Standard Communities and Housing on Merit were joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Councilmember Vincent C. Gray, and NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green in celebrating the successful renovation and preservation as affordable housing of Fort Chaplin Park Apartments, a 549-unit property located on East Capitol Street NE in Washington, D.C on May 15th. The Ribbon Cutting ceremony was attended by residents, community groups, and project participants including lenders, investors, and representatives from a diverse array of federal and local government agencies, all of whom helped contribute to the successful revitalization of Fort Chaplin Park Apartments.

Recognized with the 2019 Tax Credit Excellence Award by the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, Standard Communities’ work at Fort Chaplin Park Apartments included expanding affordability protections to 100% of residents – an improvement of nearly 30% – and completing a $33 million renovation of the property that included upgrading unit interiors, modernizing building systems, and adding a 5,000 square foot, LEED-certified Community Center that offers extensive amenity and recreational space. No residents were displaced from the property during the renovation.

Standard worked in partnership with Housing on Merit to design and implement an extensive suite of resident services and community programming at the property. The newly-built Community Center serves as a hub of activity for residents of all ages, with a focus on academic excellence, health and wellness, employment and financial stability, and growth and empowerment. Congrats to all team members involved in the project!

Kathryn Burgess, Maria Day-Marshall, Carrie Thomas, Terry Fortune and Van Anderson. Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development.

On Saturday, May 18th, University of Maryland’s Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development hosted its 2019 Spring Colvin Capstone Competition. It kicked off with 10 students presenting their final capstone projects. Judges included Van Anderson, Revere Bank, Rockville, MD; Kathryn Burgess, J Street Companies, Washington, DC; Terry Fortune, The Peebles Corporation, Washington, DC and poster judge, Catherine Ryckman, MRED ’18, The Michaels Organization, Washington, DC.

Carrie Thomas took home first place for her project, The Village, Historic Downtown Frederick, MD and Nyasha Mandima was awarded second place for Apartments at Carroll Creek, Historic Downtown Frederick, MD. Daniel Green took third place with his project, Homes at Baker Place, Frederick, MD and honorable mention went to Nicholas Shank for Carroll Creek Square, Historic Downtown Frederick, MD. Congratulations to all award winners!

Join Mayor Muriel Bowser, District Government officials, stakeholders, and the community to show your support for affordable and workforce housing investments and preview the site of future workforce housing in the Marshall Heights neighborhood of Ward 7 in DC.

At the start of her second term, Mayor Bowser set a bold goal to deliver an additional 36,000 units of housing—including at least 12,000 units of affordable housing—by 2025. In addition, the Mayor has called on the entire region to work together to produce 240,000 additional housing units. In March, she introduced her Fiscal Year 2020 budget, which includes new housing investments under the DC Department of Housing and Community Development: a 30-percent increase in the Housing Production Trust Fund, bringing her annual investment to $130 million; an increase in the Housing Preservation Fund from $10 million to $15 million, which will yield an additional $45 million in private investment; and a new $20 million Workforce Housing Fund that will leverage private sector investment by 9 to 1, bringing the fund up to $200 million.

This event will take place on the site of Phase 3 of Cynthia Townhomes, which is part of the Housing Investment Platform of the DC Housing Finance Agency. All three phases total 15 townhomes, with five homes in each phase. Phase One is sold out, and three homes are reserved via pre-sale in Phases Two and Three. The homes are for households making no more than $140,600 (120% of the median family income in 2018).

Download the event flyer here.

You can register online here.

People & Places 2019 is taking place April 15-17 in Arlington, Virginia! Eighteen national nonprofits have joined forces to present People & Places 2019, a national community development conference. Join placemakers from different places, races, and national networks to share local solutions to displacement, disinvestment, and racial inequity. The luncheon features a discussion  on “People’s Right to Their Places: Community Accountability in an Age of Displacement” with community developers and organizers from Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Register by April 9 using these HAND discount codes: HANDpeople takes $100 off the 3-day rate. HAND1day takes $50 the 1-day rate.