The Congress Heights Metro redevelopment would be a win for all of the District
Washington Post Local Opinions
By Arrington Dixon
May 17
Arrington Dixon, a Ward 8 resident, is a former chairman of the D.C. Council and former chairman of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and development of the Anacostia section of Ward 8.
By Arrington Dixon
May 17
Arrington Dixon, a Ward 8 resident, is a former chairman of the D.C. Council and former chairman of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and development of the Anacostia section of Ward 8.
Vacant and mostly vacant apartment buildings at 13th Street SE and Alabama Avenue SE above the Congress Heights Metro Station. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)
In her proposed 2020 budget, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) addresses what she says is the city’s No. 1 issue: affordable housing. I agree. Lawmakers should be working overtime to create and preserve affordable housing so that our seniors, working families and longtime residents are not displaced — something that can and should be done while creating jobs and economic opportunities for our neighbors.
Now it is time to get behind a project that will greatly benefit Ward 8. The redevelopment of the Congress Heights Metro site could bring affordable apartments, market-rate apartments, maybe a day-care facility, retail shops, restaurants and offices — all on top of the Metro station. This project would increase the number of existing affordable units and dramatically increase safety in the neighborhood. The developer has zoning approvals already in hand and could break ground in a matter of weeks. This development would be a win for Congress Heights, for Ward 8, for affordable housing, for transit-oriented development and for all of the District.
But will it be a win for the 10 tenants who make up the tenant association at the now-abandoned buildings above the Congress Heights Metro, and who will determine the fate of this development?
The tenants suffered for years in miserable living conditions. They were victimized by the former property owner, a landlord that warehoused low-income residents in grossly substandard housing. Fortunately, D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine ran the landlord out of town, and it won’t do business here again.
Also fortunate is the fact that the new owner of the Congress Heights Metro buildings, CityPartners, is a respected local developer with a solid track record in our community. One example is Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall, a hotel complex in Southwest that CityPartners and its partners built and opened in 2015. Along with the typical amenities one might find in a hotel, CityPartners built a new headquarters for Kid Power, a nonprofit organization providing innovative programs for children in the District’s underserved communities. Kid Power didn’t pay a dime to build the space, and its rent is just $50 a year. Building the Kid Power facility was not something CityPartners was required to do but something it chose to do.
Also, by choice, CityPartners started CityPartners Pathways, the first and only hospitality apprenticeship program for young D.C. adults. In less than four years, the management staff at Hyatt Place has trained 45 D.C. youths, mostly from Wards 7 and 8, and hired 36 for permanent jobs.
Unfortunately and understandably, the tenants are angry and can’t seem to separate CityPartners from the previous landlord. About 10 months ago, CityPartners gave the tenants an offer to purchase the Congress Heights apartment buildings, which triggered TOPA, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Since then, the tenants have refused to meet with CityPartners to negotiate a sale price or buyout terms. Not one meeting; a total stalemate.
As a native Washingtonian from Ward 8 and a former chairman of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, I have been frustrated to watch this important project languish. The offer that CityPartners put on the table is as generous as I have ever seen, with each tenant association member getting $100,000 and the option to move into new apartments at current rental rates. Additionally, CityPartners is offering to pay the taxes on the $100,000, provide the tenants with an independent financial consultant free of charge and give tenants the option to invest in the new property with a preferred interest rate.
This project is at a critical juncture. CityPartners could renovate the existing 60-year-old buildings and move the tenants back in, but doing so would eliminate any possibility of other development and remove all benefits to the larger community. Or CityPartners could reach an agreement with the tenants and advance everyone’s interests.
A cash settlement to tenants who lived through the horrible years with the previous landlord won’t take away the pain and humiliation of living in those neglected buildings. But it’s a start. I’m hopeful that the tenants will accept this deal and allow a project to move forward that will provide jobs and affordable housing and a renewed sense of community and optimism to Congress Heights. I’m equally hopeful that city leaders will be able to bring the tenants and the developer together to make this happen in Congress Heights.
