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Mayor Williams Baseball Testimony, Baseball Developers for AWC, New Communities, Captive Insurance, Home Again, North Capitol Firehouse Renovation, Holiday Music in Public Places
1. Mayor Anthony A. Williams Testifies on Lease Agreement Between DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and Major League Baseball Mayor Anthony A. Williams testified Tuesday, December 13 before the DC Council's Committee on Economic Development regarding the lease agreement between the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission and Major League Baseball. View the testimony.
2. Anacostia Waterfront Corporation Announces Designated Developers for Baseball Development District On Monday, December 12, the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation (AWC) announced the selection of designated developers for sites in the area surrounding the new Washington Nationals ballpark that will be built on the banks of the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, DC. The team of Forest City Washington, Inc., Western Development Corporation, The Jarvis Company, The Jair Lynch Companies, and MacFarlane Partners-DC and the team of Monument Realty, LLC, the Cordish Company, and Triden Development Group will each have the opportunity to enter into exclusive negotiations with AWC to develop mixed-use projects on two publicly owned sites that AWC is presently seeking to acquire near the ballpark. AWC released a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for mixed-use development in the area surrounding the new Washington Nationals ballpark on September 16. The RFEI was issued as an open invitation to qualified developers with experience in large scale mixed-use, retail, sports-related and waterfront development. AWC received nine proposals from nationally recognized groups to develop the area into a one-of-a-kind mixed-use residential, retail, and office district. The 12-week selection process represents the first developer solicitation facilitated by the newly formed AWC, an independent instrumentality of the District government. The two developer teams will work with AWC to create a comprehensive development strategy for the area over the next 90 days and negotiate exclusive rights agreements for the development of parcels to be acquired by AWC with the goal of earning DC Council approval by July 2006. Details about this new development can be found on the Mayor's website . Visit AWC .
3. New Communities Hearing Draws Large Turnout from Community Residents On November 16, the first public hearing on the Northwest One redevelopment plan was held by the Chair of the Committee on Economic Development Sharon Ambrose. Residents and other stakeholders turned out to participate in large numbers at this daylong hearing. There was standing room only in the DC Council chambers. The hearing included testimony from a District government panel, led by City Administrator Robert C. Bobb. The hearing included testimony from the city administrator, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders (DMCYFE), the director of the Office of Planning, the Housing Authority, NCRC, and DC Public Schools, as well as a host of community residents and stakeholders The Northwest One draft Redevelopment Plan is unique for three reasons:
The vision for redevelopment grew out of the yearlong partnership between the District government and residents, including a multi-day community design workshop in July. After months of pre-work and negotiations, the Northwest One Council and the District signed a set of Guiding Principles January 31 to define the goals and decision-making process for the Northwest One Redevelopment Plan. The draft Redevelopment Plan presented to the Committee on Economic Development was endorsed unanimously by the Northwest One Council, including the leadership of the Sursum Corda Cooperative. As the District's first New Community, the Northwest One Redevelopment Plan would invest approximately $558 million to transform the neighborhood into over 1,600 units of mixed-income housing and a new state-of-the-art school and other community amenities including a recreation center, health center, approximately 90,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail centers, and most importantly, a well-coordinated human capital plan designed to give long-time residents the tools to thrive in the new neighborhood. The Northwest One draft Redevelopment Plan focuses on strengthening the community's human capital through targeted social services such as job training, educational advancement opportunities, mental health services, counseling, rehabilitation, and more. To view the complete coverage of the New Communities public hearing, view the plan, or read the testimony of District officials, please visit the DMPED website.
For more information on the New Communities Initiative, please call the New Communities hotline at (202) 724-5566 or visit the New Communities website.
