Congress Heights on the Rise

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WBJ: East of River plans on display

Thursday, September 17, 2009, 5:07pm EDT



Developers with projects in Benning, Hillcrest, Deanwood, Lincoln Heights and other Ward 7 neighborhoods are expected at a showcase this Saturday by the Ward 7 Business and Professional Association. Julius Ware, president of the group, counts around 30 projects planned for Ward 7 totaling around $2 billion in investment and says neighborhood businesses need to prepare themselves to partner with builders. "We want to identify these businesses and give them an opportunity to compete for this work," Ware says.


Groups like Ware's are sometimes viewed with wariness by developers because of their history of either being created solely for political purposes -- see the issues Marion Barry is facing -- or else trying to milk developers for cash. But Ware says he is just trying to make sure that developers consider talent in Ward 7 and that local companies in turn prepare themselves for opportunities. "These businesses deserve some of this work," he says. "We're not saying 'write us a check and we'll be a pass-through'."

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