COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
DIVERSITY PROMOTES GROWTH & PROSPERITY FOR ALL
DCCH created a vision for Columbia Heights: grow and preserve the ethnic and economic diversity of one of the District's most dynamic neighborhoods.
We've helped make that vision a reality with major commercial, retail, and residential properties located adjacent to the
Columbia Heights Metro.
A vision for the future includes all people,
offering robust
opportunities
Working to provide more opportunity to the Columbia Heights community.
Since its formation, DCCH has successfully created over 1,000 units of affordable housing, developed three retail complexes with partners (Nehemiah Shopping Center, Tivoli Square, and DC USA, totaling 600,000 square feet of retail), and has been a major player in providing small business technical assistance to the small businesses on the 14th Street, 11th Street and the Lower Georgia Avenue Business Corridors.
The organization's target audience are families in the Columbia Heights and immediately surrounding areas, in need of resources that make it possible for them to remain and thrive in a rapidly gentrifying part of the District.
Addressing Emerging Issues in Affordable Housing – Preserving Small Multi-Family Housing
In 2010, DCCH, along with its partners, was awarded the Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence: the Americas Competition and its 2010 Global Award for Excellence for the development of the DC USA retail complex. But, now one of the greatest needs of the neighborhood is the assurance that that the new developments do not create displacement of its long- term residents.
In May 2018, the average closing price for homes and condos in the Columbia Heights neighborhood were $619,300 and the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment stood at $2,108 per month.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Partnered with organizations to rehabilitate and develop over 1,000 affordable housing rental units and homeownership opportunities throughout the Columbia Heights area.
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Provided technical assistance to over 500 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
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Teamed with Grid Properties, Gotham Inc., and Joseph Searles in the development of the 540,000 square foot DC USA retail complex located on 14th Street NW between Park Road and Irving Street. Replacing an empty lot and a dilapidated building, DC USA now houses notable businesses such as Target, Best Buy, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Marshall's. In addition to these major retailers, DCCH has worked to provide 15,000 square feet of retail space for local minority businesses at a discounted rent. To date, DC USA has provided over 1,200 neighborhood jobs.
Built in 1924, the Tivoli Theatre was, until its closing in 1976, one of the most elegant segregated movie houses in Washington, DC. On May 13th of 2007, this historic location,
3301 14th Street NW, was developed by Horning Brothers and DCCH into a mixed-used project full of diversity that now houses a Super Giant, the Gala Hispanic Theatre, sit-down restaurants like El-Tio, ground floor retail, office space and 40 condo units known as Tivoli Towns — of which 20 percent of the units were set-aside for low- and moderate-income households.
DCCH served as a managing agent for the Nehemiah Group, a collaboration of non-profits, lenders, philanthropists, and the District government. This collaboration produced and sold 48 cooperatives and townhomes, and developed a 28,000 square foot retail center named the Nehemiah Retail Center. The organization created over 100 jobs and was the recipient of the distinguished Fannie Mae Foundation's Maxwell Award of Excellence.
HOUSING HIGHLIGHTS
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Targeted the highly distressed 1400 blocks of Columbia Road, Chapin and Girard Streets NW in Columbia Heights for the intensive programming required to attract new homeowners, renters and investors. Some of the housing and community projects included:
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1419 Columbia Road
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2327-2332 15th Street
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1474 Chapin Street
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1415 Girard Street
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1461 Girard Street
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1429 Girard Street
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1430 Chapin Street
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Developed the Pool Bundle Project, located at 1474 Chapin street NW, and 1030-1034 Euclid Street NW. It's the District's first non-contiguous FHA-insured tax credit/tax-exempt project developed by a non-profit organization. It provided 32 affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income households in Columbia Heights.
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To prevent the displacement of low-income and elderly neighborhood residents, DCCH purchased at a public auction the Fairmont Square Apartments 1225 Fairmont Street NW.