Bowser Pushes DC Council to Finalize Chevy Chase Civic Core, Reeves Center Redevelopments

• September 18th

by UrbanTurf Staff

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Mayor Bowser is asking the DC Council to move on a slate of long-in-the-works development deals before she leaves office, including the redevelopment of the Chevy Chase Civic Core and the redevelopment of the Reeves Center on U Street.

In a letter sent to the Council this week, Bowser said the projects reflect years of effort and are finally in shape for the Council to approve and put into motion, after extensive community input and negotiations. Reporter Martin Austermuhle posted the letter on September 17, noting that Bowser said she intends to finalize several longstanding development projects during her final three months in office.

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Chevy Chase Civic Core 

Rift Valley Partners' proposed redevelopment of the Chevy Chase civic core site — home to a library, community center, and recreation center at 5601 and 5625 Connecticut Avenue NW — includes 177 units, a new community center and library, as well as outdoor amenities: an amphitheater, outdoor classroom, several sports courts, and neighborhood retail.

Getting the project to move forward requires two separate DC Council votes — a "surplus" bill declaring the site no longer needed for its current public use, and a "disposition" bill authorizing the property's transfer to the developer. 

Frank D. Reeves Center 

The District has been trying to redevelop the Reeves Center site at 2000 14th Street NW for years, with the NAACP's relocation of its headquarters as the centerpiece. 

DC selected the Reeves CMC Venture team — MRP Realty, Capri Investment Group, and CSG Urban Partners — back in 2023 to redevelop 2000 14th Street NW into office space for the NAACP and DC agencies, 322 mixed-income apartments, a hotel, and retail including a restaurant from Carla Hall and a comedy club from Dave Chappelle. In July, the Washington Business Journal reported that MRP is no longer part of the redevelopment team.

As with Chevy Chase, the Council's approval of surplus and disposition bills is the missing piece before the site can be formally transferred to the development team.

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The letter also covers Poplar Point (Ward 8), 70+ acres of riverfront parkland tied to relocating US Park Police facilities; Fletcher-Johnson (Ward 7), 800 housing units with office, retail and senior-assisted living; the Georgetown Boathouse (Ward 2), a District/Georgetown University/National Park Service agreement; and the final parcels needed to complete the 183-acre St. Elizabeths East campus (Ward 8). The Council is expected to take these up this fall; no hearing dates have been announced.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/bowser_pushes_dc_council_to_finalize_chevy_chase_civic_core_reeves_center_r/25009.