Apple Store Set to Open at DC's Carnegie Library
On May 11, Apple, in partnership with Events DC and the Historical Society of Washington, DC, will reopen the doors of the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square to offer a reimagined retail experience while continuing and reinventing the building’s original purpose of sharing knowledge and information.
“We’re excited to welcome Apple to our historic Carnegie Library. I applaud Apple, Events DC, and the Historical Society of Washington for this innovative partnership that creates jobs, brings amenities to the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood, and reactivates an iconic DC landmark. This is another signal that DC is open for business as we continue to attract global retail companies,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
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New hotel creating jobs and contracting opportunities for District residents
On April 9, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner joined executives from Hilton, Hines, and Qatari Diar, as well as DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, to celebrate the grand opening of the Conrad Washington, DC, located at CityCenterDC.
“We all know Washington, DC is not only a great place to live and work – it’s also the best city in the world to visit and to do business in,” said Mayor Bowser. “Through private partnerships, we’re adding important hospitality options that create jobs for our residents and opportunities for our small businesses.”
The 360-room hotel, situated at the corner of New York Avenue and 10th Street NW, is the first for Conrad Hotels & Resorts in the nation’s capital. The hotel created approximately 800 construction jobs and 270 permanent jobs for the District and provided contracting opportunities valued at $72 million for 38 CBE companies during the construction phase, with additional CBEs to receive contracts during operations.
Phase I of CityCenterDC, was completed in December 2013 and included 524,000 square feet of office space, 458 residential units, with 92 being affordable, and high-end retail options to Downtown. Presenting more than 30 world-class designer shops and boutiques, as well as some of the city’s best-known and critically acclaimed restaurants, CityCenterDC is a prized destination for both local Washingtonians and visitors.
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 Mayor Bowser cut the ribbon at the grand opening celebration for Washington, DC's newest luxury hotel located at CityCenterDC.
On April 4, Mayor Bowser released the District’s first-ever Cultural Plan, which outlines 23 policies and eight investment recommendations to address issues of affordability, access, and sustainability and to strengthen the people, places, communities, and ideas that define Washington, DC.
“Washington, DC is a diverse and inclusive city with a thriving creative economy – one that we are committed to supporting by investing in and strengthening our arts and culture scenes,” said Mayor Bowser. “The DC Cultural Plan will help us leverage the resources, passion, and talents that already exist across all eight wards to protect and expand cultural and creative opportunities in our city.”
Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal invests in several of the Cultural Plan’s recommendations for first-year implementation, including establishing a new Cultural Facilities Fund, a new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, a Public Space Security Fund, and a new Center for Cultural Opportunities to provide business development-related resources and trainings.
The DC Cultural Plan is available online at www.dcculturalplan.org.
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On April 2, Mayor Bowser joined businessman and Entrepreneur Mark Ein, who has been one of the leading sports owners and supporters in the nation’s capital, in announcing that he has signed a deal with the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF) for the Citi Open, the celebrated tennis tournament that has brought some of the biggest names in tennis to the nation’s capital for the last 51 years, while donating millions to causes focused on children in underserved areas of the city. Washington’s stop on the men’s pro tennis tour, which boasts an average attendance of 72,000 each summer, will continue to be played at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, which is owned by the National Park Service, making this tournament one of the most unique sports venues in the country.
"Washington, DC is not just the nation’s capital, we are also the sports capital," said Mayor Bowser. "We’ve made big investments to get here: From Nats Park to Audi Field to the new Entertainment and Sports Arena, we have been intentional about creating an environment that works for athletes, teams, and fans alike. And it just wouldn’t be summer in the sports capital without the Citi Open."
The tournament serves as an important stop on the ATP World Tour 500 and WTA International circuits. Over the years, the tournament has attracted tennis’s top players, among them Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Bob and Mike Bryan, Juan Martin del Potro, and John Isner.
 Mayor Bowser congratulating Mark Ein and the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation on signing a deal, which will allow the tournament to remain in the District–where it’s called home, for over 50 years.
On April 2, Mayor Muriel Bowser joined Target executives to welcome two small-format Target stores in the District of Columbia at 7828 Georgia Avenue NW in Shepherd Park, Ward 4 and at 3505 Connecticut Ave. NW in Cleveland Park, Ward 3.
Mayor Bowser, joined by Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, participated in a store preview and ribbon cutting at the Shepherd Park store in advance of the grand openings on April 7 of both new stores. The approximately 25,000-square-foot Cleveland Park store and 31,000-square-foot Shepherd Park store will become the retailer’s second and third stores in the District – the existing store is located in Columbia Heights at 3100 14th St NW.
“Target is excited to open the doors to two new stores in D.C. this week, serving guests within the Shepherd Park and Cleveland Park communities and beyond. Already, we’ve received a warm welcome from the local neighborhoods, and our more than 100 new team members are ready to bring an easy and convenient shopping experience to area residents,” said Jason Ramey, D.C. district senior director, Target.
Target has announced plans for two other stores in the District – in Tenleytown and Ivy City – that are projected to open next year.
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On April 9, Mayor Muriel Bowser participated in a press conference at which Children’s National Health System and Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC announced a collaboration to launch “JLABS @ Washington, DC” at the site of the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus in Ward 4.
