Washington, DCMayor Adrian M. Fenty, joined by Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Valerie-Joy Santos and the Ward 4 community, today celebrated a 26-unit condominium building at 6425 14th Street, NW called the Tewkesbury. Blue Skye Construction, as developer and contractor, worked with PGN Architects to completely renovate the vacant apartment building that had been a blight on the Brightwood community for more than 20 years.
"The Tewkesbury is an example of working with our private partners to remove neighborhood blight and return District properties into productive use," said Mayor Fenty. "A neighborhood revitalization project, this new development also provides additional units of affordable housing for the Ward 4 community."
The $6.8 million project includes units that range in size from 900 to 1,200 square feet and an 800 square foot community room. Half of the housing units are affordable. The District contributed the land and the existing structure.
The Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning and Economic Development in May of 2008 issued a solicitation for development partners for the site. Four teams responded. Blue Skye offered the best proposal and began construction in April of 2009. Working closely with the community, Blue Skye held 15 community meetings and contributed $25,000 to the Brightwood community for its use. Blue Skye also plans to build 54 single room occupancy (SRO) units for seniors at a property the team controls at 1330 Missouri Avenue, NW.
Built in the 1950s, the four-story property was known as the Tewkesbury and has been vacant since the 1980s. During that time, the property owner was cited for more than 100 code violations. In the spring of 2008, the District spent $3 million to purchase the property from Vincent Abell, who is one of the 20 landlords the District sued in April for code violations at their rental properties. Blue Skye spent $3.8 million on the Tewkesbury project. The total development cost for both projects is almost $12 million.