The original article can be found at the following link at www.washingtonpost.com:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/the-congress-heights-metro-redevelopment-would-be-a-win-for-all-of-the-district/2019/05/17/9c8d6f2c-651c-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html?utm_term=.9f3d3bb50cac
Now it is time to get behind a project that will greatly benefit Ward 8. The redevelopment of the Congress Heights Metro site could bring affordable apartments, market-rate apartments, maybe a day-care facility, retail shops, restaurants and offices — all on top of the Metro station. This project would increase the number of existing affordable units and dramatically increase safety in the neighborhood. The developer has zoning approvals already in hand and could break ground in a matter of weeks. This development would be a win for Congress Heights, for Ward 8, for affordable housing, for transit-oriented development and for all of the District.
But will it be a win for the 10 tenants who make up the tenant association at the now-abandoned buildings above the Congress Heights Metro, and who will determine the fate of this development?
The tenants suffered for years in miserable living conditions. They were victimized by the former property owner, a landlord that warehoused low-income residents in grossly substandard housing. Fortunately, D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine ran the landlord out of town, and it won’t do business here again.
Also fortunate is the fact that the new owner of the Congress Heights Metro buildings, CityPartners, is a respected local developer with a solid track record in our community. One example is Hyatt Place Washington DC/National Mall, a hotel complex in Southwest that CityPartners and its partners built and opened in 2015. Along with the typical amenities one might find in a hotel, CityPartners built a new headquarters for Kid Power, a nonprofit organization providing innovative programs for children in the District’s underserved communities. Kid Power didn’t pay a dime to build the space, and its rent is just $50 a year. Building the Kid Power facility was not something CityPartners was required to do but something it chose to do.
Also, by choice, CityPartners started CityPartners Pathways, the first and only hospitality apprenticeship program for young D.C. adults. In less than four years, the management staff at Hyatt Place has trained 45 D.C. youths, mostly from Wards 7 and 8, and hired 36 for permanent jobs.
Unfortunately and understandably, the tenants are angry and can’t seem to separate CityPartners from the previous landlord. About 10 months ago, CityPartners gave the tenants an offer to purchase the Congress Heights apartment buildings, which triggered TOPA, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Since then, the tenants have refused to meet with CityPartners to negotiate a sale price or buyout terms. Not one meeting; a total stalemate.
As a native Washingtonian from Ward 8 and a former chairman of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, I have been frustrated to watch this important project languish. The offer that CityPartners put on the table is as generous as I have ever seen, with each tenant association member getting $100,000 and the option to move into new apartments at current rental rates. Additionally, CityPartners is offering to pay the taxes on the $100,000, provide the tenants with an independent financial consultant free of charge and give tenants the option to invest in the new property with a preferred interest rate.
This project is at a critical juncture. CityPartners could renovate the existing 60-year-old buildings and move the tenants back in, but doing so would eliminate any possibility of other development and remove all benefits to the larger community. Or CityPartners could reach an agreement with the tenants and advance everyone’s interests.
A cash settlement to tenants who lived through the horrible years with the previous landlord won’t take away the pain and humiliation of living in those neglected buildings. But it’s a start. I’m hopeful that the tenants will accept this deal and allow a project to move forward that will provide jobs and affordable housing and a renewed sense of community and optimism to Congress Heights. I’m equally hopeful that city leaders will be able to bring the tenants and the developer together to make this happen in Congress Heights.
The original article can be found at the following link at www.washingtonpost.com:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/the-congress-heights-metro-redevelopment-would-be-a-win-for-all-of-the-district/2019/05/17/9c8d6f2c-651c-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html?utm_term=.9f3d3bb50cac
Posted 06/03/2019
Do you want to ensure that transportation decisions in the District of Columbia help all people get to work and other destinations quickly, safely, sustainably, and equitably? Do you want to see transportation policies address and rectify historic inequities? Do you like building relationships with leaders in a wide range of communities?