“It’s clear that Washington, DC has the talent, ideas, and passion to support a robust health care industry, biotech sector, and tech scene, and we are proud to welcome Johnson & Johnson as they join Children’s National on the historic Walter Reed campus,” said Mayor Bowser. “This combination of a world-class children’s hospital and biotech incubator will drive discoveries that save lives, create jobs, and further strengthen DC’s status as the capital of inclusive innovation.”
At its new site on Walter Reed, JLABS, a premier life science incubator, will be part of Children’s National transformation of 12 acres into a one-of-a-kind research and innovation hub to drive discoveries that save and improve the lives of children. The Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus is part of the redevelopment of 66-acres of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus, now called the Parks at Walter Reed, transferred to the District in 2016 by the U.S. Army.
Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABS also announced a QuickFire Challenge for the DC location. Entrepreneurs with the best solutions or ideas will receive up to $150,000 in grant funding plus one year of residency and mentoring from the company. Washington, DC joins other national and international locations including San Diego and San Francisco, California; Boston and Lowell, Massachusetts; Houston, Toronto, New York City, Beerse, Belgium and Shanghai, China (opening June 2019). In 2017, Mayor Bowser, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans toured the JLABS site in Toronto during a trade mission with Maryland and Virginia officials.
“JLABS is an integral part of our external innovation strategy designed to help catalyze development of new healthcare solutions globally,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, Johnson & Johnson. “We are delighted to launch JLABS @ Washington, DC in this uniquely vibrant and diverse life sciences ecosystem of world-class medical research centers, universities and government entities that can help us address some of the world’s most critical emerging health threats.”
Over the next 30 years, The Parks at Walter Reed will generate 5,000 jobs, 2,100 units of housing, 432 of which will be affordable housing units, and nearly $1 billion in tax revenue. The project has already delivered several community-serving benefits: In February 2018, Mayor Bowser cut the ribbon on the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Engine Company 22 and in September 2017, the DC International and LAMB Schools opened in the former Delano Hall. In addition, Mayor Bowser broke ground on 80 affordable apartments for seniors and 77 units for previously homeless veterans in the former Abrams Hall as well as 390 new market-rate and affordable housing units in the first new construction on the historic Walter Reed campus at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Aspen Street, NW.
In March and April, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development hosted two Our RFP workshops to gain insight from community stakeholders on how to shape the future development of the former Fletcher-Johnson elementary school located on Benning Road SE in the Marshall Heights neighborhood.
At the workshops, DMPED provided a thorough analysis of the Fletcher-Johnson site, neighborhood and market context.
Our RFP is a Mayoral Initiative that incorporates community engagement early in the request for proposals (RFP) process. Early engagement with the community will ensure that the public’s perspective and priorities are understood in conjunction with the District’s goals when crafting and issuing the RFP for this District-owned parcel. To learn more about the Fletcher-Johnson site, go to https://dmped.dc.gov/OurRFP_FletcherJohnson.
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On April 24, Sarosh Olpadwala, Director of Real Estate Development for DMPED, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for Press House at Union District with Foulger Pratt and NoMa Business Improvement District. Construction is beginning on this 350 apartment unit, 175-room hotel, 27,000 sf retail, 26,000 sf office development.
"We are bringing to life the vision our community set forth for this site," said Sarosh Olpadwala. "And, we are delivering on our promise to create more housing for residents on every part of the income spectrum."
There will be a total of 31 affordable units at Press House. Eleven of those will be 2-bedroom, 2-bath containing 915 square feet and offered at 50% AMI, making these rents about $1,000 compared to the market rate of about $3,000.
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On April 18, Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner participated on a panel discussion in Nashville to share how DC is proactively leveraging the Opportunity Zones program to align with DC priorities such as job creation, affordable housing and small business opportunities. The panel was hosted by the ULI Public Private Partnership Council. To learn more about DC’s Opportunity Zones, go to opzones.dc.gov. |
On April 11, Mayor Bowser hosted an affordable housing roundtable with members of DC Government’s workforce to discuss challenges they have encountered identifying affordable housing in the District. As part of her Fiscal Year 2020 budget, Mayor Bowser has proposed investing $20 million fund to support housing that serves working families.
“I’ve said that we won’t solve our housing challenges by only using the tools we already have—we must think bigger and bolder. So, we’ve created a new tool: a $20 million Workforce Housing Fund that will create and preserve housing for teachers, police officers, firefighters, janitors, social workers—those who have a good-paying job but also need a good, affordable home in our city,” said Mayor Bowser.
The roundtable featured a discussion with DC government employees including teachers, social workers, police officers and firefighters.
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DMPED Real Estate Projects Recognized by Washington Business Journal and ULI
DMPED was honored to receive recent recognition for its real estate projects. DMPED received the Best Real Estate Deal Award from the Washington Business Journal for two projects: the Entertainment and Sports Arena and Audi Field! The Entertainment and Sports Arena also received the WBJ Game Changer Award.
Audi Field/Buzzard Point was also nominated as one of the finalists for the “ULI 2019 Trends Award” for the “Excellence in Institutional Development and Impact” category.
We are so proud of our projects and delivering for DC!
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