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Newsletter May 1, 2024
Letter from Deputy Mayor Nina Albert
Welcome to the District’s newsletter focused on economic development, business, jobs and housing!
There is so much good work happening across DC that we want to keep you informed about programs, investments and strategies being advanced by the Office of Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and its affiliated agencies – the Office of Planning (OP), Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and Office of Cable Television, Film, Media and Entertainment (OCTFME).
To kick us off, this week is DC Small Business Week! Now through Saturday, May 4, we invite you to celebrate the vital contributions of DC’s local and small business community. On Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser, DSLBD Acting Director Rosemary Suggs-Evans, DISB Commissioner Karima Woods, myself and others from the DMPED team announced the recipients of the DSLBD’s Robust Retail grant program along the Rhode Island Avenue Main Street.
DC is home to 12,000+ businesses with fewer than 500 employees and Mayor Bowser has invested heavily to support their stability and expansion in the last eight years. For example, since 2015, DMPED’s Great Streets programs have invested $42 million in more than 500 businesses across the District, creating more than 2,000 jobs. The Neighborhood Prosperity Fund has invested almost $20 million 30+ projects delivering retail amenities, restaurants, and job opportunities.
Between 2018 and 2021, the number of minority-owned businesses and woman-owned businesses in the District grew by approximately 7% and 22% respectively, compared to a 1% increase in the number of District businesses overall.
Mayor Bowser’s proposed FY25 budget continues these investments and introduces new ways to make it easier for new and current businesses to thrive in the District. Over $15 million in small business support – including funding for Great Streets, Main Streets, the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund, and Ward 7 and 8 Dream Grants headline this support.
We’re proud to have thriving commercial corridors throughout all eight wards, but we know we have to do even more to support our local business community. So, let’s get out there and shop local this Small Business Week!
Deputy Mayor, Planning and Economic Development
Keeping together is progress; working together is success. – Henry F
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On Saturday, May 4, from 10:00am – 12:00pm, the Gallery Place-Chinatown Task Force will host a Public Open House to share some of the big ideas and potential concepts for a reimagined Gallery Place-Chinatown neighborhood.
Please join this important conversation to share your perspectives and to learn more about the process.
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 DC Small Business Week takes place from April 29 to May 4, 2024. To honor the District's 70,000 plus small businesses, Mayor Bowser and DC agencies are hosting a series of events and summits.
Events during DC Small Business Week 2024 are free to the public but have limited space. Attendees are encouraged to register for virtual and in-person experiences.
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Last week, Mayor Bowser launched a new Pop-Up Permitting (PUPs) pilot program that will make it easier for entrepreneurs to transform vacant storefronts in Downtown DC.
The permit pilot will support the transformation of vacant spaces for up to one year into vibrant new uses that require minimal to no construction. During the pilot, the initial review timeframe will be completed in 15 business days or less.
The PUPs program was announced at a currently vacant storefront in the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District that will be transformed as part of Capital Fringe, an annual community-driven arts festival that celebrates cultural democracy and access to art and artistic expression for all. This year, Capital Fringe will take place from July 9 through July 21.
Some moments and events are decades in the making. And that was certainly the case with the completion of MLK Gateway, a DMPED real estate project at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Marion Barry Avenue SE in Historic Anacostia.
This project goes all the way back to the beginning of Mayor Bowser’s tenure, and many DMPED team members have been working since then to transform this important parcel.
Phase II of MLK Gateway includes DHCD’s new headquarters at 1909 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE with street-level retail and office space. Additionally, Phase II includes the new home of a Keller Williams Capital Properties (KWCP) office, which is the first and only office of a national real estate chain in a neighborhood East of the River. KWCP will establish the East of the River Real Estate Academy, a training center for aspiring real estate entrepreneurs that is designed to open doors to new opportunities for local residents.
When people come to Anacostia, and walk or drive past MLK Gateway, they will know this neighborhood means business. They are entering one of our thriving commercial corridors, and home to entrepreneurs, retailers, restauranteurs, creators, and creatives. And in Anacostia, we’re seeing more and more of that take shape along this important corridor, with local businesses and residents getting access to those new opportunities along the way.
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317, Washington, DC 20004
ǀ (202) 727-6365 ǀ http://dmped.dc.gov/
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