If so, you might be Greater Greater Washington's next Transportation Equity Organizer. Or maybe it’s someone you know! GGW is looking to hire a full-time team member to connect with community members and leaders from across DC and the Washington region to advance sustainable transportation solutions.
I’m really excited to be able to post this position, because transportation policies have far-reaching impacts and yet historically have severely disadvantaged some groups of people in our city and region over others. Meanwhile, there are ways we can help people from all areas, all incomes and colors and backgrounds, get where they need to go. Figuring out the details, and winning support for them, will require all communities working together.
We now have funding coming in to expand our work in this area, and we’re looking for someone who can help connect with and organize people around it. Please read the detailed job description, consider applying, and/or send this to other people who might be a great fit.
Thank you!
Detailed job description attached.
Tagged: about ggwash, dc, east of the river, equity, job post
If so, you might be Greater Greater Washington's next Transportation Equity Organizer. Or maybe it’s someone you know! GGW is looking to hire a full-time team member to connect with community members and leaders from across DC and the Washington region to advance sustainable transportation solutions.
I’m really excited to be able to post this position, because transportation policies have far-reaching impacts and yet historically have severely disadvantaged some groups of people in our city and region over others. Meanwhile, there are ways we can help people from all areas, all incomes and colors and backgrounds, get where they need to go. Figuring out the details, and winning support for them, will require all communities working together.
We now have funding coming in to expand our work in this area, and we’re looking for someone who can help connect with and organize people around it. Please read the detailed job description, consider applying, and/or send this to other people who might be a great fit.
Thank you!
Detailed job description attached.
Tagged: about ggwash, dc, east of the river, equity, job post
Featured Stories Archive
Check out the April 18, 2019 Full Edition of the Washington Informer for the 2019 Sustainability Supplement, and all other news of interest to the community.
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Find out what the Office of the People's Counsel is doing in support of District Utility Consumers
Click image above for the full pdf of Sandra Mattavous-Frye of the Office People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia
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D.C. partners with college to offer associates degree to high schoolers in poorest neighborhoods
By Perry Stein
October 17, 2018 The District’s public school system is partnering with Bard College in New York to open a school next fall that will allow students to graduate from high school with a two-year college associate degree. The city hopes a liberal arts college curriculum can boost the performance of high school students living in neighborhoods with the District’s highest dropout rates and meet families’ demands for more rigorous education options in poorer areas of the city. The Bard High School Early College would operate out of a vacant school building or an existing school in the District, though it would be a separate operation with its own principal and faculty. The program is expected to be housed in a building east of the Anacostia River — the swath of the city with the highest concentration of impoverished children. The city said it will collect feedback from the public in coming months to determine the building it should select. Read more of the article here. |
The Class of 2018 at Ballou High School on graduation day in Washington, DC on June 11, 2018. The high school is one of the proposed locations for Bard Early College. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)
UPDATE:
Welcome to Bard High School Early College Washington, D.C. Bard High School Early College DC will be located at Davis Elementary School (4430 H Street, SE) in Ward 7, for the 2019-2020 school year. Vanessa Anderson, principal, will make her first community presentation at the Anacostia Coordinating Council's monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at Martha's Table at the Commons, 2375 Elvans Rd SE, Washington, DC 20020 (near Moten ES or near the Panorama Room at Our Lady of Perpetual Help). |
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Mayor Bowser Celebrates the Grand Opening of a New Busboys and Poets in Historic Anacostia
From Mayor's Newsletter: March 14, 2019 | Vol. 5, Issue 11 On Tuesday, Mayor Bowser joined community members in celebrating the grand opening of the new Busboys and Poets in Anacostia. The new restaurant is part of an innovative District project that is transforming a vacant building into the new home of the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC) and delivering new jobs, opportunity, and amenities to the residents of Ward 8. This is the first Busboys and Poets east of the Anacostia River, and includes a full-service restaurant, bookstore, event space, and hospitality training center. Watch the grand opening HERE. |
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New Ward 8 Grocery Store Breaks Ground — And Barriers — To Fresh Food
by Sasha-Ann Simons, WAMU https://wamu.org/story/19/01/03/new-ward-8-grocery-store-breaks-ground-and-barriers-to-fresh-food/#.XF35j3dFxhE |
Courtesy: Sasha-Ann Simons, WAMU
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Let's Talk With CJ and Stu:
Taped Live from IHOP on Alabama Ave SE on Sunday, February 10, 2019 Watch it here. Watch it Now! |
Thank You for a Successful 6th Annual 2018 ACC Holiday Celebration and Youth Gift Benefit
Dear Friends,
The Anacostia Coordinating Council deeply appreciates your participation in our annual holiday celebration. The sharing of our holiday traditions and the donations of the gifts for Ward 8 children resulted in an enjoyable and memorable evening. May you and yours have blessed and peaceful holidays and let us fellowship again next year.
