It’s been 30 years in the making for residents in Ward 7 but on June 21, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with Ward 7 Council member Vincent Gray, cut the ribbon on Phase 1 and broke ground on Phase 2 of the new Skyland Town Center, the largest housing and commercial construction project in Ward 7.
The Crest, the first residential property at Skyland and located at the intersection of Alabama Avenue and Naylor and Good Hope roads, opened Monday. It features 263 homes, a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments, as well as a fitness center and courtyard pool and grills.
Of the 263 units, 53 have been set aside for those earning up to 80% of Median Family Income (MFI) with 26 designated as workforce units (80 to 120% MFI).
Dozens of Ward 7 residents, along with city officials and the developers, escaped from the scorching sun under a large blue tent where they celebrated the opening of Phase 1 of the project — its completion long overdue by most accounts.
After decades of broken promises, Southeast D.C. is finally getting a new shopping center and housing development on the site of the old Skyland shopping center. News4’s Mark Segraves explains why it took so long and what’s coming.
Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), along with development partners WCSmith and Rappaport, broke ground on the next phase of retail construction at Skyland Town Center and celebrated the ribbon-cutting of The Crest, a 263-unit residential property.
“We are so proud of the progress at Skyland Town Center as new residences deliver and food options take shape with more housing and food retail to come,” said Mayor Bowser. “By investing in housing, food access, and local retail businesses, we give more residents a fair shot. That’s why I included a $58M Food Access Fund in the budget to build upon this progress at Skyland and across Wards 7 and 8.”
A mixed-use development east of the Anacostia River will hope to attract visitors and new residents to Ward 7 with five recently announced restaurants, including a location of rapidly expanding local fried chicken brand Roaming Rooster. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last week that Skyland Town Center will host the fourth D.C. store for Roaming Rooster, a Black-owned business known for crispy sandwiches made out of free-range poultry. Skyland Town Center also has a new 263-unit apartment building called the Crest that’s preparing to start leasing. Roaming Rooster is expected to open by the fall. Additionally, the complex will get an outpost of fast-casual conveyor-belt pizza chain &Pizza, the first standalone store for South American street food spot Maizal, a location of Annapolis-based Mediterranean restaurant Mezeh, and a Tropical Smoothie Café.
Five new restaurants are slated to come to the Skyland Town Center development in Ward 7. And leasing for Skyland’s first residential property is also beginning.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the additions to the long-awaited mixed-use development on Wednesday.
“I know it’s taking time, but what we’re seeing at Skyland is a development that matches the vision of the Ward 7 community – a site with new housing, a grocery store, good amenities, and jobs and opportunity for DC residents,” Bowser said in a press release.
The District has tried to develop Skyland for decades. The initial plan was for Skyland’s first phase to be complete by 2017. But the project has seen several delays and setbacks, such as Walmart, an anchor of the project, backing out of plans to open a new store.
Officials now hope Skyland will be complete by 2022, hosting 450 homes as well as full-service restaurants and other amenities.
Southeast D.C. lacks full-service restaurant options, and the pandemic showed that disparity when the city awarded grants to eateries interested in winterizing spaces for guests who wanted to dine outdoors during the pandemic. Ward 7’s Sala Thai was the only restaurant out of 428 city-wide awardees to receive the city-funded grant. City officials said that it was the only restaurant in Wards 7 and 8 to apply.
But now the five new restaurants will provide more selections to Southeast patrons.
Roaming Rooster, a Black-owned fried chicken sandwich business, is slated to open in Skyland this fall. &pizza, Tropical Smoothie Café, South American street food eatery Maizal, and Mezeh, a Mediterranean restaurant are expected to open in spring or summer 2022.
“For too long Wards 7 and 8 were overlooked when restaurateurs looked to open new locations. But that has started to change,” said Chris Smith, the chairman, and CEO of developer WC Smith.
Roughly 16 years after D.C. seized the Skyland Shopping Center through eminent domain, the first retailer at the Skyland Town Center has opened its doors to customers.
Developers just updated their plans for the long-awaited project.
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The 18-acre town center project will be located at the intersection of Good Hope Road, Naylor Road and Alabama Avenue SE. Site work is ongoing.
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The beleaguered Southeast mixed-use project needs to close on additional financing, developers W.C. Smith and Rappaport said.