(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray, government officials and others today celebrated the commencement of phased demolition of the Skyland Shopping Center – a long-stalled development project that will provide new retail, housing and amenities to the Ward 7 and Ward 8 communities.
“I made a promise to the District that we would move the redevelopment of Skyland forward as quickly as possible, and today is further evidence that we’re keeping faith with that commitment,” Mayor Gray said. “The One City Action Plan is a roadmap to guide us to where I would like to take the District, and alleviating blight and revitalizing this site into a bustling town center is a critical goal for my administration.”
Mayor Gray was joined by Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins and residents to demolish a blighted, legally unencumbered portion of the Skyland site. While on site, Gray Administration officials also provided an update on the status of outstanding litigation that has stalled the redevelopment. At the beginning of 2011, there were seven pending cases related to Skyland. As of today, the District is awaiting a decision from the D.C. Court of Appeals in only one remaining case, District of Columbia v. 7.06 Acres/Greene. All others have been resolved either in or out of court.
The Skyland Shopping Center is an 18-acre site located at the intersections of Alabama Avenue, Good Hope Road and Naylor Road SE that will be transformed into more than 315,000 square feet of retail space to include a combination of national-brand retailers and neighborhood-serving shops and restaurants. Additionally, redevelopment plans for the project include the addition of 468 units of housing. Presently, the site is set to be conveyed to the Skyland development team, led by The Rappaport Companies but also including William C. Smith & Company.
“I am proud that we have progress to announce here at Skyland and will continue to work to reinvigorate neighborhood corridors and introduce economic vibrancy where there is blight throughout the District,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “The redevelopment of Skyland will create a quality, mixed-use destination for our East of the River residents.”
The development team received a final approval of its Planned Unit Development (PUD) application to the Zoning Commission in the summer of 2010. The District and development team are negotiating the business terms of their agreement. Legislation that will lead to the ultimate disposition of the site will be introduced at the beginning of 2013.
Presently, the Skyland Shopping Center site hosts a weekly farmer’s market every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the farmer’s market, called DC CHEW, see the DC CHEW website. Additional information about the Skyland project can be found here on the website of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
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