(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the grand opening of The Westerly, a new mixed-use development in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Ward 6. The Westerly offers 449 units of housing, including 136 affordable homes, and over 29,000 square feet of space for neighborhood-serving retail. The new development moves the District closer to reaching the Mayor’s goal of 36,000 new homes by 2025, including 12,000 affordable homes.
“We know that to meet our city’s housing needs and goals, we have to be relentlessly creative in how we invest in, execute, and deliver projects in neighborhoods across our city,” said Mayor Bowser. “We’re proud that what was once a vacant parcel is now a mixed-use and mixed-income community that is bringing more vibrancy and creating new opportunities in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood.”
The event marks the completion of the project, also known as Waterfront Station II, on a 59,044 square foot parcel of land that for years sat vacant and was once the site of the Waterside Mall and offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2015, the District and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) worked closely with the community to design and issue a Request for Proposals to redevelop the Waterfront Station II site. In 2016, DMPED selected a team comprised of Hoffman & Associates, Affordable Homes and Communities, CityPartners, and Paramount Development to lead the project. The project utilized an innovative financing model by combining a market-rate equity investor with 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits through the Department of Housing and Community Development and the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency.
“Under Mayor Bowser’s leadership, the District continues to lead our region and set the standard for how we leverage public-private partnerships to produce affordable housing across our city,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert. “We’re grateful to all of the government, community, and development partners that ensured this project reflected the needs and desires of this neighborhood.”
The Westerly’s retail space includes Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe, a family-owned and operated three-meal cafe that specializes in doughnuts; GoodVets, the popular nationwide modern veterinary care provider; AppleTree Public Charter School, a pre-kindergarten education staple of the Southwest neighborhood, which provides families with classrooms, collaborative learning spaces and an enclosed play area; as well as a dedicated cultural space for the arts.
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