Report - DC Must Rethink Economic Development

The Downtown BID and DC's Office of Economic Development have produced a report that pushes DC to move away from a land development focus towards a job creation focus.

Read more in the Washington Business Journal Here.

Developing Affordable Space for Artists

A Summary of Development Projects Funded by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Read more Here.

Creative DC Action Agenda - Fall Meeting

The DC Office of Planning, the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities have been working for more than a year to find ways to support creative employment and business opportunities and promote revitalizing and enlivening underserved areas through the arts and creative uses.

To begin executing the Creative DC Action Agenda, as well as the Green Collar Jobs Initiative and the Retail Action Strategy, a forum where public, private and non-profit stakeholders can help advance the city’s creative, green and retail sectors, will be held this fall. For more information or to receive an invitation to the event, or both, contact Sakina Khan at sakina.khan@dc.gov.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is dedicated to helping community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity.

Read more Here.

Database of Vacant Retail Space in DC

Looking for vacant retail space? What about creative space for an art studio or interior design firm?

The Washington, DC Economic Partnership, is expanding its database of 265 vacant and soon-to-be-available sites in DC and introducing what will be the city’s first comprehensive site location survey to help businesses locate available retail space in the city. Using cameras with built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to photograph and record information on occupied and vacant mixed-use, retail and commercial storefronts, the organization has combed commercial corridors such as Minnesota, Georgia and Wisconsin Avenues and South Capitol and Kennedy Streetsareas not currently covered by an existing neighborhood business improvement district or community improvement district.

Look for the additional information to be posted at www.wdcep.com/ by the end of this month.

District Begins New Affordable Housing Program

From the Press Release:

August 14, 2009

District Begins New Affordable Housing Program

(Washington, DC) – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on Friday announced the District has implemented the District’s Inclusionary Zoning program, which affords private sector development companies the right to additional density for their projects in exchange for making at least 8 percent of the units in the project affordable.

“We’re building an inclusive city,” said Mayor Fenty. “And that means making sure there are high-quality housing options for residents at every income level throughout the city. We worked very hard to strike the right balance in putting together this program so that it will create as much affordable housing as possible while minimizing any potential burden on the development community.”

Read More Here.

Metlife Innovative Space Award

The Metlife Innovative Space Awards (ISA) is a competitive national funding program that recognizes outstanding efforts in the design and development of affordable space for artists. The program emphasizes the benefits artist spaces yield for both artists and their communities. In November 2009, the Metlife Innovative Space Awards will announce awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to provide support for up to five winning projects.

Read more about it Here.

Falls Church - New Arts District

Missy Frederick reports in the Washington Business Journal that Falls Church has approved a new Arts District.

Communities across the Washington area are investigating the concept of arts districts as catalysts for economic development.

Proponents say tax and building incentives in the districts can lure developers to build artist space, spur the growth of artistic venues and draw more people to arts-related events.

The most recent advocate is Falls Church, where the City Council voted in early August to establish an arts and cultural district.

Read more Here.

Urban Land Institute - Urban Marketplace Conference

ULI Washington's annual Urban Marketplace, a day-long conference and expo, will bring together the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to explore redevelopment opportunities and best practices in emerging neighborhoods and corridors across the Washington metropolitan region. The conference is on Tuesday September 15th and costs $75 - $225 depending on your occupation. Find out more info Here.

LINC - artist space resources

Artist Space: The Big Picture
Access to affordable space plays a significant role in the ability of artists to produce artwork and contribute to the fabric of communities.
Read more HERE.

Back After Hiatus

And we're back!
Its been a busy summer, so posts on the blog have been few and far between. But I am able to refocus on arts and real estate once again, so look for more frequent posts as we move into the fall.

- Paul Ruppert

Rhode Island Avenue: Diamond of the District

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development today released for public comment an economic development plan for the Rhode Island Avenue NE Great Streets Corridor. The document "Rhode Island Avenue: Diamond of the District" outlines recommendations which are expected to guide an estimated $1.2 billion in private and public investment in a mix of uses through the year 2025.

The draft plan can be accessed here.

Office space for Non-Profits - Columbia Heights

Two office spaces are available for lease at the Emergence Community Arts Collective at 733 Euclid St. NW to a non-profit, 501c3 organization working in DC.

1) Second floor office, 350 sf (3-4 workstations) with a private full bath. Rent is $650 per month plus utilities. Available now.

2) First floor office, 150 sf (1 workstation) with shared bath. Rent is $350 which includes utilities. Available July 1st.

Parking is available. Contact Sylvia Robinson at sylvia@ecacollective.org or (202) 462-2285.

List of FHA Approved Condos

If you are looking to use FHA financing to buy a condo, then be sure that the condo has been approved by going to this HUD website.

HPAP Orientation - Sat, May 30

Latino Economic Development Corporation is holding another orientation meeting for people interested in learning more about the Home Purchase Assistance Program on Saturday May 30 at 10am.

More details here.