4. DC Receives "A+" for Captive Insurance Success The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) is pleased to announce that the District of Columbia's success in attracting captive insurance companies landed it an "A+" grade from an independent consulting firm Johnson Lambert & Co., which conducted a study on the financial impact of captives on the District of Columbia. According to the firm's Second Annual DC Captives Report, the growth rate of DC captives has surpassed some of its biggest onshore competitors, making DC a leading captive domicile in the nation. Since the captive insurance law was passed by the DC Council five years ago, 55 captives have been established in DC with five more pending. The most dramatic growth occurred in 2004, when the gross premiums written by the captives more than tripled those from 2003, with a total underwriting profit of $8.7 million to date and tax revenue paid to the District of Columbia estimated at over $1 million by the end of 2005. DC's status as a nation's capital and its high concentration of knowledge-based industries and professionals make it an ideal domicile for captives, which can tap into a wealth of business resources to set up captives. In addition, DC's laws on captives insurance, which were revised in 2004 to make it easier for existing captives to transfer from any jurisdiction, including foreign countries, has also helped several companies relocate to the city. "We will continue the success of captive insurance by providing a stable regulatory scheme," said Acting Commissioner Thomas Hampton. "Captive insurance is part of the District's economic viability. DC's tremendous resource in the number of financial service professionals in the area gives us the competitive edge to attract, operate, and manage the captives. Since the District of Columbia has a niche market in associations, we are going to target associations to grow our captive base." For further information or questions, please contact DISB Public Information Officer Lily Qi at (202) 442-7820 or by email. For more information, visit DISB.
5. This Old House® Chronicles the Renovation of a Home Again Initiative Project The Mayor's initiative to increase affordable housing stock is drawing the national spotlight. The PBS series This Old House® will work with Mi Casa Inc. to chronicle the rehabilitation of a circa 1879 Italianate brick row house located just ten blocks from the White House in the Shaw neighborhood. Mi Casa Inc. is a Washington, DC-based, non-profit organization that builds and renovates homes for sale to low and moderate-income families and provides technical assistance to tenant purchase projects. Mi Casa Inc. was selected through a "request for proposal" process as the developer of this home by the Mayor's Home Again Initiative, a program designed to help eliminate blight throughout the city. Thus far, Mi Casa Inc. has been the successful bidder on eight Home Again properties and has completed and sold three of them. The This Old House® Washington, DC project premieres on WETA Saturday, February 11, 2006, in the first half of the This Old House® Hour at 9 am. For more information, visit DMPED.
6. District Extends Due Date for Offers for Historic Firehouse Renovation to 5 pm Monday, December 19 Old Engine Company 12 is a Spanish Colonial style firehouse and is located on the parcel of land at the intersection of North Capitol Street and Quincy Place, NW, known for tax and assessment purposes as Lot 1 in Square 3101 (the "Property"). Designed and constructed by the municipal architect in 1897, it is one of the District's 29 pre-World War II firehouses. These firehouses, dating from 1864 to 1939, were designed as landmarks for their respective neighborhoods. They are significant not only for their architectural merits and diversity, but also for their socioeconomic impact on their surrounding neighborhoods. The fire company formerly stationed at the property moved into new quarters in 1987, leaving behind one of the District's finest firehouses. Today, it sits vacant, coated with yellow paint that was illegally applied after the property was vacated. The Williams Administration would like to see Old Engine Company 12 used to complement development that is starting to occur in this emerging area. The Property offers the potential for innovative development of mixed-use space, which could include retail, recreation, cultural, housing, or office space. The Administration would also like the property's development to contribute to a vibrant and active mixed-use North Capitol Corridor, and include retail uses at the street level that will serve area residents and local office workers. The District is especially interested in offers that include a sit-down restaurant or cafe. Although the Administration is willing to entertain any Responsive Offers, the Administration welcomes offers that also accommodate "preferred uses" such as cultural space or residential space designed for mixed-income occupants. The Administration will also consider the potential of any proposed offer to include additional parcels of land in Square 3101 and the ability of such Offeror to assemble such additional parcels and integrate them into the planned development of the property. To read the full text of the proposal, visit DMPED*.
7. Free Week of Holiday Music in Public Places throughout the District The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities announces a performance series of free holiday music from December 19 to December 23. For information, call (202) 724-5613. Below are a few of the participating performers and venues:
View the performance schedule* for times and locations. Visit DCCAH.
Submit Feedback to brc@dc.gov
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