WMATA requests development proposals for Deanwood parcels

Second of five joint development solicitations expected in 2024 as part of 10-year Strategic Plan for Joint Development

Metro has a prime piece of real estate on the market in Deanwood, one of DC’s oldest and historic neighborhoods. The site includes more than an acre of land adjacent to Metro’s Deanwood Station, ideal for joint development with neighborhood-serving retail and new housing steps away from public transit.

 A Joint Development Solicitation (JDS), announced today, seeks a Request for Proposal to redevelop the property into a mixed-use residential development. The community’s resurgence, driven in large part by the proximity to the Orange Line station at Deanwood, includes convenient access to downtown DC and employment centers. New housing, restaurants, shops, and offices have opened. Nearby you’ll find multiple historic landmarks including Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, the District’s 60,000 square foot recreation center, and a future 20,000 square feet District of Columbia Public Library branch.

“The value that joint development brings not only to Metro, but to the region, is immeasurable,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke. “Through transit-oriented development we are building livable, walkable communities, cultivating a new generation of transit users, supporting sustainability, and connecting people to jobs.”

Metro’s joint development will complement the 86-unit residential redevelopment of the historic Strand theater, Addison Row, a 321-unit residential development in neighboring Capitol Heights, and Northeast Heights Town Center, a $650M mixed-use development housing the new headquarters of the DC Department of General Services and 200,000 square feet of retail space, located just south of Deanwood in Benning Ridge.

The Deanwood JDS is the second of five joint development solicitations expected to be released this year. A half-acre site near Eisenhower Avenue Metro was released in March and proposals are due in June.

In addition to the Deanwood Metro property, Metro expects to issue development solicitations this summer for sites at North Bethesda, Brookland, and Capitol Heights Metro stations with a goal of 20 new agreements by 2032.

Since issuing its 10-year Strategic Plan for Joint Development in April 2022, Metro and its joint development partners have broken ground on six residential buildings throughout the Washington Metropolitan Region, totaling approximately 1,900 units including 1,100 affordable units. Several projects recently completed include:

  • New Metro office buildings at L’Enfant Plaza in the District, New Carrollton in Prince George’s County, and Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria

  • CODA on Half Street, a 161-unit residential building at Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro

  • Atworth a 451-unit affordable apartment community in College Park

  • Margaux, a 291-unit affordable development at New Carrollton Station

  • Aventon Huntington Station, a 366-unit apartment development

  • Three solar energy installations at the Anacostia, Southern Avenue, and Naylor Road stations

Metro’s joint development projects are private developments creating vibrant, mixed-use communities on transit-owned property in support of Metro’s Strategic Transformation Plan. Leveraging Metro’s real estate holdings helps to foster regional partnerships to generate revenue, build ridership, connect people to more jobs and create new tax revenues for local and state partners.

Interested developers may view the Deanwood Joint Development Solicitation for additional information. A pre-proposal conference will be held on June 28 and proposals are due Sept 10, 2024. To learn more about future joint development opportunities go to Metro's Real Estate page on wmata.com.