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Capitol Vista Affirms “Good Neighbor” Commitment with Public Benefit to MVT CID

Saturday March 30, 2019

As affirmation of his team’s commitment to building stronger communities by investing in organizations that revitalize and provide critical services to the neighborhoods they serve, Buwa Binitie of Dantes Partners, on behalf of the Capital Vista Community Partners (CVCP) development team, recently presented MVT CID’s Kenyattah Robinson and Leon Johnson with a public benefit in the amount of $20,000 in support of CVCP’s Capitol Vista project.

As previously reported in Triangle Times, Capitol Vista broke ground in Fall 2018 and is on course to deliver 104 affordable housing units, including 3,200 square feet of ground floor retail, in Fall 2020. The project aims to relieve households at and below 50% of the area median income – currently $117,200 for a family of four – who are cost burdened as rents in the city continues to grow. The project also aligns with a key MVT CID strategic goal of inclusive growth by responsibly contributing to unmet societal needs while “raising the bottom” for what is possible in a thoughtfully planned, carefully coordinated and professionally managed mixed-used community.

Per DC law, Capitol Vista’s legal status as a Planned Unit Development requires the project owner make contributions to certain community organizations as a public benefit. CVCP’s contribution to MVT CID is intended to enhance a variety of on-going services designed to promote the cleanliness and safety of the small park to the north of the project, National Park Service (NPS) reservations 193 and 194, including but not limited to:

  • Grass cutting, mulching, and weeding.
  • Trash pick-up, including trashcan emptying and new liner replacement) and illegal dumping removal.
  • Homeless outreach (when needed).
  • 311 requests to the District of Columbia and NPS.
  • Pruning of trees/low-hanging branches.
  • Removal of illegal dumping.
  • Sidewalk pressure washing as needed.
  • Snow removal for sidewalk walkability.

This commitment reflects CVCP’s awareness of how neighborhood cleanliness contributes to positive perceptions of community safety as well as the value of neighboring assets. Depending on the service levels required for the NPS parks, CVCP and MVT CID may also mutually determine to reserve the funds as an advance against future supplemental real property taxes it must pay due to the project’s location within a Business Improvement District.

Visit the project architect’s website for building renderings, and check out this past MVT Spotlight of Buwa to learn more about the project, what inspired his interest in developing affordable housing, and where he likes to spend his time in Mount Vernon Triangle.

And now if only we can find a way to mobile deposit this check…

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