(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser and city officials celebrated the opening of West End Square 50, the new mixed-use development and home of DC Fire and EMS Engine No. 1 in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Ward 2. The new 110,000 square-foot, nine-story development is a unique multi-use building with a 15,000 square-foot state-of-the art fire station, 52 units of affordable housing for households at or below 60 percent Area Median Income (AMI), three Permanent Supportive Housing units for households at or below 30 percent AMI, and six market-rate residential units.
“My Administration continues to prove that it is possible to build affordable housing in established neighborhoods and steps away from coveted amenities,” said Mayor Bowser. “This unique project is the result of extraordinary collaboration between DC Government agencies and our partners, and now that it is open, Washington, DC is safer, stronger, and more affordable.”
Local public investments for the development of West End Square 50 included: $4.3 million in Housing Production Trust Funds from the Department of Housing and Community Development, over $13 million in combined long and short-term bonds from the Department of Health Care Finance (DCHFA), and $7 million from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED).
“This one-of-a-kind project highlights how District agencies can successfully work together in a public-private partnership to deliver a project that will benefit more DC communities,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Brian Kenner. “We will continue to invest in projects that make our economy stronger, more inclusive, and more innovative across the District.”
In November of 2014, the safety team at Engine 1 moved into a temporary house at 2110 L Street, NW, and construction on the new station began seven months later. The new Engine 1 is LEED Silver Certified and includes sleeping and living quarters, locker rooms, and a fitness center.
“While this beautiful building is viewed as a firehouse by most, it is considered a home away from home for several FEMS members who will now have access to some of the most energy efficient, updated amenities found in any firehouse across the country,” said DC Fire and EMS Assistant Chief Edward Mills.
Through a competitive solicitation process, the DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development selected Eastbanc to develop the two District-owned parcels, Squares 37 and 50. West End Square 37, opening this fall, will be a 325,000 square-foot multi-use building with 7,500 square-feet of ground floor retail space including a café, a 20,000 square-foot West End Library, and 164 housing units.
“We are able to produce affordable housing in downtown DC thanks to creative thinking and funding tools like the Housing Production Trust Fund,” said DHCD Director Polly Donaldson. “Thinking outside of the box resulted in a project that is putting residents into high-quality homes that are close to amenities, transit, and crucial safety services like this new fire station.”
The Bowser Administration remains dedicated to improving public safety and producing, preserving, and protecting affordable housing in all eight wards. Last month, Mayor Bowser presented “DC Values in Action: A Roadmap to Inclusive Prosperity,” DC’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget and Financial Plan, which includes another $100 million contribution to the Housing Production Trust Fund, a $10 million investment in a new Housing Preservation Fund, $87.7 million for the purchase of new FEMS fleet vehicles, and $45 million for the construction of a new fleet maintenance facility.