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The
Development Corporation of Columbia Heights is a placed based neighborhood
community development corporation with an historic mission: to
lead physical, economic and social revitalization of the Columbia
Heights neighborhood. For over 15 years DCCH has enabled substantial
financial investments and civic engagement contributions to the
neighborhood in a strategy to attract sustained private investment
to the area.
Governed by a 31 member Board
of Directors composed of neighborhood residents, neighborhood
business owners and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, the Corporation
has implemented a number of community building strategies relying
on limited public funds to leverage substantial private funding.
This strategy has generated and enlarged specific and tangible benefits
to our community.
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Recent community improvement projects spearheaded in Columbia
Heights by DCCH are described below. |
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Affordable
Housing |
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In
October 2004 DCCH completed the rehabilitation of four townhouses
in Columbia Heights that been vacant for 15 years. Two market
rate townhouses have been sold (1303 and 1414 Euclid Street,
NW) with the net profit dedicated to providing three (3) second
trust mortgages, for homes at 1416 and 1418 Euclid Streets, to
moderate income households ordinarily unable to afford homeownership
in the area. The total private financing investment for this
project is $2.6M.
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DCCH
organized and now leads a collaborative of 6 non profit developers
known as The Homeownership Group (THG). The DC Housing Authority
(DCHA) conveyed 78 long vacant, formerly scattered site public
housing properties to THG members, requiring the sites' redevelopment
as homeownership opportunities: One-third to be sold at market
rate, one-third targeting moderate incomes and one-third for
low income families. The result has been the rehabilitation and
sale of 104 single family, condominium and cooperative homes
in the Columbia Heights and Shaw neighborhoods.
A recent study by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
documents that this effort has leveraged over $20M in private development
finance (construction and mortgages) into the local economy, with
the District government investing some $800,000 in HOME program
funds from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development
(DHCD). |
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In
May 2002, DCCH completed rehabilitation and occupied thirty-two
(32) units of affordable rental housing at 1474 Chapin Street
and 1030-1034 Euclid Street, NW. The 1474 Chapin Street property
had been purchased by tenants using the District's First Right
Purchase Program after a protracted legal battle over serious
housing code violations. The tenant organization selected DCCH
as their developer.
The property at 1030-1034 Euclid had a similar history with the
building seized by the District for housing code violations and
non payment of real property taxes. This tenant association selected
DCCH as their developer in a competitive process. These properties,
which became known as "The Pool- Bundle Project" broke
new ground as the District's "first
non-contiguous FHA insured proiect financed by the DC Housing Finance
Agencv with tax exempt bonds and Low Income Housine Tax Credit
equity with Community Development Block Grant. Total
development Cost $7M. |
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Note:
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Gap
Financing from the DHCD. DCCH applied for and received 15 year
project based Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly Section
Eight) rental assistance. This project provides "quality
workforce housing" to tenants and . includes a signed transfer
agreement of ownership of the property to the residents in 15
years. Total development cost of the project $5.9M. |
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DCCH
is developing nine 9 units of affordable condominium housing
units at 1225 Fairmont Street NW in partnership with tenants.
Total Development Cost $1.4 MM.
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DCCH
is providing technical assistance to three tenant groups with
expiring Section 8 contracts in Columbia Heights to preserve
affordable housing in the area. Estimated total development cost
$80M. |
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Commercial
Development |
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DCCH
recruited Grid Properties, New York to compete successfully to
develop the DCUSA project. DCCH is a full participant in this
important $100 M retail and entertainment project.
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| DCCH
recruited Homing Brothers to successfully compete to develop
the Tivoli Square Project. This signature project uniquely
brings together the rehabilitation of the historic Tivoli
Theater with new street level retail stores, office space
and performing arts theater, Gala
Hispanica, along with a new 53,000 square foot Giant
Food Store. |
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The
Project includes 28 new condominium units with 20% of these
set aside as affordable housing, designated for households
making 30%, 50% and 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Estimated total development cost $40M. |
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Community
Employment |
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DCCH
has administered a program known as "The Neighborhood Jobs
Initiative"
(NJI). This program was designed to reduce unemployment and underemployment
in the community. The five year program was competitively won for
Columbia Heights by DCCH in a national competition funded by The
Rockefeller Foundation and administered by the Manpower Development
Research Corporation (MDRC).
The program is designed to concentrate "work fIrst" services
in the neighborhood by providing job readiness training, computer-based
job search skills, interviewing skills, and motivational training
and job retention services.
The Rockefeller Foundation grant ended two years ago but the program
was continued by authorization of the 31 member DCCH Board of Directors.
Over the last four years NJI has placed 1100 residents in good
paying jobs. Uniquely, NJI has placed 110 residents in employment
(construction) at the Tivoli Square Project.
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DCCH
will provide job placement services for community residents for
both the DCUSA and the Parcel 34 project. |
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Business
Development |
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DCCH
provides quarterly "Entrepreneurship Training" for
applicants interested in starting a business or in strengthening
their existing business. The training session are delivered in
both English and Spanish to meet the needs of our constituents.
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DCCH
has organized a merchant association on the 1400 Block of Park
Road NW. DCCH will deliver a "Facade Improvement Loan Program" on
this block which is coterminous to the new DC USA project. |
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Leadership Development |
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DCCH
sponsors "Leadership Columbia Heights", a neighborhood
based community improvement skills training program designed
to strengthen the community's civic fabric by generating a continuous
stream of well informed volunteers working together for community
betterment. |
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Neighhborhood
Improvement |
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The
DCCH Board of Directors identifIed three severely distressed
blocks in 1994 for intensive investment. These are the1400 blocks
of Chapin, Girard and Columbia Road. DCCH has completed a number
of housing acquisitions and rehabilitations on the blocks in
a strategy to improve the environment in a manner attracting
private investment to the blocks.
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DCCH
also served as consultants and construction manager for the acquisition
and rehabilitation of the new headquarters of Latin American
Youth Center on Columbia Road. |
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DCCH
sponsored the first new retail construction and new homeownership
development on 14th Street at the Nehemiah Project, 14th and
Belmont Streets, NW. |
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Phone
202-483-4986