New Buildings Will Feature Fifty Units of Affordable Housing in Ward 1 and Expand Sitar’s Arts Education and Workforce Development Programming
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, Jubilee Housing and Sitar Arts Center leadership, and other distinguished leaders broke ground Wednesday, November 2, 2022 on two new Jubilee Housing buildings—1724 Kalorama Road NW and 1460 Euclid Street NW. The buildings will feature fifty total units of affordable housing for families in Ward 1. Sitar Next Door, an expansion of Sitar Arts Center for youth arts education and workforce development, will occupy the ground floor of the 22,000-square-foot mixed-use space of 1724 Kalorama Road NW.
“Our community’s call for Sitar Arts Center to expand grows louder every day. Young adults are seeking alternative, local pathways for arts training and to build skills and careers in the creative industries. At the same time, families of young children need affordable, high-quality afterschool and summer arts learning. We now have the extraordinary opportunity to answer this call and grow in place,” said Maureen Dwyer, Executive Director of Sitar Arts Center.
The launch of Sitar Next Door will allow Sitar to enroll hundreds more school-aged students in affordable afterschool and summer arts education programs each year. The 6,346-square-foot space will include a recording and sound engineering studio, a S.T.E.A.M. lab, flexible performance space, and new arts learning studios.
“When we call on the community to work with us on innovative ways to add more affordable housing, these are the types of projects we are talking about,” said Mayor Bowser. “Not only will these two projects keep 50 families in our city, we are also expanding opportunities for our young people to learn and grow in a world-class arts center.”
The space at 1724 Kalorama Road NW was acquired by Jubilee Housing in 2018 and will also offer affordable multi-family housing. Two-thirds of the 25 units will be two- and three-bedroom units, addressing a citywide need for family-sized apartments. Two-thirds of the units will also be reserved for families earning at or below 30% of the area median income.
The Euclid Street property, also acquired in 2018 after the tenant association assigned its right to purchase to Jubilee Housing through the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), will preserve 25 units of deeply affordable housing, including five three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units.
“As we begin to rebound from the pandemic, it is critical to invest in initiatives that provide access to prosperity for residents with fewer financial resources. Locating deeply affordable housing in resource rich neighborhoods helps connect residents to greater opportunity, while promoting greater inclusion and equity for the city as a whole,” said Jubilee Housing CEO Jim Knight.
Construction on the buildings is expected to begin immediately and the buildings are due to be fully occupied in 2024.
About Jubilee Housing
The mission of Jubilee Housing is to build diverse, compassionate communities that create opportunities for everyone to thrive. We do this by building justice through housing — justice housingTM. Homes are deeply affordable for families with low incomes and those facing the greatest barriers to housing, have onsite and nearby services to address additional systemic barriers to thriving beyond housing, and are located in resource rich neighborhoods with access to good schools, transit, grocery stores, and employment. For more information, visit www.jubileehousing.org.
About Sitar Arts Center
Founded in 2000, Sitar Arts Center is a multidisciplinary arts center providing affordable, high quality education and workforce development in the visual, performing, and digital arts. Sitar Arts Center engages DC youth, from early childhood to young adulthood, in building a creative community of learning and belonging that removes financial and cultural barriers to arts education and career training. Sitar envisions a city in which all young people experience transformative moments through quality, accessible arts education and career training, and are supported on their path to discover their creativity and achieve their full potential. For more information, visit www.sitarartscenter.org. For more information on Sitar Next Door, visit www.nextstage.sitarartscenter.org.