Yours for community progress,
Philip
The Anacostia Coordinating Council deeply appreciates your participation in our annual holiday celebration. The sharing of our holiday traditions and the donations of the gifts for Ward 8 children resulted in an enjoyable and memorable evening. May you and yours have blessed and peaceful holidays and let us fellowship again next year.
Yours for community progress,
Philip
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  More pics to come...
Our friend and invited speaker, the Honorable Franklin Garcia, live-streamed the Kwanzaa portion of the event at this Facebook link. |
The Bellevue Neighborhood Citizens Association (BNCA) Elects New Officers at the December 1, 2018 Meeting
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Arts, Advocacy and Anacostia: Culture's Role Building Local Equity
Friday, November 30, 2018
Friday, November 30, 2018
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ACC attended the Arts, Advocacy and Anacostia forum at the Anacostia Arts Center, Friday, November 30, 2018, featuring world-renowned master artists bassist Esperanza Spalding and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
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Results of the Year of the Anacostia (YOTA) Collaborative Candidates Forum
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In addition to the event sponsors, ACC thanks ADA Inc. for its continuous support.
A straw poll was conducted at the end of the forum, and all attendees regardless of age were allowed to cast votes. (Conducting and sharing the results of this straw poll does not in any way constitute an endorsement of any candidate by the Anacostia Coordinating Council, Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative or any of its members.)
Straw Poll Results:
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Recent planning meeting for the Ward 8 Little League Volunteer Training for Saturday, October 27, 2018. Join us!
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Credit - Meeting photos:
Stuart Anderson |
On Behalf of the Anacostia Coordinating Council,
ACC Executive Director Philip Pannell
to Receive Community Partner Honor from
DC Appleseed 2018 Annual Awards Reception
Building Equity in D.C.
The awards ceremony takes place Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 6:00 pm, Reception, 7:30 pm Program. The keynote speaker is Derek Musgrove, author of Chocolate City, with a panel featuring Peter Edelman (Georgetown Law), Maria Gomez (Mary's House), Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis (Educator), Tony Williams (Federal City Council), moderated by Washington Post Columnist Colby King.
ABOUT DC APPLESEED
For over 20 years, through litigation and other methods, DC Appleseed has helped make the District of Columbia a better place to live and work. Throughout our history, we have taken on some of the District’s toughest problems, developed solutions to those problems, worked to get our proposed solutions adopted and implemented, and then monitored the implementation to make sure it actually improves services to District residents, particularly low-income residents and people of color. For more information, visit www.DCAppleseed.org. Click here for an event flier.
ACC Executive Director Philip Pannell
to Receive Community Partner Honor from
DC Appleseed 2018 Annual Awards Reception
Building Equity in D.C.
The awards ceremony takes place Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 6:00 pm, Reception, 7:30 pm Program. The keynote speaker is Derek Musgrove, author of Chocolate City, with a panel featuring Peter Edelman (Georgetown Law), Maria Gomez (Mary's House), Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis (Educator), Tony Williams (Federal City Council), moderated by Washington Post Columnist Colby King.
