With a redevelopment firm officially selected for the project, the decades-old library and community center in D.C.’s Chevy Chase neighborhood could soon be replaced.
Eight proposals were submitted, and Rift Valley was chosen, according to Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert. She said the redevelopment plan includes 177 units of affordable and market-rate housing.
“Rift Valley exceeded expectations in a couple different ways,” she said of the D.C.-based company. “They beautifully integrated and incorporated civic facilities — a public library and a community recreation center.”
The redevelopment will replace the existing library and community center, originally built in 1968 and 1971, with a new 23,500-square-foot library and a 21,600-square-foot community center.
Albert said a sizable portion of the new housing — 30% — will be affordable housing.
“There will be a mix of housing levels,” she said. “So 30% which is at 50% of area medium income and below, and the rest at market rate.”
The housing will include a range of unit sizes, including studios and homes with one, two or three bedrooms.
The development includes expanded outdoor space, including a play park and public plaza, flexible sports and events courts, an amphitheater, a roof terrace and outdoor classroom, and a lawn and native plant garden.
While the price tag of the redevelopment has yet to be detailed, Albert indicated it may be some time yet before construction gets underway. She told WTOP that next steps will include a series of community meetings and negotiations for a land disposition agreement.
The library has also committed to a two-year engagement plan with the community, Albert said.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office pointed out the project fulfills her pledge to fund, rebuild or renovate all 26 D.C. library locations.
“We’ve set ambitious goals for our city and we’re meeting them by advancing innovative projects like the Chevy Chase Civic Site,” Bowser said in a news release about the project.
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