District officials are reviewing two proposals to redevelop the Reeves Center, a government office building that also serves as a cultural hub in the U Street Corridor.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) started soliciting bids from local developers in December to revitalize the Reeves Center into a “mixed-use development with office space, affordable housing, and neighborhood serving amenities.”

The Frank D. Reeves Municipal Building will soon house the headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the developers have put forward their proposals for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that also pays homage to the District’s African American history.

Team One (CSG Urban Partners, Capri Investment Group, and MRP Realty) wants to create an arts and entertainment plaza and amphitheater named after Frederick Douglass and Marion Barry, respectively, at the base of the building, with retail stores and shops surrounding the ground level. The plaza would feature seasonal art installations showcasing local artists and possibly a weekly farmer’s market.

The proposed redevelopment would house the NAACP and other offices on the upper floors while dedicating a percentage of the building to local businesses and nonprofits at below-market rents. It would include 628 units of mixed-income housing units with 30%, or at least 190 units, set aside for people earning 50% or less of the city’s median family income. It would also set aside for-sale townhomes for low-income residents earning less than 50% of the area’s median income.

Noteworthy arts and culture partners that have expressed interest in the proposal or signed on include the Washington Jazz Arts Institute and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The first developer group also proposed introducing Chicago’s largest provider of services for people experiencing homelessness, the Primo Center, into the fold.

“In all participant organizations and across all functions, our team will draw from the wealth of resources within the Black professional community, both locally and nationally,” the presentation reads.

Team Two (Dantes Partners, Menkiti Group, and Horning Brothers) plans to partner with local and national organizations, including DC Central Kitchen, The Collective Food Hall, and Songbyrd, as well as community organizations such as the MusicianShip and St. Augustine’s Catholic Church.

Leveraging DC Central Kitchen’s local outreach and social impact, the group wants to create apprenticeship opportunities for employees working in the center’s hotel and food hall while continuing Central Kitchen’s commitment to healthy food with farm-to-table menus at D.C. public schools and healthy meals for nonprofits, youth programs, and shelters.

The proposed development would include 250 multifamily units, 46 condos, 150 hotel rooms, and 100,000 sq ft of office space. It would set aside affordable housing units for people at or below 80, 50, and 30% of the city’s median income, and the group estimates the redevelopment would create approximately 4,000 new jobs in hotel, retail, and construction services.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last June that the NAACP signed a letter of intent to move its national headquarters from Baltimore to the District. The organization’s decision came amid ongoing racial tensions and protests following the death of George Floyd and other Black people killed by police.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson in a press release, “As we have witnessed over the last month, our country is on the cusp of real change that is long overdue. A new home in Washington will allow us to not only fully participate in the growth of this great city, but to also amplify the voices of the Black people as we fight for the crucial policy changes and economic empowerment needed in communities across the country.”

DMPED says it will prioritize proposals that honor the legacies of late D.C. mayor Marion Barry Jr. and civil rights activist Frank Reeves. Barry served as president of his NAACP campus chapter at LeMoyne-Owens College and as mayor, he commissioned construction of the Reeves Center in 1986. The District also plans to give special consideration to organizations that are owned or majority-controlled by underserved communities. Both developer groups vying for rights to redevelop the property are composed of Black-owned development firms and businesses.

“The Reeves Center stands in an iconic and culturally significant area of the U Street corridor with deep connections to the NAACP,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press release. “As we continue fighting for change and working to build a more fair and just nation, we look forward to welcoming this iconic civil rights organization to Washington, DC.”

The city has yet to announce when it plans to select a winner but anticipates a decision will be made by Summer 2022.