DC unveils affordable housing for ‘grandfamilies’

WASHINGTON — A new affordable housing community for grandfamilies — grandparents caring for grandchildren — opened in Northwest D.C. Thursday and its opening was celebrated by Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The Ward 6 development, called Plaza West, located at 1035 4th Street, NW and 307 K Street, NW in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood, is the first residential housing of its kind.

Plaza West features 223 units altogether, 50 of which are designed for grandfamilies.

“As our city continues to grow and age, we’re committed to making investments in innovative programs — in housing, education, child care and more — that will set more families up for success,” Bowser said in a news release.” Plaza West is an example of how we are ensuring residents and families of all backgrounds and income levels have access to safe and affordable places to live across all eight wards.”

The idea behind Plaza West was to create a “village” for grandfamilies. It boasts more than 9,500 square feet of outdoor recreational space and a range of amenities. Those amenities include a library, a kids activity space, a fitness room and a community room.

Plaza West is also within walking distance to four Metro stations, bus routes as well as a grocery store, multiple churches, recreation areas and restaurants.

The community specifically serves those making 30 to 40 percent of the area median income, or AMI. (The median household income for the Washington metro area was $75,500 in 2016 — so those making about $22,650 to $30,200.)

Those making 50 to 60 percent of the AMI (about 37,750 to 45,300) will have access to 173 of those units.

See where the Plaza West is located below.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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