By Southwester Staff
The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) on Nov. 17 announced it is partnering with Greenleaf District Partners to start on the redevelopment of the greater Greenleaf community, according to an agency press release.
DCHA is set to begin negotiations with the team of developers – which comprises Pennrose, EYA, and Bozzuto Group – on properties including Greenleaf Gardens, Greenleaf Senior, Greenleaf Additions, and Greenleaf Extension. Among the developers that were not chosen for the project are Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, Dantes Partners, and Gilbane Development, according to recent reporting by Washington Business Journals.
DCHA earlier issued a request for proposal to redevelop the community, which spans 10 acres and “consists of 493 public housing units across 23 separate buildings, including garden-style apartments and two high-rise buildings,” the press release said. The community covers five blocks near the intersection of M Street SW and Delaware Avenue SW.
Regional Vice President of Pennrose, Ivy Dench-Carter, said Greenleaf District Partners “has a long standing commitment to developing high-quality, mixed-income communities in the D.C. region.” The executive added that the team understands “the significance of this endeavor to the residents of Greenleaf, the surrounding community, DCHA, and city leadership.” It is critically important for Greenleaf District Partners to ensure “one-for-one replacement of the existing housing” and provide “build-first” housing options in the Southwest community for existing Greenleaf residents,” the press release quoted Dench-Carter as saying.
The greater Greenleaf community project would not be the first affordable housing project in the area for the developers, according to the reporting by Washington Business Journals. Recently, Pennrose has developed a mixed-income community in Deanwood, while Paramount and EYA are working on a similar project in Fort Totten. Paramount is headed by Ben Soto, a donor of Mayor Muriel Bowser, the outlet reported.
DCHA Executive Director Tyrone Garrett said the agency intends to work with the team to “create a new, mixed-use community with a commitment to one-for-one replacement for all 493 units and to provide build first options for residents.” The developers and the Housing Authority plan to work “hand in glove with the residents of Greenleaf” and collaborate “with the community to shape a future that we can be proud of together.”