On May 7, Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner and Business Development Director Karima Woods, participated in Destination DC's 2019 Travel Rally and Press Conference.
During the event, officials announced that DC had a record-breaking 21.9 million visitors in 2018, the ninth consecutive year for tourism growth, and a record $7.8 billion in visitor spending.
Destination DC hosts its Travel Rally in support of the annual National Travel and Tourism Week, which is designed to generate awareness about the impact of travel and tourism on economic growth. In 2018, tourism spending supported 76,522 jobs in Washington, DC across all industries, which is up 2% over 2017.
“The continued growth of our city’s tourism industry reflects the overall strength and success of Washington, DC,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “From sporting events to restaurants to music venues and museums, we have more to do and see in our city than ever before. We’re proud to welcome people from around the world – to show them the city that is home to more than 700,000 Washingtonians, to create jobs and opportunity for our local businesses, and to share the history and culture that has made DC the best city in the world.”
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 Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner joins Destination DC CEO Elliott Ferguson and Business Development and Strategy Director Karima Woods to announce a ninth consecutive record-breaking year in tourism!
On May 9, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner, Events DC's President and CEO Greg O'Dell and the DMPED St. Elizabeths East team accepted the Community Impact Award for the Entertainment and Sports Arena at the DCBIA Annual Achievement Awards! The District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) Achievement Awards dinner is DCBIA's signature black-tie awards gala. DCBIA is the premier nonprofit trade association representing the real estate development industry in the District of Columbia.
This arena will deliver a significant economic boost to the area in:
- Attracting over 380,000 visitors per year;
- Spurring $4.5 million annually in new tax revenues - for a total of $90 million over the life of the 19-year lease;
- And creating retail and affordable housing opportunities near the Congress Heights Metro.
Don't miss the Mystics Home Opener and Block Party on June 1 at 2:00 PM!
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On May 11, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner cut the ribbon on the new International Spy Museum! The Spy Museum outgrew its original space in Penn Quarter at 800 F St. NW and it closed January 1.
The new building increases Spy’s exhibit space from 19,000 to 32,000 square feet, and includes a 145-seat theater, rooftop terrace and top-floor event space. It will allow the museum to entertain an additional 100,000 visitors annually and bring in more students.
“The opening of the International Spy Museum has been circled on our collective calendars for months. We know that it will draw so many to Washington, DC, further supporting L’Enfant Plaza, supporting tourism, and further supporting jobs,” said Mayor Bowser.
The new $162 million museum has been under construction for nearly two years; the building is owned by JBG Smith. The Spy Museum is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to espionage and the only one in the world to provide a global perspective on an all-but-invisible profession that has shaped history and continues to have a significant impact on world events. It features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display.
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On May 20, DMPED partnered with the Washington DC Economic Partnership to travel to Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers RECon annual event to celebrate retail in Washington, DC. This year, we had the distinct honor to announce that Lidl US plans to open its first store within the District of Columbia in Skyland Town Center, the 18.5-acre mixed-use development underway in Ward 7. The Skyland Development Team secured the lease with Lidl US, a grocer that sells its award-winning products in more than 65 stores across nine East Coast states.
“We are committed to opening stores in the most convenient location for our customers,” said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US. “We selected Skyland Town Center because it offers District residents an easily accessible, convenient and visible site. Understanding the history of the site and the tremendous anticipation from the community, we look forward to building a store customized for the shoppers of Skyland Town Center.”
Joining CVS and other restaurant and service uses, Lidl will occupy 29,089 square feet within the development, located in Ward 7 at the intersection of Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, and Good Hope Road. The store will be the first internationally recognized full-service supermarket to enter Wards 7 and 8 since 2007.
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 Mayor Bowser and Deputy Mayor Kenner announce that grocer, Lidl, is coming to a development in Ward 7.
On May 11, Apple, in partnership with Events DC and the Historical Society of Washington, DC, reopened 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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 Mayor Bowser celebrates a reimagined Carnegie Library and welcomes Apple as a flagship location!
On May 13, Mayor Muriel Bowser awarded over $2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2019 Great Streets Small Business Grants to 45 local small businesses. The investment continues Mayor Bowser’s effort to support local businesses, create new job opportunities for DC residents, and grow the District’s emerging neighborhoods.
