Howard U. Picks Developers To Build Major Research Center, 430 Apartments
Howard University has selected a team of developers to build a major mixed-use project next to its Northwest D.C. campus featuring over 250K SF of office and lab space, over 400 multifamily units and retail.
The university announced Tuesday it selected Capstone Development, Quadrangle Development Corp. and Edens to build the mixed-use project at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Bryant Street NW.
The team is planning a 260K SF office and lab building on the northwest corner of the intersection. Branded as the National Research Center for Health Disparities, the building is aimed at attracting private pharmaceutical companies and biomedical research organizations focused on finding solutions to chronic illnesses, particularly those affecting communities of color.
“This national research center will support the University’s Howard Forward strategic plan by expanding our reach and creating a community where the world’s best minds, thought leaders and scientists can collaborate in one place to solve historic and contemporary health challenges and make our world a healthier and safer place," Howard President Wayne Frederick said in a release.
The project is also planned to include a 430-unit apartment building aimed at housing researchers, graduate students, faculty and others, plus 40K SF of retail and two outdoor plaza spaces. The team plans to extend Bryant Street westward to Eighth Street NW as part of the project.
"With significant Georgia Avenue frontage reimagined as an activated pedestrian-friendly street with opportunities for community engagement, outdoor dining and open spaces, this project will occupy a prominent place within Howard’s Southwest Campus development initiative and integrally connect the main campus to the amenities and public spaces emerging within this burgeoning community," Howard Real Estate Executive Anthony Freeman said.
The team plans to begin construction on the project in 2023. Howard will retain ownership of the property and ground lease it to the development team, allowing it to benefit from the project's income and value appreciation long-term.
The project is planned on an undeveloped site on the southwest edge of Howard's campus. The university earlier this year said it released a request for proposals for the site, known as Lot 3, and it also planned to release other nearby development opportunities.
The other properties eyed for development include Wonder Plaza, a two-story office and retail building at the Georgia Avenue-Bryant Street intersection where it has planned a new facility to house student activity space, and the East Towers Parcels, a 1.8-acre site at 2251 Sherman Ave. and 2047 Ninth St. NW. It said in March it planned to seek development partners for those sites soon.
The university in 2019 selected Edens, Fivesquares Development and The Menkiti Group for a mixed-use redevelopment on the site of the Bond Bread Factory and Washington Railway & Electric Co. buildings at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and V Street NW. In January 2020, it signed a deal with MRP Realty to build a 310-unit apartment building with retail on the property at 2133 Ninth St. NW.
