Jubilee Housing is among 10 local organizations to receive Housing Affordability Planning Program grants from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The $75,000 grant will support predevelopment planning for Jubilee’s TOPA Columbia Heights project, creating 165 new units of deeply affordable housing in the thriving Ward 1 Columbia Heights neighborhood, through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. 

In 2021, Jubilee was approached by tenant associations of the three properties and asked to partner by receiving the tenant’s right to purchase, renovating the buildings, and maintaining their affordability for 40+ years. After assessing feasibility, Jubilee negotiated a development agreement with each tenant association and submitted matching contracts and earnest money deposits, and are preparing to close in fall 2022.

These three properties located in Columbia Heights – Park Marconi (3150 16th St NW), Richman Towers (3055 16th St NW), and Sarbin Towers (3132 16th St NW) – will add another 165 units of deeply affordable housing to the Ward 1 Columbia Heights neighborhood once rehabiliated.

This funding is critical as Jubilee prepares for the acquisition of these properties. The design of the buildings and the financing required will be determined by resident need, and Jubilee staff plan to meet individually with ~165 households to assess household composition and income.

This household data will inform architectural design and unit re-configuration to match the needs of returning residents. At the same time, income data will guide Jubilee in establishing post-rehab rent levels; building pro forum financial projections; and assembling project financing and subsidy sources, such as rent subsidy through DC’s Local Rent Supplement Program, needed to fund the project.

Jubilee remains committed to a resident-centric model and focused on adapting programmatic support to ensure residents and program participants have the necessary resources to maintain stability throughout the pandemic and as new variants arise. In 2021, as the pandemic ebbed and flowed, staff held the absolute highest standards for resident care and programming to ensure residents’ health, safety and stability were prioritized. Jubilee has embedded in the Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights area for almost 50 years, and this move signifies a continued expansion and provision of our services in the area.

The District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (“TOPA”) is a key mechanism for creating and preserving affordable housing in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods all over DC. We hope this project will demonstrate that TOPA buildings can be reconfigured to better meet existing household needs for rent affordability and size of units.