July 6, 2023
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today, I am introducing the “Securing Affordable Housing at Rhode Island Row Tax Abatement
Act of 2023.” Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.
The legislation would preserve and create affordable housing at Rhode Island Row, a transit-
oriented, mixed-use property on land leased from WMATA. Located in Ward 5, the 274-unit
development was the first mixed-income property completed with WMATA and served as a
catalyst for the entire Brentwood neighborhood. The Property includes Fifty-five (55) residential
units (approx. 20%) affordable to households at or below 50% of MFI. However, these units are
set to revert to market rate apartments at the end of 2033.
This legislation would preserve the affordability of these 55 units for individuals or families with
annual income equal to or less than 50% MFI by extending the covenant until 2072 (which is
when the land lease with WMATA expires). Additionally, the legislation would support the
conversion of 109 current market rate units at Rhode Island Row to affordable units at 80% MFI.
The result would be an immediate reduction in rent for current and future renters of these units.
In sum, through a tax abatement that shall not exceed $15M, this legislation provides 164 units
of affordable housing in a neighborhood that offers convenient proximity to transit, healthcare,
neighborhood-serving retail and restaurants, and parks and open space. As wonderful
neighborhoods like this become less economically accessible to the middle-class, this legislation
offers another solution to ensure residents can continue to live in the District.
The legislation is also a smart use of taxpayer dollars. Constructing a comparable number of new
affordable units would likely require an investment three to four times as large. Compared to
subsidies to create new affordable units, this legislation represents a more efficient use of
taxpayer dollars that may serve as a replicable model for other developments that are set to lose
affordability or that may be candidates for conversion.
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I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Council to refine and advance this bill as it
moves through the legislative process. Please contact my Deputy Chief of Staff, Conor Shaw, at
cshaw@dccouncil.gov if you have any questions about this legislation.
Sincerely,
Zachary Parker
Ward 5 Councilmember
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2 ______________________________
3 Councilmember Zachary Parker
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6 A BILL
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8 _________________________
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10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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12 _________________________
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15 To amend Chapter 46 of Title 47 of the District of Columbia Official Code to provide an
16 exemption of real property taxes on property known as Rhode Island Row in Ward 5 to
17 extend the affordability covenant on 55 existing units and establish a new affordability
18 covenant on 109 units.
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20 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
21 act may be cited as “The Securing Affordable Housing at Rhode Island Row Tax Abatement Act
22 of 2023.”
23 Sec. 2. Chapter 46 of Title 47 of the District of Columbia Code is amended as follows:
24 (a) The table of contents is amended by adding a new section designation to read as
25 follows:
26 “47-467X. The Rhode Island Row Tax Abatement.”.
27 (b) A new section 47-467X is added to read as follows:
28 Ҥ 47-467X The Rhode Island Row Tax Abatement.
29 “(a) For the purpose of this section, the term:
30 “(1) “Median Family Income” or “MFI” means the median family income for a
31 household in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area as set forth in the periodic calculation
32 provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, adjusted for
33 family size without regard to any adjustments made by the United States Department of Housing
34 and Urban Development for the purposes of the programs it administers.
35 “(2) “Property” means the real property at 1300 Washington Pl. N.E. and 2350
36 Washington Pl., N.E. and subject to real property taxation under Chapter 8 of this title.
37 “(3) “Owner” means RI Station L.L.C., its successors, affiliates, and assigns.
38 "(b) The tax imposed by Chapter 8 of this title on the Property shall be abated for 20 real
39 property tax years. The total amount of the abatement shall not exceed $15 million.
40 "(c)(1) For the Property to receive the abatement described in this section, the Owner
41 shall:
42 "(A) Extend the affordability covenant on 55 units, currently expected to
43 expire in 2033, to maintain affordability for a household of one or more individuals with a total
44 annual income adjusted for household size equal to or less than 50% of the MFI until 2072;
45 “(B) Convert 109 current market rate units to affordable units for a
46 household of one or more individuals with a total annual income adjusted for household size
47 equal to or less than 80% of the MFI.
48 “(C) Certify, on an annual basis, to the Mayor that the conditions in
49 subsection (c) of this section have been satisfied.
50 (2) If at any time the Mayor determines that the Property has become ineligible for the
51 abatement provided pursuant to this section, the Mayor shall notify the Office of Tax and
52 Revenue and shall specify the date that the Property became ineligible. The entire Property shall
53 be ineligible for the abatement on the first day of the tax year following the date when
54 ineligibility occurred.
55 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.
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56 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
57 impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact statement required by section 4a of
58 the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038;
59 D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
60 Sec. 4. Effective date.
61 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
62 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
63 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
64 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of
65 Columbia Register.
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