District Picks Redbrick LMD-Gragg Cardona Team as Master Developer for Phase 1 of St. Elizabeths East Campus
In one of his final acts as mayor of Washington, D.C., Vincent Gray has selected the team of Redbrick LMD and Gragg Cardona to redevelop the first phase of the historic St. Elizabeths East Campus. The selection represents an important step forward for a project which could help transform one of the poorest sections of the nation’s capital.
By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor
In one of his final acts as mayor of Washington, D.C., Vincent Gray has selected the team of Redbrick LMD and Gragg Cardona to redevelop the first phase of the historic St. Elizabeths East Campus. The selection represents an important step forward for a project that could help transform one of the poorest sections of the nation’s capital.
In a news release, the District said the Redbrick LMD-Gragg Cardona joint venture was selected because of its experience with large-scale projects and because its plans can help fulfill the administration’s policy goals at St. Elizabeths East. The development team also includes home builder NVR; JBGR, an affiliate of The JBG Cos.; and Perkins Eastman.
“By opening the Gateway DC Pavilion and the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center, we were able to reintroduce St. Elizabeths East to the community and lay the groundwork for what is possible on this historic campus,” former Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement for the press. “By selecting a master developer, we can move even closer to realizing that vision and creating an innovative space that’s unlike any other in the District of Columbia.”
Redbrick LMD and Gragg Cardona, both headquartered in the District, presented their proposal last October. It calls for the construction of 122,000 square feet of retail space, 716,000 square feet of commercial space, 425,866 square feet of innovation space, more than 1.1 million square feet of residential space and even a hotel with between 150 and 180 rooms. Twenty percent of all residential units will be affordable. The developers expect the project to create 9,000 jobs, to generate $400 million in tax revenues and to spur $700 million in private investment.
“We want to create a diverse, sustainable and complementary neighborhood where residents will be able to work, play, learn, innovate and be entertained in our new development,” added Louis Dubin, managing partner of Redbrick LMD. ”We will develop over 1.6 million square feet of space for office, retail, residential, educational and innovation uses. Equally important, some historic and beautiful space will be returned, under this plan, to its rightful owners – the citizens of the District of Columbia.”
Photo credit: Redbrick LMD
