief
illness.
Oramenta was the vice president for the DC and Virginia
programs of Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), where
under her leadership, LISC DC invested nearly $285 million in affordable
housing, economic development and jobs across the District.
I had the pleasure of knowing Oramenta before I became DHCD Director,
while I was in charge of a homeless services non-profit. Oramenta’s guidance helped
me to pivot and do more by becoming a new developer of affordable housing. What
I most admired about Oramenta was that she clearly understood the financial
risk involved in non-profit affordable housing development and yet was able to provide
key, catalytic support and resources. Oramenta did the risk calculus and was
always there to measure the reward for the community.
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 As DHCD Director, I came to know another Oramenta, full of sage advice and counsel as a key member of the Housing Production Trust Fund Advisory Board. As a lender and philanthropist, Oramenta truly understood that the partnership with the District government was essential for affordable housing.
I could say more about this remarkable woman, but a Washington Post obituary and LISC tribute page nicely chronicle the story of a life well lived, in service to her community. I shall miss her.
Polly Donaldson, DHCD Director
Follow me on Twitter @maryrandolph
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 Successful Auction Marks Further Progress with Vacant to Vibrant DC
DHCD continues to make progress to provide more workforce
housing in the District with the closing of an auction of 33 properties through
the Vacant to Vibrant DC
initiative.
The five-day
auction by Alex Cooper Auctioneers closed January 23, with all
33 sites—in neighborhoods such as Bellvue (Ward 8), Carver/Langston (Ward 5),
Deanwood (Ward 7), and Park View (Ward 1)—receiving bids. The winning bidder
will have to create workforce housing under specific criteria and timeframes.
Now that the auction has closed, the winning bidders are being notified and
administrative steps are being taken to finalize the purchase agreement.
Vacant to
Vibrant DC was launched in December 2017 to transform the balance of inventory
in DHCD’s Property Acquisition and
Disposition Division (PADD) into productive solutions using
five action points. There has also been movement on other Vacant to Vibrant DC
action points: (1) Phase 1 of the Certified Business Enterprises CBE
solicitation is moving forward; an announcement will be made in March, and another solicitation will be released during that timeframe; (2)
DC Housing Financing Agency (DCHFA)’s Housing Investment Platform HIP closed its
request for qualifications (RFQ) on January 3 and approved six developer
partners and DCHFA will select the final partners in February; and (3) this spring, the public can
look forward to learning more about the green space expansion with Casey Trees and the tiny home
demonstration project in partnership with the DC
Students Construction Trades Foundation.
 Two Projects Will Provide Senior Housing, Community Services in Wards 5 and 8
DHCD recently closed two loan agreements totaling more than $17.5 million that will help preserve 159 affordable housing units in Wards 5 and 8, including 65 units for residents age 55 and older. The funding was made available through the HPTF.
DHCD provided $10.8 million in HPTF financing to 1164 Bladensburg, LLC, a joint venture between Neighborhood Development Company (NDC) and Tennyson Ventures, for the construction of a new 65-unit apartment building for residents age 55 and older at 1164 Bladensburg Road NE in the Trinidad/H Street Corridor neighborhood. (See rendering above.)
Fifty-two affordable units will be available for households at or below $55,150 (50 percent of the Median Family Income [MFI]) and remain affordable for no less than 40 years; 13 units will be available for households at or below $33,090 (30 percent MFI).
DHCD also provided Vesta Maplewood LLC, a joint venture between Vesta Corporation and Hopmeadow Development, Inc., with nearly $6.7 million in HPTF financing for the preservation of 94 affordable housing units at Maplewood Courts, 2306 Hartford Street, SE in the Garfield Heights neighborhood. Ten affordable units will be available for households at or below 30 percent MFI and remain affordable for no less than 40 years; 84 units will be available for households at or below 50 percent MFI.
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 District Agencies Announce
Progress to Transform Parkway Overlook Community
Several District government agencies closed
a financing deal that will preserve 220 affordable housing units in the long
vacant Parkway Overlook Apartments in the Ward 8 neighborhood of Congress
Heights.
This effort in affordable housing
preservation was made possible through the collaboration of the DC Housing Authority (DCHA), DCHFA, the DC Department
of the Environment (DOEE) and DHCD, which provided $20.1 million in HPTF financing.
Capitol Housing Partners LLC, a
subsidiary entity controlled by DCHA, will
use the DHCD and DCHFA funding to acquire and rehabilitate the complex at 2841
Robinson Place SE. The $82.2 million rehabilitation will result in units affordable
to households making up to 50 percent MFI. Eleven units will be available for
households at or below 30 percent MFI and will be set-aside as
permanent supportive housing.
The units will be comprised of 53 one-bedroom, 108 two-bedroom and 59
three-bedroom apartments and therefore will accommodate a variety of family
sizes. The project also will provide workforce development training to residents and
energy savings through the installation of solar panels, under DOEE’s Solar for All program.
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