(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser joined community members, District leaders, and representatives of the Skyland Development Team to cut the ribbon on a new community park at Skyland Town Center. The new Skyland Town Center Community Park is part of the final phase of the three-phase redevelopment of Skyland Town Center—a decades-long project that was stalled for years, but that Mayor Bowser successfully unstuck to deliver a vibrant new residential and retail community in Ward 7.
“Today is a celebration of community and of the people who stick with tough projects,” said Mayor Bowser. “For years, Skyland struggled to get going. But neighbors stuck with it, we found the right partners, made big investments, and today, we’re cutting the ribbon on a beautiful park surrounded by housing — for rent and for sale — a grocery store, and retail and food options.”
The park is dedicated to a Hillcrest community champion, the late Karen Williams, former Ward 7 State Board of Education representative, onetime president of the Hillcrest Community Civic Association, and wife of long-time community activist Earl Williams, the Chair of Skyland Town Center Taskforce. Nearly an acre in size, Skyland Town Center Community Park will provide active leisure space for both residents and visitors with trellises and seating for longer-term recreation, a flexible use plaza, and a natural playground with a safety surface.
Mayor Bowser has consistently unstuck challenging projects across all eight wards, putting underutilized spaces back to productive use for the community. When Mayor Bowser took office, Skyland Town Center had been stalled for more than a decade by a restrictive covenant that prevented redevelopment from moving forward. The Bowser Administration helped unlock the site and also invested $25 million through Tax Increment Financing and $15 million in direct grant funding to support the redevelopment. Skyland Town Center is a joint development project of WC Smith, Rappaport, Skyland DC, Washington East Foundation, and Marshall Heights Community Development Organization.
Phase 1 of the Skyland Town Center project included The Crest Apartments, which delivered 263 homes—79 of which are affordable—along with 84,000 square feet of retail. Phase 2 delivered a brand-new retail center, which included the District’s first Lidl grocery store, nine restaurants, a Chase Bank, CVS Pharmacy, and locally owned businesses. The third and final phase delivers 126 for-sale townhomes from Ryan Homes—including seven affordable townhomes—the brand-new park that opened today, and additional homeownership opportunities. Four model townhomes are now complete and condos are coming soon. Interested homebuyers can learn more about townhome tours, floorplans, and next steps at Ryan Homes’ website.
Skyland Town Center’s final phase is the latest example of Mayor Bowser’s commitment to delivering economic opportunity and neighborhood transformation across the District, including at Walter Reed, Reservoir District, St. Elizabeths East, and The Wharf. The Mayor’s FY27 Budget continues that work, investing $110 million in major redevelopment projects at Hill East, Fletcher Johnson, and Poplar Point; $320 million in transportation improvements around the RFK campus; and $14 million to attract new businesses and diversify the District’s economy—ensuring that the kind of transformational investment that turned a stalled project into a thriving Ward 7 community remains a defining feature of the District’s growing economy.
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