The 1,100 Units on the Boards in Congress Heights

• September 13th 2022

by UrbanTurf Staff

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Today, UrbanTurf checks in on Congress Heights to see the status of the development pipeline for the neighborhood. If we missed a project, shoot us an email at editor(at)urbanturf.com. 

In case you missed them, here are the other neighborhood development pipelines that we have covered this year:

• The 2,000 Units Planned Around Dave Thomas Circle
• The Nearly 1,500 Units in the Friendship Heights Pipeline
• The 1,500 Units Landing in National Landing in the Next Two Years
• The Verge, The Stacks and the Soccer Stadium Development: What’s on Tap at Buzzard Point
• A Metro Development; A 7-11 Development and a Whole Foods: A Look at the Takoma/Georgia Ave Pipeline
• The 3,000 Units in Progress, and 600 Units on Hold, in Rosslyn
• 166 Steps Forward, 54 Steps Back: A Look at the 13 Projects in Georgetown’s Development Pipeline
• The Soon-to-Deliver, and 700 Proposed Units, Destined for The Wharf
• The 22 New Developments on the Boards For Downtown Bethesda
• The 1,500 Units Coming to Tenleytown and AU Park
• A Food Hall, A Fitness Bridge and The Nearly 1,700 Units in the Works For Navy Yard
• DC’s Busiest Development Neighborhood? The 20 Projects on the Boards In (And Around) Shaw
• The 1,200 Units that Delivered on South Capitol Street Over the Past Year
• The 150 Units Coming to Adams Morgan
• The Next Decade of Development at Howard University
• The 9 Potential Developments in the Works Along the DC Streetcar Line
• The 250 Residential Units Proposed Along the 14th Street Corridor

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St. Elizabeths East

The St. Elizabeths campus (map) remains the most active development site in the neighborhood. There are 750 residential units, 600,000 square feet of commercial space, two hotels, and a hospital still on the boards for the sprawling redevelopment.

There is also an RFP out for a trio of commercial and office buildings, one of which is expected to be a headquarters for the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Redbrick LMD and Gragg Cardona Partners are the master-planners of the development.

• Parcel 13

A development team led by Neighborhood Development Company has plans for the nearly four-acre Parcel 13 (map) that would deliver 295 market-rate and 126 affordable rental apartments, 20,865 square feet of commercial space, and 240 below-grade parking spaces. The affordable units would be for households earning up to 30% and 50% of area median income (AMI). 

Tenants for the commercial space are expected to include HalfSmoke and a workforce development center from A Wider Circle. The development team also includes GCS Sigal, MG Capital, and architect Bonstra/Haresign. 

• Parcel 15

Redbrick was awarded development rights for Parcel 15 in 2019, and an interim timber retail pavilion broke ground this summer for the parking lot between the Congress Heights Metro and the Entertainment & Sports Arena (map). 

Eventually, Parcel 15 will house four buildings surrounding a town square: a 200,000 square-foot office building, a hotel with up to 150 rooms, and two residential buildings with 129 and 159 units. There would also be up to 450 below-grade parking spaces and up to 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. 

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Terrace Manor Redevelopment

Developers W.C. Smith and Anacostia Economic Development Corp. received Housing Production Trust Fund monies in 2021 toward redevelopment of the 12-building Terrace Manor community at 2270-2272 and 2276 Savannah Street SE and 3341-3353 23rd Street SE (map). A new PUD application was approved for the site in September 2019, proposing a 130-unit all-affordable building for households earning up to 60 percent of median family income.

The unit mix spans one- to three-bedrooms, and the Stoiber + Associates designed development will also include 60 vehicular and 40 long term bicycle spaces in a below grade garage. The project will also have some rooftop solar panels and a community garden and bio-pond in the rear courtyard.

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3836-3848 South Capitol Street SE

Another PUD that's on the clock was approved in 2019 to redevelop the two residential buildings at 3836-3848 South Capitol Street SE (map). The 106-unit development planned will enable residents of the existing 30 apartments on the site to return, and the unit mix will span studios to three-bedrooms. The units would be affordable to households earning up to 30%, 50%, and 60% of AMI. There would also be 17 parking spaces and 36 bicycle spaces. Kaye Stern Properties is the developer and Torti Gallas Urban is the architect.

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17 Mississippi Avenue Apartments

The DC Housing Finance Agency announced funds in 2021 dedicated for 41 affordable apartments at 17 Mississippi Avenue SE (map). The unit mix will include studios, one-bedrooms, and three-bedrooms, all affordable to households earning up to 50% of AMI. Nine of the units will be permanent supportive housing units for residents earning up to 30% of AMI. The development will also include a rooftop amenity, gym, clubroom, bicycle room, and 12 surface parking spaces. The National Housing Partnership Foundation, The Peebles Corporation, and West End Capital Group are helming the development and Soto Architecture is the designer.

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Wheeler Renaissance

After a pair of PUD extension approvals, the clock is winding down for permits to be filed for this Washington Highlands development. The project by Washington Business Group is meant to replace the shopping center at Wheeler Road and Barnaby Street SE (map) with a seven-story, 85-unit building with 15,566 square feet of commercial space

All of the units, spanning studios to three-bedrooms, would be affordable to households earning up to 60% of AMI. Amenities would include a penthouse fitness center, lounge, yoga room and children's playroom. SGA Companies is the designer. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/the-1100-units-on-the-boards-in-congress-heights/20069.