(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Thursday urged members of the DC Council to approve the $170 million Park Morton New Communities Plan, which calls for rebuilding the existing 174-unit distressed low-income housing complex into a 523-unit, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood.

“This project can truly be called a catalytic investment,” said Mayor Fenty. “Not just because we are building hundreds of new homes and encouraging much needed retail on Georgia Avenue, but because we are investing in the lives of the residents who live here.”

The Park Morton New Community is one of four New Communities across the District. The others include Barry Farm/Park Chester/Wade Road in Ward 8; Northwest One in Ward 6 and Lincoln Heights/Richardson Dwellings in Ward 7.

The Park Morton plan, which is scheduled to be taken up by the DC Council on Thursday, calls for replacing the existing low-income units at the site with 523 new residential units that will be made available for residents at all income levels.

The plan calls for 523 on-site units, including: 174 replacement units for existing residents, 317 market rate and workforce units and home-ownership opportunities for low-income residents. Replacement units will be priced for families earning at or below 30 percent of the Area Median Income, or about $27,000 for a family of four.

The Park Morton planning area is bounded by Georgia Avenue to the west, Warder Street to the east, Park Road to the north and Lamont Street to the south. The plan also calls for a 10,000 square foot park, a 4,000 square foot community center, connecting Morton Street and Warder Street, underground parking and new retail and office development along Georgia Avenue.

In addition to bricks and mortar development, the plan also includes an important human capital plan that calls for the District to invest in adult education, employment, child and youth development, health care and public safety programs.