Belated Review of Third Greenleaf Planning Meeting

There was a Greenleaf community meeting back in the summer which gave an update on the long process ahead to redevelop Greenleaf as a mixed-income community. There were two other community meetings in March 2016 and October 2015 where input was gathered on the redevelopment plan. 

In order to start the redevelopment process, the Housing Authority has made a commitment to using a “Build First” model, so existing residents are not displaced from the neighborhood while the public housing complex is redeveloped over the next several years. Two nearby publicly-owned sites have been identified as potential candidates to build the initial phase of the redeveloped Greenleaf. One is the parking lot adjacent to MPD’s First District headquarters at the northeast corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street. The other site is the DC FEMS Engine 7 repair shop at Half and M streets. 

Greenleaf boundaries in orange; pins show potential "Build First" sites

The preliminary development plan developed by the consultant HR&A Advisors would first involve the construction of a mixed-income building at the selected “Build First” site so some of the existing residents can move there to allow for a phased demolition of the existing Greenleaf buildings, starting with the townhouses along M Street. In the preliminary development plan, there are a mix of housing types and heights. Generally, the building heights are highest along M Street and taper down to the north and south. The redevelopment of the 15-acre site is split into four blocks: 

• Block A is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, M Street to the south and L Street to the north. An affordable seniors/disabled 11-story apartment building with 272 units would be built along M Street with about 15,000 SF of ground floor retail. The northern portion of the block would be developed with a mixed-income nine-story multifamily building with 214 units. 
• Block B is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, L Street to the south and K Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a seven-story multifamily building with about 207 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block C is bounded by 3rd Street to the west, Delaware Avenue to the east, K Street to the south and I Street to the north. The west portion would have about 37 townhouses and the east side of the block would be a mid-rise multifamily building with about 340 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. 
• Block D is bounded by Delaware Avenue to the west, King-Greenleaf Recreation Center to the east, King Greenleaf Ballfield to the south and M Street to the north. On the northwest portion of the block, an 11-story building would be constructed along Delaware Avenue with about 320 units and 7,000 SF of ground floor retail. A second 11-story multifamily building would be constructed on the northeast portion of the block – this one would have about 420 units, with some townhouses on the lower floors. The south portion of the block would include 42 townhouses. 

Excluding the “Build First” phase of development, nearly 1,900 units would be built at Greenleaf, replacing the existing 493 units of affordable housing and adding a significant amount of market-rate housing. Nothing new has happened since the July meeting, but the next step in the process is to come to an agreement with the District on a site to do “Build First.” Following that, the redevelopment plan needs to be finalized and then the Housing Authority will issue a RFP to select a developer partner.

Greenleaf Redevelopment Meeting Summary

A public meeting was held last month by DCHA, master planner Perkins Eastman, and consultant HR&A Advisors to discuss the redevelopment of Greenleaf. Unfortunately I was out of town, but slides from the October 24 meeting have become available. From what I’ve heard, over 100 people attended the meeting at Westminster Presbyterian Church, including Greenleaf residents, the greater Southwest community, and public officials. 

Greenleaf stretches 15 acres across several city blocks on either side of M Street and includes 493 public housing units in 23 buildings. The majority of the units are 2BR apartments, but the mix ranges from 1BR up to 5BR units. 

The purpose of the Greenleaf Redevelopment Plan is to develop a vision for the redevelopment of the Greenleaf community. It will also inform the criteria DCHA uses to evaluate redevelopment proposals from private developers. In addition the plan will establish the feasibility of different approaches based on community goals, market studies, financial feasibility, design guidelines, and the construction plan. At the meeting, there were five design principles discussed which will be used in the redevelopment of Greenleaf: 

1. Utilize a mix of tall and low buildings. 
2. Create a well-defined public green space. 
3. Use trees to beautify, help make place, and create a healthier living environment. 
4. Connect the new Greenleaf to other areas of the city. 
5. All new construction must first and foremost be exemplary urban architecture. 

The October meeting was the first chance for the greater Southwest community to get involved in the redevelopment process, but Greenleaf residents have been engaged over the past year or so. The redevelopment plan will be created over the next 6-9 months with two additional community meetings planned in the interim. The final plan is expected to be completed sometime in mid-2016. After that, an RFP will be released, which will take another 6-9 months to receive responses, get community input, and select a winning developer. Then, developer negotiations will take a year to 18 months to complete, but design and permitting can be done concurrently. After that construction can begin on the first phases, which can take 2-3 years to complete. Other phases will be completed depending on market conditions.

Greenleaf Charrette Rescheduled

The Greenleaf charrette that was planned for September and postponed has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 24. At this meeting, the public will learn about the latest news regarding the redevelopment of the sprawling public housing complex, which includes the Greenleaf seniors building and mid-rise building on the south side of M Street and Greenleaf Gardens Extension on the north side of M Street. In addition, participants will work with planners to draft the project guidelines of the redevelopment. 

