Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday announced that the city has picked a team to redevelop the Franklin D. Reeves Center, the large government building standing at the iconic intersection of 14th and U Streets NW.

The selection of the Reeves CMC group — made up of developers CSG Urban Partners, Capri, and MRP Realty — caps off a years-long process that took a number of twists and turns as city officials, neighbors, and community advocates debated how to best repurpose the 97,000 square-foot building, which was opened in 1986 as a means to spur revitalization in the area decades after the 1968 riots.

The city first announced plans to redevelop the Reeves Center in 2019, and the following year received a commitment from the NAACP that it would move its headquarters to a new building on the site. An initial request for proposals got two responses from competing development teams, but the city reopened the bidding process late last year in order to attract more ideas from Black and non-white developers.

“The Reeves Center is symbolic of D.C.’s resilience, and as we make our comeback — this is an opportunity to double down on our commitment to making our prosperity more inclusive and preserving the history and culture of our community,” said Bowser in a statement. “As we welcome the NAACP to D.C., we are being intentional about redeveloping this site so that it meets the needs of our residents and moves us toward a more equitable future.”

The Reeves CMC proposal — which promised in part to help bring back the city’s Black Broadway  — includes the NAACP offices, a hotel, space for municipal use, and 322 housing units — of which at least 30% will be affordable for households making 30% of the median family income, or roughly $45,000 for a family of four, and those making 50% of the MFI, or $75,000 for the same size family. It will also include the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and School, a Washington Jazz Arts Institute, a Viva School of Dance, a restaurant by Food Network celebrity chef Carla Hall, a Dave Chappelle Comedy Club, a child care center, and a plaza and amphitheater named for Frederick Douglass and Marion Barry, respectively.

A Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commission backed the group’s plans in a March vote. Some critics had pushed D.C. to keep the Reeves Center, instead of turning it over to a team of developers, echoing concerns from some corners that the city is too willing to hand public property over to private parties.

Construction on the new Reeves Center is expected to begin in 2025.