City Asks Developers for Proposals to Redevelop Hill East Boys and Girls Club

Dion Townley, Project Manager for the development of the Hill East Boys and Girls Club, explains the request for proposals to members of the Hill East Task Force. (L to R, Pat Taylor, resident member, ANC Commissioner/Task Force Chair Daniel Ridge, and ANC Commissioner Denise Krepp)

City Asks Developers for Proposals to Redevelop Hill East Boys and Girls Club

by Larry Janezich

Yesterday, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development put out the Request for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment of the Hill East Boys and Girls Club.  The request acknowledged neighbor’s preferences for a residential project containing some sort of “community serving” retail such as a day care center or senior care facility, or another use as a community space.  The question now is what kind of economically viable project potential developers will come up with to satisfy those priorities

A previous effort at redevelopment under the Department of General Services foundered when it produced only one proposal (providing for 100% affordable housing financed by low income housing tax credits) that met RFP requirements.  See here:  http://bit.ly/2crh6Ty  The proposal provoked a strong negative reaction from neighbors who want a project with a mix of affordable and market rate units, as well as a community space.  (A second proposal for a mixed use project was submitted in response to the DGS RFP, but the terms of the RFP specifying a 25 year lease made the project difficult if not impossible to qualify for commercial financing.)

Last night, some 20 Hill Easters heard Dion Townley, Project Manager for the Development of the Boys and Girls Club, describe the just-issued Request for Proposals for the redevelopment. Townley appeared before the ANC6B Hill East Task Force, chaired by ANC6B Commissioner Daniel Ridge in whose single member district the project lies.  Townley explained that the RFP was developed on the basis of community input growing out of a pair of meetings earlier this year.  See here: http://bit.ly/2lTxtiU

In those community meetings, DEMPED listed the limited choices residents had to shape the development.  Zoning limits the use of the site to residential or mixed use (residential with retail limited by zoning regs to neighborhood-serving retail such as a day care center, senior care, or community space) or institutional use.  Likewise, zoning limits height to the current height of the building, unless a zoning change for the property is sought through a PUD process.  Such a change would not change the limitations on any retail component.

The RFP notes that, “There was a consensus within the community that the future development of the site should include residential use.  Some residents expressed a preference for future development that consists solely of residential use, but the majority of the community expressed a priority to also include a neighborhood serving use site such as a community space, day care, and/or senior care in the future development.”

Also, “There were varying preferences within the community regarding housing types for the new development. Priorities included opportunities for homeownership, housing reserved for seniors, multigenerational housing, and a preference for family size units.”

The RFP says explicitly that DMPED’s guiding priorities are to increase affordable housing, and current Inclusionary Zoning regulations require that 30% of the housing in the development of city-owned buildings or land, be affordable.  The RFP, linked to below, has a detailed explanation of the affordable housing requirements on page 8.  Affordable housing residents meet the same criteria as residents applying for renting or purchase of commercial market rate housing.

The Selection process timetable (subject to change) is as follows:

Issuance of RFP – April 26, 2017

RFP response submission due date – July 14, 2017

Selection recommendation panel interviews – August 2017

Public input/disposition hearing: community presentation by development team respondents – September 2017.  (This will be the next opportunity for public input.  Developers will present their proposals to community members and gather comments from the public and the ANCs prior to the selection of a developer.)

Final selection of development team – Fall 2017

Submission of land disposition agreement and accompanying legislation to DC city Council – Spring 2018.  (DMPED will come back to the ANC before final submission to the City Council.)

DMPED’s RFP for the Boys and Girls Club can be found here:  http://bit.ly/2oyoRjt