This is one of a series of meetings that the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) will be holding where the community can participate in redevelopment planning for Greenleaf. CHA hired HR&A Advisors and other firms to develop a feasible redevelopment plan for Greenleaf, which will be completed by the end of 2015. Once the plan is adopted, then DCHA will work with a private developer to bring the plan for a mixed income community to fruition. The meeting will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church (located at 400 I Street) from 1-3pm.

No HUD Planning Grant for Greenleaf

It was reported today in Housing Complex that DCHA did not receive a HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant for Greenleaf, which was built in 1959 and includes a cluster of townhomes, mid-rise, and walk-up units from I to M streets, between 3rd Street and Delaware Avenue. In addition, Greenleaf Seniors is a high-rise at the SE corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street, as well as a mid-rise building located at 203 N Street. There are a total of 497 units in all three sections. The housing authority applied for the grant back in May and would have used the $500,000 grant money to help plan for the eventual redevelopment of Greenleaf.

The townhomes at Greenleaf Extension were recently painted.

Despite not receiving the grant, DCHA still intends to move forward with plans for redevelopment since the buildings are near the end of their useful lifespan. As a part of the application, DCHA had to demonstrate to HUD how it would redevelop Greenleaf with or without a grant. A private partner will be brought in to help redevelop the complex. Redevelopment was expected to get underway in about five years, but it appears from the Housing Complex article that the setback may delay the project.

View of Greenleaf buildings from the roof of Sky House.

DCHA Applies for HUD Grant for Greenleaf

 

Representatives from DCHA announced at a resident meeting in late April that they have applied for a $500,000 HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant for Greenleaf, a trio of public housing communities in Southwest. Greenleaf was built in 1959 and includes a cluster of townhomes, midrise, and walk-up units from I to M streets, between 3rd Street and Delaware Avenue. In addition, Greenleaf Seniors is a high-rise at the SE corner of Delaware Avenue and M Street, as well as a mid-rise building (203 N Street). There are a total of 497 units in all three sections. According to the HUD website, the Choice Neighborhoods program supports locally driven strategies to address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Three main goals of the program are as follows:

1. Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood;

2. People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth with services and supports delivered directly to youth and their families; and

3. Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community.

Greenleaf Seniors.

A Transformation Plan must be developed for the communities that receive a Planning Grant, which helps guide the revitalization of the public housing units and transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families. DCHA's grant application comes right at the same time that the Office of Planning is about to undertake a Small Area Plan for the broader area, which includes Greenleaf Gardens, Seniors and Mid-rise.  Eventually, DCHA can apply for an Implementation Grant from HUD (that is if Greenleaf is selected for a Planning Grant and a Transformation Plan is developed). Also, a public-private partnership could be sought to eventually redevelop Greenleaf. In the meantime, cosmetic work on the exterior of Greenleaf Gardens has begun and assessments of distressed property have already started.

Recently painted homes at Greenleaf Gardens.

The Near SE/SW CBCC will be hosting an informational meeting on May 23 where Tarek Bolden from the Office of Planning will go over the SW Small Area Plan process.  There will also be discussion on the HUD grant process for Greenleaf.  The meeting will be held at Westminster Church (400 I Street) from 6-7:30pm. Free childcare will be provided for children ages 5-12.

By the way this post is not an April Fools' Day joke.

Investors Look to Cash-In on Stadium Proximity

On the front page of this week's Washington Business Journal (print subscribers only) and from jdland.com, an article describes how a pair of investors have amassed 23 properties just off South Capitol Street over a span of 18 years. However, since the opening of Nationals Park, the properties have been put up for sale for $12 million, but no takers so far. One reason could be that the properties are surrounded by James Creek and Syphax Gardens, two public housing projects owned by the DC Housing Authority. Over in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, the Capper-Carrollsburg housing project was demolished and is in the process of being redeveloped into a mixed income community as a part of a federal government program called Hope VI. Funding from that HUD program is hard to come by, so it's highly unlikely something similar could happen at James Creek or Syphax Gardens. In addition, there are no immediate plans by the DC Government to expand their New Communities initiative to these two housing projects, as they are doing across the river at Barry Farms and near North Capitol Street at Northwest One. From the article: "'At this point, we don’t have the funding to redo our housing developments in Southwest,' said Dena Michaelson, a spokeswoman for the housing authority"..."In the last 18 months, the housing authority has spent $1.3 million on major upgrades to Syphax Gardens. It also is planning to improve landscaping and lighting at Syphax and other properties in Southwest." Development on the west side of South Capitol Street has been pretty quiet compared to the other side of the street, but some activity should get underway soon. Camden Property Trust has cleared a site at South Capitol & O Street where an apartment building is planned. However, activity has ceased at the site in the past few months, perhaps due to the amount of apartments already under construction near Nationals Park. I've heard that development activity is supposed to resume at the site before the end of the year. Also, the former Taco Bell & Pizza Hut site at 1101 South Capitol Street will become an office building developed by Ruben Companies. So, the investors of the 23 properties may need to wait a while longer for the construction boom to hit the west side of South Capitol Street before they can cash in on their 18 year investment.