New neighbors are moving into Riggs Park! On June 9, 2022, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon for Riggs Park Place, a new townhome community under construction by EYA on the southeast corner of South Dakota Avenue and Riggs Road NE. The project broke ground in October 2020. The first few homeowners started moving in a couple of weeks ago, including Jimmy and Nyanda Alexis who gave a shoutout to Black excellence and introduced Mayor Bowser to give remarks to mark the occasion.

As many know, this project is a bit personal for the mayor. The seeds for this project were planted many many years ago when Mayor Bowser lived in Riggs Park and represented the neighborhood as an ANC commissioner. So the mayor has seen the project evolve through lots of twists and turns from her time on the ANC, then as a councilmember representing Ward 4, and finally now as mayor. From reconfiguring the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE intersection to eliminate the fly-bys, selling and shoring up the land, working through several design concepts, dealing with assorted red tape, and securing financing for this project during a global pandemic, it has been a journey. During that time in all of those roles, the mayor worked hand in hand with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA). In his remarks, Aakash Thakkar, EYA Chief Acquisitions Officer, recognized the efforts of the LRCA in representing the community, particularly those whom I affectionately call the gang–Barbara Rogers, Gwen Cofield, former ANC 4B Commissioner Tischa Cockrell, and I.

Mayor Bowser also introduced the members of what she is calling a Black Homeownership Strike Force. DC Office of Planning Director Anita Cozart and Reverend Graylan Hagler (minister of Plymouth Congregational Church of Christ, which is just a few blocks away from Riggs Parks Place) are co-chairs. (Neighbors might also recognize in the pictures former neighbor Harrison Beacher, president of the Greater Capitol Area Association of Realtors (GCAAR), who was asked to be a member of the strike force). Mayor Bowser tasked the strike force with coming up with recommendations that can start to be implemented at the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2022. Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who chairs the Council committee on business and economic development, also gave remarks.

The 90 townhomes comprise the first phase of the project. The second phase will consist of a little over 90 affordable rental units for seniors in a multifamily building with ground floor retail. Groundbreaking on the second phase is expected in 3rd quarter 2023.

I know lots of people have lots of thoughts about this project. I for one think that one of the better decisions JBG Smith made with respect to this neighborhood is changing course from initially wanting to build roughly another 250 apartments as a companion to Fort Totten Square to teaming up with EYA, a builder that is known for being relatively responsive to community input, to build this project. With prices originally starting in the mid-$500,000 range, it was no surprise (to me) that the homes quickly sold. I always say one nice thing that I like about Riggs Park is that it really is a neighborhood of socioeconomic diversity and for the most part it works well. I look forward to seeing retail options follow suit.

Video of the ribbon cutting from the mayor’s office.

Photos below courtesy of Gwen Cofield