WASHINGTON, D.C.—Columbia Heights would gain a powerful new organization to coordinate improvements to its business corridors and neighborhoods under legislation heard by a D.C. Council committee Thursday.
More than 30 witnesses testified at the hearing on legislation to establish Neighborhood Management Authorities and to establish the first one in Columbia Heights. An NMA would be similar to a Business Improvement District in function but would not require a new property tax in order to be established.
“This legislation creates a new set of tools and resources for small businesses and residents in places like Columbia Heights where traditional options haven’t worked, said Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, D-Ward 1, who introduced the legislation and spoke Thursday at the Committee on Transportation and the Environment’s hearing. “With the resounding support in today’s hearing we’re well on our way to ensuring bright futures for thriving and complex neighborhoods that need more support.”
As originally written, the legislation would have created a second NMA in the U Street corridor, but Nadeau is now recommending that be dropped, as businesses there and in the adjacent Shaw neighborhood are advancing plans to establish a BID. Nadeau said she will introduce legislation as soon as next week to establish the BID.
Nadeau pointed to Columbia Heights as a perfect candidate for the proposed new structure. More than two decades after the opening of the Columbia Heights Metro and build-out of the plazas and public spaces around it, those spaces “need some TLC,” she said – improvements in programming and coordination to bring the neighborhood to its full vitality.
“We need an entity that can coordinate the government agencies, organizations, businesses, community groups, and others to make that all happen,” Nadeau said. While there have been numerous initiatives and efforts to make improvements, they’ve not been coordinated in a way that an organization dedicated to that purpose could facilitate.
A Neighborhood Management Authority would not have to self-fund, would not require a majority of commercial property owners to agree, and would be governed by a board that could include businesses, property owners, residents, nonprofit organizations, and others. An NMA could potentially manage public spaces or institutions, like Civic Plaza and the DC USA parking garage, while maintaining those assets as public facilities rather than devolving them to the private sector.
An NMA does not preclude other organizations. For example, a Main Street could exist in overlapping space – just as some neighborhoods have a Main Street and a BID, each offering complementary services and benefits. An NMA can also work with existing clean teams, providing coordinating and funding.
The Committee will consider today’s testimony, may make adjustments to the legislation, and could bring a final version of the bill to the full Council later this fall.
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