DCHA Taking Office Space In Chinatown To Bring Foot Traffic To Troubled Area
The D.C. Housing Authority is planting roots across the street from the Chinatown archway, hoping to draw foot traffic and provide face-to-face help for customers in the busy area that has faced growing challenges.
DCHA is leasing nearly 26K SF at the intersection of H and Seventh streets northwest, the corner property of Douglas Development’s Chinatown Row, a 145K SF assemblage of office and retail across the street from Gallery Place and Capital One Arena.
The agency plans to move over 150 personnel to the second and third floors of the property, according to a news release. The space will house employees managing its Housing Choice Voucher Program and the Office of Customer Engagement’s call center.
It will be DCHA's fourth property to offer in-person support to customers and the first in Northwest D.C.
“This new office enables DCHA to offer our customers another convenient location to engage directly with staff and allows for improved oversight of the HCV Program,” DCHA Executive Director Keith Pettigrew said in a statement.
“And I’m confident that DCHA’s new office, and the activity it brings, will contribute to the ongoing revival of the iconic Chinatown neighborhood,” he added.
The agency said it plans to relocate some employees to the space from its headquarters at 300 Seventh St. SW, as well as others returning to the office as part of DCHA's new in-office policy.
The property at 702 H St. NW was the headquarters for landlord Douglas Development, but the owner moved its office from the building to its new development at 655 New York Ave. NW in 2020. Fast-casual Mediterranean eatery Cava also moved its headquarters from the building in 2022, relocating to City Ridge.
The Chinatown property houses a Capital One Café on the ground floor and Greenpeace’s headquarters.
DCHA moved out of its longtime headquarters on North Capital Street in NoMa in 2022, allowing for the property’s redevelopment. The agency took two new leases, 52K SF for its headquarters at 300 Seventh St. SW and 14K SF at 1515 New York Ave. NE for the agency's public safety office.
DCHA has customer service centers at 625 D St. SW, 2000 Alabama Ave. SE and 203 N St. SW.
The Gallery Place-Chinatown area is in an uncertain moment as leaders wait to see what will become of the Capital One Arena if Monumental Sports goes through with its plan to move the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Northern Virginia.
With a waning office and retail landscape, the area has also experienced a lack of foot traffic and concerns about crime. Violent crime in the area rose 36% during 2023, according to D.C. police data. The area immediately around 702 H St. NW was one of the first drug-free zones D.C. set up through its Secure DC bill.