“Small and local businesses are the backbone of our city’s economy – they hire locally, spend locally, and encourage residents and visitors to shop locally,” said Mayor Bowser. “With the Great Streets and Neighborhood Prosperity Fund programs, we’re making it more affordable to open and sustain a small business in our community. These are the types of programs that make our economy more inclusive, help us build thriving retail corridors across our city, and create DC jobs for DC residents – investing in them should be an easy decision.”
The announcement was made at Patrick’s Pet Care, a two-time grant recipient in Ward 5. This year’s grant recipients showcase the diversity of the District’s business community, from dance studios and nail salons to pharmacies and event spaces. The Fiscal Year 2019 grantees include:
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Ward 1: 13 Months Ethiopian Restaurant, AddisParis Café, Dance Institute of Washington, Inc., 13th Street Market, Empire LLC, FishScale Inc., Sport Clips Haircuts, Image Hair Studio, Inc., Dulcinea Bar & Grill, Universal Hair Salon, Mi Cuba Cafe. Inc., Coffy Café, Seven Market & Deli Inc., Story District Inc., Studio Chique, El West, Gees Market
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Ward 2: Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
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Ward 4: Hen and Fin, La Coop Coffee, DB Priston, Horace and Dickies, Las Placitas Café, Lighthouse Yoga Center, Quality Printers, S & A Beads, Inc., The Spice Suite, True International Inc., Vera Barber Salon, Cheesemonstor Studio
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Ward 5: 7DrumLessons, DC's Chocolate Bar & Bakery, District Floor Depot Inc., Homme LLC, North Capitol Pharmacy, Petit Scholars, Vernon Martins Salon, Patrick's Pet Care
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Ward 6: 10th Street Market
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Ward 8: Check-It Enterprises, Divine Styles, Medina Inc., J&D Market, Salon on the Ave, Zemen
There are currently 13 Great Streets corridors located across the District that aim to transform developing commercial corridors into thriving and inviting neighborhood centers: Pennsylvania Avenue, SE; Georgia Avenue, NW; Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE; 7th Street, NW, North Capitol Street, NW & NE; Rhode Island Avenue, NE; Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE and South Capitol Street, SE; Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road, NE and SE; Bladensburg Road, NE; Connecticut Avenue, NW; U Street – 14th Street, NW; Wisconsin Avenue, NW; H Street-Bladensburg Road, NE.
Through Great Streets, Mayor Bowser has awarded more than $16 million to 319 small businesses and helped create more than 1,000 jobs.
More information on Great Streets can be found at: greatstreets.dc.gov.
 Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner awarded over $2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2019 Great Streets Small Business Grants to 45 local small businesses.
The District of Columbia Retail Summit is the 1st retail summit hosted by DMPED, in partnership with Think Local First, that gathered local retailers, entrepreneurs and members of the small business community to discover ways we can build and grow DC’s retail economy.
Goals of Retail Summit were to:
- Help DC’s existing retail & restaurant community grow their business (through expansion or new business models/offerings)
- Educate business community on resources DC offers to retail/restaurant industry
- Facilitate relationships between brokers/landlords and DC’s business community
- Facilitates partnerships (B-2-B) between DC’s business community
- Market DC’s commercial neighborhoods/opportunities to local & regional audience
- Promote DC’s innovative retail & restaurant entrepreneurs to local & regional audience
Thank you to Lee's Flower Shop, Steadfast Supply, Bikram YogaWorks, Nubian Hueman, Le Bustiere, Lettie Gooch Boutique, Industrial Bank, Wacif, Moxy Bank, Cake Love In A Jar, Shrub District, Republic Restoratives Distillery, Recast City, Grubbs Pharmacy, Yes! Organic Market, Medium Rare, Warehouse Industries and the various DC agencies and developers that participated in our panel discussions on retail in the District!
We hope you all enjoyed this event and hope to see you next year!
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On May 21, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that through collaborations with Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White and Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Chairperson of the Committee on Business and Economic Development, the Bowser Administration will reintroduce legislation for the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Reunion Square, moving forward a mixed-use development project that will create affordable housing for seniors and support small business growth in Ward 8. This is the first ever TIF in Ward 8. The 1.5 million square-foot development is adjacent to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Shannon Place, Railroad Avenue, V Street, and W Street, SE in Anacostia.
