(Washington,DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Wednesday announced the District has reached a pair of major milestones in two of its most important economic development projects in Ward Seven – kicking-off the first phase of the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings New Community project and issuing a solicitation for a development partner for a five-acre, District-controlled site at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station.
“These two projects exemplify the kind of transformative economic development that is so important in our communities East of the River,” Mayor Fenty said. “The New Communities Initiative is about building some of our most challenged communities into stronger, healthier neighborhoods, while this Minnesota Avenue Metro Station shows our commitment to smart, transit-oriented development throughout our city.”
Mayor Fenty announced the District has selected Blue Skye Development, LLC as its development partner for 4427 Hayes Street, NE – a long-vacant apartment building, which will be redeveloped into 26 units of mixed-income housing. The project will be used to provide off-site replacement housing for some current residents of the Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings community, which is being rebuilt into nearly 1,500 new units of housing – both homeownership and rental – as a part of the New Communities Initiative. The Lincoln Heights New Community will also include: A vibrant mixed-used towncenter at Nannie Helen Burroughs and Division; connections to the Marvin Gaye Park; a new primary care health care facility, a new indoor swimming pool at Kelly Miller Middle School, and a new community education and learning campus on the redeveloped H. D. Woodson High School.
Mayor Fenty also announced the issuance of a solicitation for a development partner for a five-acre site next to the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station. The site can accommodate up to 600,000 square feet of development and is adjacent to the future headquarters site of the 230,000 square foot Department of Employment Services headquarters. The District has not determined a use for the site, but it could include a mix of housing, office and retail development.
Potential bidders must assemble teams that include at least 20 percent equity participation from Local, Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and make strong commitments to work with contractors and businesses in Ward Seven.
The development site is located between about 4 million square feet of new development currently in the works at Parkside and Downtown Ward Seven. The District will provide about $40 million in investments along nearby Great Streets Initiative corridors and is planning a new Benning Road Library.
More details about the development solicitation are available at dcbiz.dc.gov.