(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray today celebrated the grand opening of The Heights on Georgia Avenue – a mixed-use development that provides affordable housing and retail space along the historic Georgia Avenue corridor in Ward 1.

“Celebrating the grand opening of The Heights on Georgia Avenue is a milestone that signals the ongoing preservation of affordable housing in the District,” said Mayor Gray. “I thank Neighborhood Development Company, Mi Casa, members of my Cabinet and all who came together to make this project successful. This kind of development featuring residential and retail components is central to the renaissance of the Georgia Avenue corridor."

In addition to principals from the development partnership – Adrian Washington, founder of the Neighborhood Development Company; and Fernando Lemos, Executive Director of Mi Casa, Inc. – Mayor Gray was joined by Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Victor L. Hoskins, D.C. Housing Finance Agency Director Harry Sewell, and D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Director Michael Kelly to ceremonially cut the ribbon on the 100,000-square-foot building.

On-site construction of the building began in January 2012 and was followed by a groundbreaking ceremony in March of that same year. The building contains a total of 69 affordable one-, two- and three-bedroom units, a second-floor community space for tenants, a second-floor garden area, a green roofdeck, and other sustainable development features. In addition, the first floor of the building will contain over 10,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail, which is supported by a $1.4 million Great Streets Initiative grant.

“The District is committed to the revitalization and strengthening of neighborhoods along the Georgia Avenue corridor,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “We are excited to unveil today’s affordable housing development and offer additional community-serving retail to the area.”

The project was completed on budget and on time, and it has formally been renamed 32thirty-two Apartments. For more information on the building, please visit its website at www.32thirtytwoapartments.com.

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Media Contacts:

• Doxie McCoy (EOM), (202) 727-9691
• Chanda Washington (DMPED), (202) 727-6365