Construction Begins on New DOES Building
This morning, the city broke ground on the new headquarters for the Department of Employment Services near the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail Station. According to a press release from the office of the mayor, the 229,000 square-foot building will include:
“A one-stop employment and business center on the ground floor, retail space for local businesses, a large ground floor community meeting room and office space for roughly 500 DOES employees. Plans call for a green roof and a 100-space underground parking garage. The District hired EEC of DC, a certified local business and Forrester Construction to lead the $48 million project. The building was designed by Devrouax & Purnell of the District and is scheduled for completion in early 2011.”
Late last month, the mayor announced that two developers —Donatelli Development and Blue Skye Development —had been picked for a nearby mixed-use project that will include 40,000 square feet of retail space for local and national retailers; 375 units aimed at working families; 60 market-rate homeownership units; a 5,000 square foot retail incubator to grow Ward 7 businesses and 2,500 square feet of community space.
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Linked From: November 7th, 2008Ground-Breaking at DOES « Ward 7 Connections
10:48 am[...] Ground-Breaking at DOES A ground-breaking ceremony for the new Department of Employment Services headquarters at the Minnesota Metro stop took place yesterday morning, November 6. On the program were Mayor Adrian Fenty, Foster Construction representatives, and Larry Clark of Donatelli/Blue Skye — chosen last month to develop the adjacent “Phase II” property, and newly appointed DOES director Joseph Walsh. On hand by happenstance were Wanda Aikens of the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative, Rick Tingling-Clemmons (ANC 7D05) and ANC 7D chair Dorothy Douglas — who had been attending a meeting nearby when they noticed the event tent; word of the ground-breaking was not shared with the community. Aikens reports that Walsh spoke about his hope that DOES headquarters would be a project in which the community could take pride. But only the three accidental attendees from the Ward were present to hear how DOES is looking for community engagement to ensure that appropriate services are rendered, she said. “At this point, they are not demonstrating that they’re trying to include the community.” Walsh, fresh from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he was director of policy and and planning for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, begins work with DOES on December 1. For a few more details on the project, visit Washington City Paper’s Housing Complex blog. [...]