ABOUT DC APPLESEED
For over 20 years, through litigation and other methods, DC Appleseed has helped make the District of Columbia a better place to live and work. Throughout our history, we have taken on some of the District’s toughest problems, developed solutions to those problems, worked to get our proposed solutions adopted and implemented, and then monitored the implementation to make sure it actually improves services to District residents, particularly low-income residents and people of color. For more information, visit www.DCAppleseed.org. Click here for an event flier.
Community Leaders Call for an End to Violence
In the run-up to the third anniversary of the unsolved homicide of local newspaper reporter Charnice Milton, our Ward 8 community once again grieves with families who have lost family members to violence. Through the Unsolved Homicide and Missing Persons Panel Display and the Open Heart / Closed Case initiative to post public service announcements (PSAs) on public access channels to bring closure and resolution to these cases, ACC remains committed to work within the community to build on our untapped strength from within.
Now, more than ever, in an age of increasing social uncertainties, it is time for us to "get right" with ourselves, to assist ourselves so that we can assist others to make DC the kind of place we know it can be especially for those who have weathered many storms. For this, and so much more, we will need all our strength, and there are no lives we can afford to lose or waste in the ongoing effort to make our community whole for the difficult and hopeful journeys that still lie ahead.
The most recent NBC4 news report shows the effect on our community when silence in the face of violence threatens to sap our precious community strength.
Now, more than ever, in an age of increasing social uncertainties, it is time for us to "get right" with ourselves, to assist ourselves so that we can assist others to make DC the kind of place we know it can be especially for those who have weathered many storms. For this, and so much more, we will need all our strength, and there are no lives we can afford to lose or waste in the ongoing effort to make our community whole for the difficult and hopeful journeys that still lie ahead.
The most recent NBC4 news report shows the effect on our community when silence in the face of violence threatens to sap our precious community strength.
ACC Announces Details for the ACC 2018 Annual Boat Ride! Now on ACC's News Page.
Check It Enterprises Receives GLAA Award
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CHECK IT Enterprises is awarded a Distinguished Service Award at GLAA's 47th Anniversary Awards Dinner on April 26, 2018.
GLAA for made Check It Enterprises one of its 47th Anniversary Awards Dinner Awardees along with Whitman Walker, Don Blanchon and Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh. ACC is a partner with Check It Enterprises on a FY18 MOLGBTQ Youth Empowerment Grant, specially designed to empower LGBTQ youth to emerge from homelessness on a path to self-sufficiency. |
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Former DC Mayor Marion Barry Gets a Statue on Pennsylvania Ave
Hear ACC's Executive Director Philip Pannell in a panel discussion on the Kojo Nnamdi Show with Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White on the Legacy of former Mayor Marion Barry in light of the unveiling of a statue in his honor at the Wilson Building. Now on ACC's News Page. |
March 3, 2018 Mayor Marion Barry Statue Unveiling. Photo: Courtesy of DC Executive Office of the Mayor event photo set.
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Skyrocketing DC Water Bills Leave Some Customers Unable to Pay - A News 4 I-Team Investigative Report
A quest for closure: A call for justice in D.C.’s unsolved murders
Washington Post
Our Executive Director, Philip Pannell, talked to the Washington Post about our "Open Heart, Closed Case" initiative, the traveling exhibit of unsolved Ward 7 and Ward 8 homicides, and the fight to bring their killers to justice.
Read the article here.
Washington Post
Our Executive Director, Philip Pannell, talked to the Washington Post about our "Open Heart, Closed Case" initiative, the traveling exhibit of unsolved Ward 7 and Ward 8 homicides, and the fight to bring their killers to justice.
Read the article here.
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DC's New Television Pitch - Help close unsolved homicides
Washington Post Angie Gates, who heads the city’s Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment, said her office will produce a series of announcements this fall to help draw attention to the killings and hopefully spark new leads for police. The public service spots are in response to a year-long project by longtime political activist Philip Pannell to focus attention on open cases in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. Read the article here. |
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