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July Edition 2019
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As you know, housing is a continued focus for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s office. You may have also heard that our goal is 36,000 units by 2025. Of these 36,000 new units, at least 12,000 must be affordable to low-income households, with the preservation of an additional 6,000 units of affordable housing. To meet this bold new target, the District will need to strategically plan for where these new units can be located throughout the city. As part of this process, the Office of Planning will be undertaking a housing systems analysis to develop housing production targets for each of the District’s planning areas.
Earlier this month, in partnership with the Office of Planning and the Department of Housing and Community Development, we engaged with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to hone in on the development of affordable housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods in the District, specifically in areas west of Rock Creek Park. The panel’s findings helped inform the District of potential strategies to accelerate housing production to meet the growing demand for housing across the city.
July was a fruitful month when it came to producing and preserving housing. We launched our housing data blog, celebrated the topping out for Skyland Town Center in Ward 7 bringing 450 to 500 residential apartments upon full completion, preserved over 1,000 affordable housing units at Worthington Woods in Ward 8, and completed four family-sized affordable townhomes at 8th and T Streets, NW in the Shaw neighborhood of Ward 1.
As we look to August and beyond, we are focused on ensuring housing for all across all eight wards!
Early this month, Mayor Bowser announced the appointment of John Falcicchio as the Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Mr. Falcicchio has served as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff since the start of her Administration after volunteering as a campaign advisor and director of Mayor-elect Bowser’s transition. Mr. Falcicchio previously served as a Senior Vice President of DKC, a New York based public relations firm; as a Regional Political Director for the Democratic National Committee during the re-election of President Obama; and as a long-time aide to former Mayor Adrian Fenty. The search for the next Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development will continue this summer.
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On July 18, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) celebrated the topping out of Skyland Town Center with community members, construction workers, and the development team of Rappaport and WC Smith, signifying that Phase 1 of the 18-acre, mixed-use community has reached its final construction height. In May, Mayor Bowser and the development team announced that they secured the lease with Lidl US, a well-known supermarket chain that operates more than 65 stores across nine East Coast states, to open at Skyland Town Center. The store, which will occupy 29,089 square feet within Skyland, will be the first internationally recognized full-service supermarket to enter Wards 7 and 8 since 2007.
"Mayor Bowser understands that Ward 7 and Ward 8 deserve the same options as the rest of the city", said Charles Young, a Ward 8 resident who found a construction job through the Skyland Workforce Development Center.
For more than 15 years, the District has sought to redevelop the area that was once the Skyland Shopping Center, located at the intersection of Alabama Avenue, Naylor Road, and Good Hope Road in Southeast Washington, DC. Mayor Bowser moved the project forward by providing a $7 million grant for infrastructure work, as well as up to $3.6 million to Safeway to release a covenant on the site that was preventing the deal from progressing. Additionally, the mixed-use project was approved for Tax Increment Financing funding, which the Mayor restructured after the anchor tenant broke their commitment to the project.
Skyland Town Center’s first phase of 84,500 square feet of retail also includes CVS Pharmacy, which has been operating in a temporary trailer during construction, and 263 apartments to open in the fourth quarter of 2020, including 79 affordable units. Upon completion, Skyland Town Center will have up to 156,000 square feet of retail and 450 to 500 residential apartments in a vibrant town square setting.
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 Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the topping out for the Skyland Town Center, a mixed-use development in Ward 7 that will create affordable housing, retail and bring a grocer, Lidl.
On June 26, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, and Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John J. Falcicchio broke ground on Phase I of Bryant Street, a 13-acre mixed-use development that will deliver 487 apartment units, a nine-screen cinema, and 35,000 square feet of retail to Ward 5. The District provided a Tax-Increment Financing (TIF) agreement for the first phase of the development, which is expected to generate about $4 million in annual tax revenue.
“Projects of this scale do not happen overnight,” said Interim Deputy Mayor John J. Falchiccio. “Bryant Street is a combined effort of public and private resources to ensure that we are delivering amenity-rich developments in parts of the city that have been heavily utilized over the years."
Phase I is a joint venture by MRP Realty and FRP Development Corp. The project at full completion will include 1,500 apartment units and 250,000 square feet of retail and significant public realm improvements, including a plaza, new urban grid, dog park, and ample outdoor seating.
