Press Release: Two DHCD Sites to Transform into 28 Affordable Housing Units in Wards 1 and 5
District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 04/26/2018 10:42 AM EDT
April 26, 2018
Two DHCD Sites to Transform into 28 Affordable Housing Unitsin Wards 1 and 5
Mi Casa and Manna projects will include family-sized units
Media Contact: Gwendolyn Cofield | Communications Director |(P) 202-442-5716 (E) gwendolyn.cofield@dc.gov
(Washington, DC) – The
DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced that 28
affordable housing units—most of which will be family-sized—will be coming to
Wards 1 and 5 as the result of the disposition of District-owned properties.
“While some may contend that you
cannot create affordable housing in popular neighborhoods in the District, we
are proving in fact it is possible,” said DHCD Director Polly Donaldson. “We
are making this happen by using every tool in our toolbox, such as the vacant
property in our inventory, to provide affordable housing. We are particularly
pleased that through these projects, more families, singles and seniors can
grow roots in District neighborhoods where housing prices have risen
dramatically in recent years and can have easy access to transportation,
schools, retail and other amenities.”
Mi
Casa, Inc., will
develop property at Florida Avenue and Q Street NW in Ward 5 into the
Barnett-Adan Apartments, a 24-unit affordable housing project with 75 percent family-sized
units. It will include permanent supportive housing (PSH), fully accessible and
aging in place units.
Manna
Inc., will construct four units of affordable housing
for families, along with two market-rate units, at the intersection of 8th and
T Streets NW. That Ward 1 site is in the Shaw Greater U Street Historic
District.
The properties were part
of the inventory in DHCD’s Property Acquisition and Disposition Division
(PADD).
The Barnett-Adan Apartments will
reflect the architectural tradition of the nearby Bates, Bloomingdale, and
Truxton neighborhoods. It also will reflect the desire to offer a variety of
affordable housing choices in those neighborhoods by providing six
three-bedroom units, 12 two-bedroom units and six one-bedroom units. All will
be affordable to households making no more than 80 percent of the Median Family
Income (MFI). The specific MFI breakdown (for 2018) is as follows: (1) five
units at or below $35,160 (30 percent MFI); (2) five units at or below $58,600
(50 percent MFI); (3) eight units at or below $70,320 (60 percent MFI); and (4)
six units at or below $93,760 (80 percent MFI). The project also will have
ground floor commercial space, and its Energy Star/high-efficiency construction
will include a rooftop terrace and solar. Rear off-street parking will be
available for residents and commercial tenants. Construction is expected to
begin within six months.
“Mi Casa is thrilled to be awarded
the site, as we believe the proposed Barnett-Adan Apartments will provide an
attractive neighborhood benefit for years to come,” said Mi Casa Deputy
Director Elin Zurbrigg. “We are committed to building an attractive,
low-density, in-context building that has housing options for seniors, lower
income households, young professionals, middle class families and persons with
special needs.”
Manna’s four affordable housing
units will be three bedrooms, which will allow families to grow in place. They
will be designated for first-time homebuyers making between $58,600 and $93,760
(50 percent and 80 percent MFI).
“Our gratitude goes to Mayor Bowser
and her commitment to affordable homeownership in all Wards of DC, to Director
Polly Donaldson and her staff at DHCD and those at United Bank [which will help
finance the development] who have worked diligently to make this project
possible,” said Manna Founder/President/CEO Jim Dickerson. “The legacy of this
project will be a lasting one—not only for the first-homebuyers who live there
but also for their children and grandchildren who will benefit from this
example of homeownership.”
Bowser Administration’s Commitment to Affordable
Housing
Since coming into office, the Bowser
Administration has sparked the creation or preservation of more 10,400
affordable units, with another 2,950 in preconstruction. In Fiscal Year 2017,
the District made historic investments in affordable housing, getting more than
$138 million in Housing Production Trust Fund financing out the door to support
23 projects that will produce or preserve more than 1,500 affordable units.
Recently, Mayor Muriel
Bowser announced the sale of 33 District-owned vacant properties that will be
transformed into affordable workforce housing. The properties were sold in an
auction as part of Vacant to Vibrant DC—a program announced
December 2017 to turn the balance of PADD’s inventory into vibrant and
productive solutions.
The District’s
multi-pronged approach to housing production and preservation, homeownership,
and development of vacant properties is winning national recognition. The
District is the 2017 winner of the Urban Land
Institute’s Larson Housing Policy Leadership Award. This annual award, provided
by ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing, recognizes innovative ways the public
sector is addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis.
During her State of the
District address, Mayor Bowser announced Roots
to Roofs DC, an initiative that highlights the programs, tools, and resources
her Administration is using to make Washington, DC more affordable for
residents in all eight wards.