Norton Highlights Major Development Milestone in Hill East

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the author of the Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006, which transferred 67 acres of federal land (Reservation 13) in Hill East to the District of Columbia, said today she is “delighted that the city has reached a major milestone in the development of this land with the announcement of the Request for Proposals” for almost 500,000 square feet of land area for mixed-used development, with a focus on affordable housing. The land is located near RFK Stadium. 

“I got this land transferred to the District, so I could not be happier to see it used to good effect,” Norton said. “The Hill East Project will help bring mixed-use development, including needed affordable housing and several thousand permanent and construction jobs, to the banks of the Anacostia River to spur economic development in the midst of tough economic times. Let Congress take notice that when passed, this is the type of economic development that my bill to transfer the federal RFK Stadium site to D.C. would achieve.  

“These projects are instrumental in the revenue they generate and in remedying the structural deficit incurred by the District because of numerous federal requirements, such as the limits that keep the city from obtaining revenue by constructing tall buildings, like those that exist in other large cities.” 

The Federal and District of Columbia Government Real Property Act of 2006 was signed into law after the congresswoman carried the bill through four different House committees and the Senate, as well as intense negotiations in both chambers. The bill also directed the transfer of Poplar Point in Ward 8 to the District. Norton continues to push Congress to pass her bill that would transfer the RFK Stadium site, currently the largest track of unused federal land in the District, to D.C. for fair market value. 

Norton’s work in making land owned or controlled by the federal government available to the District has been essential in revitalizing D.C. neighborhoods, such as the Wharf, the Capitol Riverfront and Walter Reed. 

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