Mayor Bowser Breaks Ground on New Housing at the Parks at Walter Reed

The Brooks and Vale Buildings Will Deliver 390 Housing Units to the Historic Walter Reed Campus

(Washington, DC) — (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the groundbreaking of The Brooks and Vale Buildings, two new housing developments that will deliver 390 new market-rate and affordable housing units and the first new construction on the historic Walter Reed campus.

“Every new addition to the Parks at Walter Reed demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering what the community planned and envisioned for this campus,” said Mayor Bowser. “Today is a celebration of many firsts for this project: first new construction, first home ownership opportunities, and the first retail opportunities. Of course, the only thing better than a groundbreaking is a ribbon cutting, and we look forward to many of those in the years to come.”

The Vale will contain 301 apartments, including 30 affordable units, and 18,000 square feet of retail facing Georgia Avenue; and The Brooks will include 89 condominiums, including eight affordable homeownership opportunities. The buildings will be located at the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue, NW and Aspen Street, NW and will share a new underground parking structure.

Mayor Bowser was joined at the groundbreaking by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd, and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner.

“Returning the Walter Reed campus to the District of Columbia has proven to be an invaluable investment in our local communities,” said Congresswoman Norton. “The District is growing, and we need to use every space available to bring housing and amenities to this central part of Ward 4 for the benefit of our city. The community-driven process is exactly how we can revitalize our neighborhoods.”

The Parks at Walter Reed redevelopment, which will be phased over a 10-15 year period, is the result of a successful community-driven process led by then-Councilmember Bowser and now by Mayor Bowser. In 2016, the U.S. Army officially transferred 66-acres of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus to the District, making way for the development of The Parks at Walter Reed. Over the next 30 years, The Parks at Walter Reed will generate 5,000 jobs, 2,100 units of housing, 432 of which will be affordable housing units, and nearly $1 billion in tax revenue. The project has already delivered several community-serving benefits: In February 2018, Mayor Bowser cut the ribbon on the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Engine Company 22 and in September 2017, the DC International and LAMB Schools opened for their first school year in the former Delano Hall. In addition, last summer, Mayor Bowser broke ground on 80 affordable apartments for seniors and 77 units for previously homeless veterans in the former Abrams Hall.

“The progress at Walter Reed continues steadily,” said Councilmember Todd. “With the construction of the Brooks and Vale buildings, we take yet another step toward the vision of a vibrant city center at Walter Reed, with market-rate and affordable housing, as well as more retail space for added jobs and neighborhood services.”

“We committed to repurposing the historic Walter Reed campus in a way that creates the types of housing and resources the community needs – and includes affordable, rentals, homeownership opportunities, retail and more,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Kenner. “I look forward to continuing to come back to Walter Reed again and again to celebrate more milestones in the exciting future of the new Walter Reed.”