DHCD Will Serve as Anchor Tenant to Anacostia’s MLK Gateway Development
By Keith Loria July 22, 2020 1:04 pm
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The Department of Housing and Community Development has signed a 16-year lease for 55,000 square feet to anchor the second phase of the MLK Gateway development, a mixed-use property in Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood.
Developed by the Menkiti Group, the first phase of the project got underway in January, and will include 20,000 square feet of office space and 14,600 square feet of retail, which will be anchored by tech company Enlightened Inc.
The second phase of the development will include nearly 130,000 square feet of office and retail space at 1901 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE and 1111 Good Hope Road SE.
“We truly believe MLK Gateway is an innovative example of community-led participative development and serves as a model for how public and private sectors can collaborate to drive neighborhood impact through place-based investment,” Bo Menkiti, the Menkiti Group’s CEO, said in a prepared release.
Four years ago, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a request for proposal seeking partners to redevelop the property, selecting the Menkiti Group for the job.
The DHCD will move from its nearby space at 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, with Mayor Bowser noting it was important to keep the agency in the neighborhood.
“DHCD has been a cornerstone presence in historic Anacostia for many years and we wanted to ensure that the agency could continue to be a part of a community they have been pivotal in seeing grow and change,” Mayor Bowser said in a prepared statement. “My administration will continue to use the District’s leasing power to invest in East of the River neighborhoods and attract much-needed retail and other businesses.”
The first phase is expected to deliver in early 2021, while phase two is projected for July 2022.
