Mayor to dispose parcels for mixed-use development

Summary#

B26-0834, the Reeves Center Surplus Declaration and Disposition Approval Act of 2026, would be a new law authorizing the Mayor to dispose of District-owned property at 2000 14th Street NW and 1414 V Street NW. It would not amend an existing Act. Its stated goal is to allow private development of property the District says it no longer needs for public purposes; that goal is not a guaranteed result.

  • The Mayor could sell part of the property and lease the rest for up to 99 years to Reeves CMC Venture, LLC. The lease may include the air-rights lot beneath the Geno Baroni Apartments, subject to the existing lease terms.
  • The proposed development includes housing, a hotel, office space intended to include a new NAACP headquarters, retail or commercial space, arts and entertainment space, an outdoor plaza, and parking.
  • The proposed deal requires at least 30% of residential units to be affordable housing. It also requires agreements for Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) participation—at least 35% of project contract dollars, 20% equity, and 20% development participation—and a First Source Agreement on jobs and employment.
  • The Mayor’s authority to dispose of the property would generally expire three years after the law takes effect. The separate authority for the air-rights lot would expire under the Land Disposition and Development Agreement (LDDA).
  • The bill ties the disposition to the submitted deal terms: the LDDA cannot materially depart from them unless the Council approves the changes.

What it means for you#

  • District residents: The bill would let the Mayor transfer control of property now owned by the District for private development. It does not itself guarantee that construction will happen or set a construction start date.
  • People seeking affordable housing: The proposed deal requires at least 30% of the project’s homes to be affordable. The available material does not give the affordability levels, rents, or eligibility rules.
  • Local businesses and workers: The developer would have to enter agreements covering CBE participation and employment. The bill does not set out the detailed requirements in those agreements.
  • Parking users: The District’s current contract for public parking is due to expire at the end of fiscal year 2026. The fiscal statement says that, if the contract is extended before the property sale, the District could end it with 30 days’ notice at no cost to the District. The bill does not require that the contract be extended or ended.
  • General public: The bill does not create a new public service or require the public to apply for or receive anything. The District held public hearings about possible uses of the property in 2020 and 2023.

Money#

The fiscal impact statement says District funds are sufficient to implement the bill, but it does not provide a full estimate of the property’s value or the project’s public costs.

  • Under the fiscal statement, the developer would pay $1 at closing for the office parcel and $990, paid in full at closing, for the 99-year ground lease of the residential parcel.
  • The developer has been approved to receive up to $32 million in tax increment financing (TIF), a public financing arrangement. That approval comes from a separate law, not this bill.
  • The fiscal statement says declaring the property surplus has no associated cost. It does not quantify the value of the land or the public cost of the separate TIF approval.

What is unclear#

  • The project may contain either 285 or 322 homes, depending on whether the Geno Baroni Apartments’ air-rights lot is included in the development. The materials do not settle which option will be used.
  • The supplied material does not provide the full affordable-housing plan, including income limits, rents, or how long affordability must last.
  • The detailed terms of the CBE and First Source agreements are not available here.
  • The bill does not ensure that the developer will complete the project; the supplied draft LDDA includes conditions and deadlines, but the final agreement and approvals are not provided.
  • The bill’s passage is uncertain: it is introduced and at the public-hearing stage, so it is not yet law.

Case for#

  • The District says the property is no longer needed for public purposes. Disposing of it could make room for housing and other uses without requiring the District to operate the site.
  • The proposed project combines housing, offices, a hotel, retail, arts space, and public outdoor space, which could bring several uses to the site.
  • The deal includes affordable-housing and CBE participation requirements, and an agreement on jobs and employment.
  • The Mayor’s materials say the developer was selected through a competitive process that included community engagement.

Case against#

  • The District would transfer land through a $1 sale and a long-term lease for a nominal payment. The available material does not provide a property valuation to show how those terms compare with the land’s value.
  • Up to $32 million in TIF has been approved under a separate law. The materials do not show the project’s total public support or whether it will be enough to complete the development.
  • The project’s home count and the treatment of the Geno Baroni Apartments’ air-rights lot remain unsettled.
  • The bill sets broad deal conditions but does not itself specify key details such as affordable rents, household eligibility, or the full employment and CBE terms.