Noa Gallery - Reopening in DC

NOA Gallery & Design Studio (New, Old & Abstract) is owned and operated by Michael Little, artist and designer. Located at 132 Rhode Island Avenue, N.W., NOA Gallery is presenting a long awaited reopening on Saturday afternoon, May 16, from 12-4. NOA Gallery is located within the Shaw, Bloomingdale, and LeDroit Park boundaries of Washington, D.C. The Gallery will be open from Wednesday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday hours from noon to 6 p.m., all other times by appointment (202-483- 7328)

Studios at Savage Mill

Savage Mill in Savage, MD is a historic complex of buildings spread over 175,000 square feet and is now home to antique centers, home furnishing stores, craft galleries, artist studios, specialty shops, and destination restaurants.
Find out information about resident artists here and call 410.792.2820 x.229 for more information about studio space.

Gateway Arts District Open Studio Tour - May 16

A critical mass of arts activity is emerging in the Prince George's County Gateway Arts District featuring studios, galleries and businesses concentrated along a 2.1-mile stretch of the Route 1/Rhode Island Avenue corridor. Now in its 5th year, the annual Gateway Arts District Open Studio Tour will showcase more than 100 artists throughout the four municipalities of Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville on Saturday, May 16 from Noon to 5 pm. The event is free and open to the public.
More information here.

Studios at Arlington Arts Center

Now accepting applications. Deadline is May 22. For more information check out AAC-Studios. The studios are shared spaces and cost $150/month.

Studios at Montpelier - Deadline approaches

Next week is the deadline for the applications for Studios at Montpelier in Prince George's County.

The Montpelier Arts Center (MAC) rents studio space to qualified artists at a rate of $8.00 per square foot per year. To become eligible to rent space, you must be selected by jury.

The next juried competition for studio space at MAC is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

To enter, please bring the completed application form and up to five examples of your work to the Montpelier Arts Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 between 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. Those who are selected by the jury will be granted a one-year lease; or, if there is no space available, their names will be placed on a waiting list.

For more information, please call (301) 953-1993 or (410) 792-0664 or TDD (301) 490-2329, or email us at Montpelier.Arts@pgparks.com.

For more information visit Montpelier Arts Center Studios

Focus Group - Artist Housing in NoMa

CuDC is holding a focus group on artist housing in Noma next Wednesday. Here is the info -

Participate in our focus group: Be a part of bringing affordable rental housing for artists to DC. CuDC is working with the Cohen Companies to bring you 30 artist units, including 1 and 2 bedroom layouts, ready for move-in by February 2010. Come learn about this project at 3rd and K NE. Join us for a focus group on Wednesday, May 13th from 6-8 pm at Flashpoint (916 G Street NW) to hear about the project, see the designs and share your thoughts. We'll have floorplans, finishes samples and more. RSVP to housing@culturaldc.org by Wednesday, May 6th.

for more info:
Cultural Development Corporation
t: 202.315.1305

Happenings in your Neighborhood

Thinking about moving to a new neighborhood? Want to get a fix on all the nitty gritty details - crime reports, bulk trash pickup requests, etc.? Then subscribe to DC.everyblock.com . From their web site:

“What’s happening in my neighborhood?”

For a long time, that’s been a tough question to answer. In dense, bustling cities like Chicago, New York and San Francisco, the number of daily media reports, government proceedings and local Internet conversations is staggering. Every day, a wealth of local information is created — officials inspect restaurants, journalists cover fires and Web users post photographs — but who has time to sort through all of that?

Our mission at EveryBlock is to solve that problem. We aim to collect all of the news and civic goings-on that have happened recently in your city, and make it simple for you to keep track of news in particular areas. We’re a geographic filter — a “news feed” for your neighborhood, or, yes, even your block.

You can subscribe to the feed by selecting a neighborhood, zip code, block, etc. and receive a daily or weekly summary.

Application for DC Tax Abatement Program

Click here for more information on the Tax Abatement program for first time homebuyers in DC. This is a link to the 2007 form. In 2008 they raised the house price limit to $326,700 and also raised the income limits slightly.

Lower Income Home Ownership Tax Abatement

Eligible homeowners, including non-profit organizations and shared equity investors, may receive a five-year tax abatement and be exempt from paying recordation and transfer taxes. To qualify, you must meet the following conditions:

+The property must be owner-occupied;
+The owner must meet the income level requirement; and
+The property must be less than $327,000 in value

If you have questions about if you qualify for this program or whether you can take advantage of it when you buy your house or condo, send me an email - pwr (at) ruppertrealestate.com - and I will try to answer your questions.

HPAP - Am I eligible for a loan?

To be eligible for HPAP assistance, you must meet the following criteria:

+Be the head of the household and a first-time homebuyer.
+Be a low-to-moderate income resident, based on the Department’s standards.
+Cannot have had ownership interest in any residential real estate within the three years prior to application.
+The purchased home must be the borrower’s primary residence and must be located within the District of Columbia.
+Possess a good credit rating.

Applications are prioritized based on the following:
-low-income, elderly, handicapped, disabled or displaced District residents
-other District residents
-non-residents who have been employed in the District for one year prior to application
-non-residents who have lived in the District for three years as an adult