“This agreement is the result of months of hard work in negotiating with the development team to ensure that this development is responsible, inclusive, and equitable. I am happy to announce that as a result, we have doubled the affordable housing on the deal, included housing for seniors, deepened the levels of affordability, expanded contracting and job opportunities for Ward 8 residents, and increased benefits to Ward 8 community groups from $250,000 to over $1.3 million,” said Councilmember Trayon White. “Moving forward, I will work to ensure that all new Ward 8 development represents the commitment to responsible and equitable development that is reflected in this agreement. I’d like to thank Mayor Bowser, Councilmember McDuffie, the community, and the Reunion Square team for their work to bring this to fruition.”
The Reunion Square TIF will support the redevelopment of an underutilized site located near the Anacostia Metrorail Station. Through collaborations with the councilmembers and the Four Points development team, the revised development plan for the project will include:
- 143 affordable units with 134 dedicated to seniors, the units include 25 for households earning less than 30 percent Median Family Income (MFI) and 95 for households earning less than 60 percent of MFI
- 2,000 square feet of affordable space for local retail and 5,000 square feet of affordable local office space for Ward 8 businesses
- Affordable space for the Anacostia Playhouse
- Additionally, the DC Department of Health will relocate its headquarters to the site
The first phase of this development yielded a Class A office building at 2235 Shannon Place, SE. The next phases are contingent upon TIF funding.
On May 11, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Deputy Mayor Kenner celebrated DC's vibrant music and arts, the history of Black Broadway, and the Spirit of Funk at the 6th annual Funk Parade, a one-of-a-kind day fair, parade and music festival in Washington DC's U Street neighborhood!
 Deputy Mayor Kenner and Sheila Reid, Director of Mayor's Office of LGBTQ, celebrating 6th annual Funk Parade!
On May 14, Deputy Mayor Kenner officially welcomed the 2019 AmChams in Europe Conference Delegates to Washington, DC! AmChams are independent, non-governmental business associations – all accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as representatives of U.S business in their respective country.
"Tourism is responsible for more than 75,000 local jobs and more than $7.5 billion in spending," said Deputy Mayor Kenner. "Through the work of Destination DC we are attracting visitors from around the globe -- adding direct flights to and from China, India, and, most recently, El Salvador, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong."
AmChams in Europe serves as the umbrella organization for 45 American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams) from 43 countries throughout Europe and Eurasia. In Europe, they represent the interests of more than 17,000 American and European companies employing 20 million workers – account for more than $ 1.1 trillion in investment on both sides of the Atlantic. As a bilateral voice of American and European companies, AmChams in Europe works to communicate the importance of the transatlantic economy in both Europe and the United States.
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On May 14, Sarosh Olpadwala, Director of Real Estate Development for DMPED, participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for Signal House at Union Market with Carr Properties.
Signal House, once completed, will be an eleven-story, trophy office building located in the Union Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C. adjacent to Florida Avenue and less than a five-minute walk from the NOMA-Gallaudet Metro Station. Designed by Gensler, the 225,000 RSF project will pay tribute to its historically industrial surroundings with a truly unique terracotta, metal, and glass exterior.
"We aren’t just creating jobs in the District – we are being intentional as we foster economic development in every area of the city." said Sarosh Olpadwala. "That’s why I am so excited about everything we are doing to breathe new life into this neighborhood."
Signal House will feature some of the tallest ceiling heights and widest column spacing in the city. In addition, Signal House will offer private terraces, a windowed conference center, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, below-grade parking, secure bike storage, 11,000 RSF of premium retail, and a rooftop boasting a DJ booth, karaoke room, kitchen, bar, and breathtaking views of the Capitol.
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On May 16, Sarosh Olpadwala, Director of Real Estate, gave remarks on Eckington's ONE 501 groundbreaking ceremony.
"The Workforce Housing Fund is just one part of the work we are doing to ensure that DC is a place that residents and families at all income levels can afford." said Sarosh Olpadwala. "And, we are proud that this development right here reflects those values and the important work we are doing to bring housing, jobs, opportunity and amenities to every part of our city."
Foulger-Pratt acquired a 1.80-acre site in the NoMa/Eckington submarket in NE Washington, DC which they plan to redevelop into a 327-unit community with 9k SF of retail. The urban infill site is a short walk to the NoMa/Gallaudet Metro and Union Market and adjacent to Tanner Park. Folger-Pratt is excited to deliver a luxury apartment community to a sub-market that is poised to offer a strong retail, dining, and entertainment scene, and is rapidly evolving into one of DC’s hottest neighborhoods.
 Sarosh Olpadwala and Councilmember McDuffie participate in a groundbreaking on Foulger-Pratt’s ONE 501 development in Ward 5.
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