Ward 1 CM Graham soliciting support for the Howard Town Center development

See this message from Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham regarding the Howard Town Center project at Georgia and V Street NW, just a stone's throw from Bloomingdale:

From: Jim Graham

To: ``ledroitpark @ yahoogroups.com``

Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 3:09 PM

Subject: [LeDroitPark] Support for Howard University Town Center Development

Dear Friends, In December 2012 the DC Council voted to support the proposed Howard University Town Center project in an important way.  The Council voted to extend a tax abatement to the project to help this important project get off the ground.  I had introduced the bill.

The effort to help this revitalization project is not over, though.  The DC Budget for Fiscal Year 2013 or 14 will have to include the funding for the tax abatement, and this will need support from Mayor Gray.  I am calling on all concerned residents with an interest in bring an excellent revitalization project to Ward 1 to pick up the phone, send a letter, or send an email to Mayor in support of this project, and specifically to include funding for this project in the next City Budget.

The merits of this project are numerous:

1)      The Project will stand as a gateway to Howard University at the corner of Georgia Avenue and V Street, NW.

2)      Howard University Town Center will bring a 41,000 square foot neighborhood grocery store, The Freshgrocer, to an area that has starved for a grocer for years.  The Freshgrocer caters to all income types and will truly be a complement to the neighborhood.

3)      The Project will also have a regional or national bank and a 15,000 apparel store.

4)      Of the 445 apartments, 20% or 88 units will be for affordable housing.  The affordable housing units will be built to the same standards of high quality as the market rate units.

5)      The Project will provide numerous full time and part time jobs to the area.  It is estimated that 800 temporary construction jobs, 700 temporary indirect jobs, 250 permanent  direct full time jobs, and 125 permanent indirect full time jobs will be created.  The project will adhere to First Source hiring practices, which means that all jobs will be offered to District residents with the goal of 51% of the jobs being filled by District residents.

6)      The Project will adhere to CBE hiring practices for the hiring of contractors, subcontractors and service providers.

There is no doubt that this project will bring life and vitality to a portion of Georgia Avenue that has been an eyesore for too many years.  Please do your part to help finish what the Council has started:  Send a message in support of the Howard University Town Center to the Mayor today!