First Homes Delivered at Redeveloped Camp Simms

in Southeast Washington

Washington, DC – The first home buyers at Asheford Court settled on their home on March 12, 2008, and received the keys to the front door from DC Mayor Adrian Fenty.  The construction of 75 single family homes on the site will complete the redevelopment of the former Camp Simms on a prime piece of property that languished for decades after the closing of the military installation.  In 2007, Giant opened its largest District of Columbia supermarket on the site to anchor the retail piece. 

The property is being developed by DC-based William C. Smith & Co.  The firm has created more than 4,000 units of housing in Southeast Washington’s Ward 8, meeting a wide range of housing needs.  The homes at Asheford Court have three or four bedrooms, full basements, and high quality finishes.  There are three models available with prices starting in the high $400’s and reaching the $600’s with options.

The first phase of construction included three models and 17 homes for sale, all of which have been sold.  Fifteen of the 17 sold were purchased by current residents of the District of Columbia; 65% of those purchasers currently live in Ward 8.  Sixteen of the 75 homes are priced to be affordable to families with 80% of area median income.  Phase two of the development is now being released.

Asheford Court is located on Mississippi Avenue at 15th Street SE, directly across the street from Oxon Run Park.  Last year, Smith Co. and 800 volunteers from Fannie Mae and the community donated $750,000 and 6,400 man hours to restore a 25-acre section of the park at Wheeler Road and Mississippi Avenue.  The developer hopes to expand on that restoration of the park to ultimately connect with the Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation Campus (THEARC).  Twenty-five percent of the net proceeds from the sales of the homes at Asheford Court will be donated to the One in a Million Campaign to fund programming at THEARC.

Ward 8 Gets First Grocery Store in 9 Years

posted 8:42 pm Fri December 07, 2007 - Washington

For Ward 8 residents, something has been missing for the last 9 years - a supermarket. But that changed on Friday. Giant Foods opened a new, 63,000 square foot store on Friday on Alabama Avenue in the Camp Simms neighborhood. Residents are excited about the proximity of fresh food.

"It's just great," said one customer. "I love it."

"I'm just so glad to be here and see all this happening," added another.

The McDowells have lived in the neioghborhood for 40 years. They're glad

"Everything is beautiful - fresh greens - everything is beautiful," said Mrs. McDowell. "Wonderful," was how Mr. McDowell described it.

The store is also bringing much-needed jobs to the rapidly redeveloping neighborhood. Neighborhood resident Roland Roundtree now works in the meat department.

"I filled out the application and they hired me. About a month ago, I did all my training and everything," he said.

The store marks another big investment in one of the city's most troubled neighborhoods. Developers have built hundreds of new townhouses across from the Giant.

The new construction denotes a sea change from when the area's last grocery store closed, in 1998. Safeway said it closed its store on Milwaukee Place because the business was losing $500,000 a year, according to a Washington Post report.

December 6, 2007 - http://dcbiz.dc.gov/dmped/cwp/view,a,1368,q,606616,dmpedNav_GID,1790,.asp

Fenty, Giant Open First New Grocery Store in Ward 8

(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today joined Giant Food and the William C. Smith Cos. in opening the first new, full-service grocery store built East of the River during the last 10 years. The 63,000 square foot “Super Giant” is Giant’s largest store in the District and the first grocery store built in Ward 8 in decades.

“Residents across the District rightfully demand and deserve high-quality, convenient places to shop in their neighborhoods,” said Mayor Fenty. “This store represents a major step forward in bringing investment to all parts of our city. We’ve we are committed to building great neighborhoods throughout the District and a first-class grocery store is a key amenity in any great neighborhood.”

The new store is a part of a project called the Shops at Park Village, which was developed by the William C. Smith Cos. and East of the River Community Development Corp. In addition to the Giant store, the project includes several other retail spaces and 75 new townhouses. As a part of the development agreement with the District, the development team agreed to donate 25 percent of the profits from the housing to the Town Hall Education, Arts & Recreation Campus (THEARC).  

The store is located on the former National Guard facility site known as Camp Simms along Alabama Avenue SE. The District sold the property to the development team after holding a competitive solicitation process. Giant invested $12 million into the store, and it has hired about 150 employees. 

The project is expected to generate $80 million in new tax revenue for the District during the next 20 years.

FEATURED

The Washingtonian "8 Places To Watch"

Congress Heights is described by the Washingtonian magazine as one of eight exciting neighborhoods to watch in the DC Metropolitan area. Check out the featured article to see why the emergence of Congress Heights is in large part due to the efforts and achievements of William C. Smith & Co. and its governmental and community partners.

Contact our sales office at 202-610-5606.