NoMa project chosen by city proposes nearly 600 apartments, retail, and a park

More than 575 rental units—over half of which would be priced at below-market levels—are planned for a one-acre lot in NoMa as part of a development project recently picked by D.C. The property, currently used as a surface parking lot, is situated at the intersection of North Capitol Street and N Street NE, just south of New York Avenue NE, at 2 Patterson Street NE.

The project would also include 18,000 square feet of retail, 4,500 square feet of community space, and a new park with public access, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office announced earlier in July. It would feature 325 units of affordable housing; of those, 195 would be designated for families making under 50 percent of the area median income (or about $58,600 a year for a four-person family currently) and 130 would be designated for families making between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income (or about $93,750). The building would rise 13 stories and contain unit ranging in size from studios to four-bedrooms, per Bowser’s office.

“From family-sized rentals to townhouses, we need an all-of-the-above strategy to keep DC affordable, stable, and sustainable,” the mayor argued in a press release. “I look forward to breaking ground on these projects and welcoming District residents to their new homes.” Monument Realty, Morningstar Community Development, the May Firm, and Community Housing Partners constitute the development team and won out over five other proposals.

The city’s solicitation for the site was released by the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) in June 2018. “The Development Parcel is located within the burgeoning NoMa neighborhood and has excellent multi-modal transportation access due to proximity to the NoMa Metro station and multiple bus and circulator lines,” that solicitation explained, adding that the site was near various neighborhood amenities.

Monument Realty, via D.C. government

The project selection was one of the last overseen by former Deputy Mayor Brian Kenner, who left the D.C. government July 2 to go work for Amazon’s public policy team. Bowser unveiled the winning proposal July 1, along with two others her office has picked for two additional city-owned parcels. They are located in Anacostia and Northeast, respectively.

• Anacostia: 18 homes, including six priced at affordable levels, are planned at 1004-1018 Howard Road by Howard Road Community Partners LLC, comprising H2DesignBuild and includes Asset Management Consulting. All of the homes will be three-bedrooms.
• Northeast: 14 townhouses, including five priced at affordable levels, are planned at 6100 Dix Street NE by the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights, HEP Construction, and Define Development Group. The townhouses will be three- and four-bedrooms.

Also on July 2, Bowser’s office revealed that John Falcicchio, her chief of staff, would replace Kenner as the interim leader of DMPED. A former aide to ex-Mayor Adrian Fenty, Falcicchio continues to serve as Bowser’s chief of staff as she looks for a permanent deputy mayor. He now sits on the boards of Events DC and the D.C. Housing Authority in ex-officio capacities.