The community will be located at the nexus of the Edgewood, Eckington, Brookland, and Brentwood neighborhoods with direct access to the Rhode Island Ave Metrorail bridge. Additionally, Bryant Street will be LEED certified and will boast an above average Green Area Ratio, green roofs on all buildings and considerable improvement to stormwater management over the current shopping center.
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 Mayor Bowser breaking ground at Bryant Street, a 13-acre development to deliver 487 apartment units, a nine-screen Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and an additional 35,000 square feet of ground floor retail plaza in Ward 5.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced the development teams for three projects in Wards 6, 7, and 8 that will deliver more than 300 affordable homes for low- and middle-income families, including both rentals and homeownership opportunities.
“To achieve our goal of producing 36,000 homes by 2025 – including 12,000 affordable units – we need to make bold investments in the types of projects that support long-time residents, seniors, and families across the income spectrum,” said Mayor Bowser. “From family-sized rentals to townhouses, we need an all-of-the-above strategy to keep DC affordable, stable, and sustainable. I look forward to breaking ground on these projects and welcoming District residents to their new homes.”
2 Patterson Street, NE (Ward 6)
The development team of Monument Realty, Morningstar Community Development, The May Firm, and Community Housing Partners was selected out of six proposals for 2 Patterson Street, NE, a one-acre lot at North Capitol Street, just south of New York Avenue on the western edge of the NoMa neighborhood in Ward 6. The 13-story building will include 577 rental units, including 325 units of affordable housing, in a variety of sizes from studio to three- and four-bedroom units suitable for families.
The project will provide 195 units to households making less than 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) (or about $58,600 for a family of four), 130 units at 80% AMI (about $93,750 for a family of four), and 217 housing units at 100-120% of AMI (between $117,200 and $140,650 for a family of four) to also address housing needs for middle-income families. The development will also feature 18,000 square feet of retail, 4,500 square feet of community space, and a new park that will be open for public use.
Howard Road, SE (Ward 8)
The team of Howard Road Community Partners LLC was chosen to develop a parcel of vacant land located at 1004-1018 Howard Road and Shannon Place, SE across from the Anacostia Metro Station in Ward 8. The team is led by H2DesignBuild and includes ASSET Management Consulting, both local, 100% minority-owned companies.
The development will offer 18 homeownership opportunities, including six affordable units – three units priced at 50% AMI and three units at 80% AMI – and the remaining 12 units targeted to middle-income households at 120% AMI. All units will be three-bedroom, family-sized homes similar in size and features. This development is part of the Housing Investment Platform, a program administered by the DC Housing Financing Agency, to support homeownership opportunities for working families.
Eden Place Phase II (Ward 7)
The team made up of the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights, HEP Construction, and Define Development Group will develop Eden Place Phase II, a community of 14 family-size, for-sale townhomes, located in the Deanwood neighborhood of Ward 7 at 6100 Dix Street, NE.
The townhouses are three- and four-bedroom units, with two units at 50% AMI, three at 80% AMI, and nine at 120% AMI. The developer is a local minority- and women-owned business and has pledged to prioritize opportunities for Ward 7 and East of the River-based businesses. The Phase II development will also include improvements to the storm water management of the Phase I sites.
The DC Housing Data Blog is here to provide analysis on housing in the District, as well as on the many factors that influence housing — such as jobs, businesses, demographics, and the economy. We delve into DC’s existing housing policies, probe the Affordable Housing Database, and peer into creation and evolution of the District’s housing data.
If you have observations, analysis, or questions about housing data in DC, we’d love to hear from you!
On July 10th, two-time Great Streets Small Business Grant awardee, Calabash Tea and Tonic, celebrated the grand opening of their second storefront at 2701 12th Street NE in Ward 5’s Brookland neighborhood. Calabash’s flagship store is located in Shaw at 1847 7th Street NW.
“Our Great Streets grantees never cease to amaze me!" said Karima Woods. "The ways in which they use the grants to transform and grow their businesses, and pour back into the community is commendable. The small business community truly adds to the vibrancy of Washington, DC and I’m proud to support them.”
