02-15-2023: Testimony of Deirdre Brown, NW Opportunity Partner Community Development Corporation

DMPED Budget Oversight Hearing

02-15-2023

TO: Council Committee On Business and Economic Development

I am Deirdre Brown, a Ward 3 resident and small business owner.  I am speaking today as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the NW Opportunity Partners Community Development Corporation.

Mayor Bowser’s goal of creating 1990 new units of affordable housing in Rock Creek West by 2025 is a meaningful step towards racial and economic inclusion. We applaud the current efforts of DMPED in working toward providing affordable housing via the HANTA program in various parts of the city.  Today, we are requesting that DMPED also commit to supporting intiatives that will allow Black and and Brown owned businesses to be established and flourish in these areas as well. In particular we need concentrated and targeted efforts in ensuring that Black and Brown owned business are included in the redevelopment projects in Rock Creek West.

Recently, the Ward 3 Housing Justice successfully lobbied for a systematic effort in the redevelopment of the Maggiano’s site in Friendship Heights (Zoning Cas 96-13A) .  Due to this lobbying effort, in the applicant’s proffer is an explicit commitment and support for such business in the redevelopment.  The exact language is as follows:

15. Local-, Minority-, Women-Owned, and Inclusive Retailers. During the initial retail lease-up and until all of the retail space is leased, the Applicant shall make commercially reasonably efforts to market to local-, minority- and / or women-owned businesses as retail tenants in the Project and shall reach out to the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce, the DC Small Business Development Center, the Washington DC Women’s Business Center, and the DC Developmental Disabilities Council. The Applicant shall offer at least $40 per square foot of gross leasable area in tenant improvement allowance for any local-, minority-, women-owned and/or inclusive businesses with whom the Applicant enters into a market-rate retail lease. Such tenant improvement allowance may be in the form of a direct payment, buildout cost, or some combination of the two.

We are requesting that DMPED require that OP use this language or stronger language for all PUDs going forward. We strongly believe that OP should deny any PUD application that does not meet this standard of racial equity inclusion. We are counting on DMPED to adopt and implement policy that will support the Comp Plan of racial equity, city wide by setting the standard for all agencies under its control.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today.

Thank you

/s/ Deirdre P. Brown, J.D.

Vice Chair, NW Opportunity Partners CDC