Calabash received its first Great Streets grant in 2015 and second in 2018, which ultimately contributed to their expansion. Their new location encompasses a much larger space and allows Calabash to expand its wholesale business. Calabash’s Brookland location features over 50 organic tea blends, coffee, vegetarian vittles, kombucha, and will eventually introduce weekend brunch, superfood lattes, scheduled programming and more.
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Created in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones (OZ) is a new federal program that provides tax incentives for investments in new businesses and commercial projects in low-income communities designated as Opportunity Zones. There are 25 Opportunity Zones in DC, and this month DMPED launched two new tools to help community members navigate this new incentive.
- The Opportunity Zones Marketplace (OZmarketplace.dc.gov) is a platform where project sponsors, fund managers, investors, community members, and professional service providers can connect and learn about OZ. Projects and businesses located in DC Opportunity Zones that are seeking investment from a Qualified Opportunity Fund can submit information here.
- Calling lawyers, accountants and other professional service providers with OZ expertise! The OZ Community Corps is a network of DC-based professional service providers, such as lawyers, accountants and financial advisers, who commit to provide 20 hours of pro bono consultations about OZ transactions to residents, small businesses or nonprofits based in DC Opportunity Zones. Service providers can volunteer here and will be listed in the OZ Marketplace.
Want to receive updates about Opportunity Zones in DC? Join our OZ email list.
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On July 12, at the Worthington Woods apartments in Ward 8, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new affordable housing milestone in DC – more than 1,000 affordable homes preserved using funds from the Housing Preservation Fund. With the closing of seven projects, including Worthington Woods, a 394-unit apartment community, and 3218 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, a 20-unit apartment community in Ward 3, the Preservation Fund has been used to preserve 1,152 existing affordable homes.
“As we continue to build more housing, especially more affordable housing, we must also be strategic in preserving the affordable homes our families already live in – that’s what the Housing Preservation Fund allows us to do. Today, we’re highlighting the preservation of more than 1,000 homes, but what we’re really celebrating are the families and residents who are now able to stay in our city because these homes will remain affordable,” said Mayor Bowser.
In 2016, the Mayor’s Housing Preservation Strike Force recommended the creation of an Affordable Housing Preservation Fund, located within the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), to increase the preservation of affordable housing in the District. As a result, Mayor Bowser provided $10 million in seed money, which in combination with other private and philanthropic investments, has grown the fund to approximately $40 million. Local Initiatives Support Corporation-DC (LISC-DC) and Capital Impact Partners (CIP) were selected to manage the fund, which provides bridge financing for the acquisition of property.
Worthington Woods, the largest property preserved through the Housing Preservation Fund, serves families earning less than 60% of the Medium Family Income in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Ward 8. The Worthington Woods Tenant Association assigned their rights through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to Montgomery Housing Partnership (MHP) in exchange for a commitment to preserve the property as affordable and not displace any of the residents. MHP will create a special purpose entity to include 80% ownership to MHP, 15% to the Worthington Woods Tenant Association, and 5% to the Anacostia Economic Development Corporation.
Properties supported through the preservation fund include:
Ward 3
3218 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, 20 units, $3.9 million to 3218 Wisconsin Avenue Cooperative
Ward 4
5000 and 5040 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, 53 units, $6.67 million to Wesley Housing
Ward 7
101 41st Street, NE, 14 units, $1.3 million to Urban Matters and CRG Holdings
The Villages at Tillman, 252 units across 19 buildings, $8.5 million to a joint partnership between Manna, Equity Plus and TM Associates
Ward 8
1915 Ridgecrest Court, SE, 297 units, $7.5 million to NHP Foundation
4419 3rd Street, SE (Worthington Woods), 394 units, $6.1 million
2719 Douglas Place (City Towns), SE, 61 units, $2.8 million to WC Smith
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MRP Breaks Ground on Northeast D.C. Project, Linesw Up Financing For Another
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Fresh off landing Lidl, Skyland Town Center's backers celebrate progress
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, August 27: Destination DC Marketing Outlook Meeting at John F. Kennedy Center 9:00 AM
Thursday, August 29: 202Creates 2019 Kick-Off location TBD
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 727-6365 ǀ http://dmped.dc.gov/
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