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The District of Columbia Building Industry Association Political Action Committee (PAC) was established to support causes that increase economic opportunity and real estate development.

Click the link here to contribute to our PAC!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: info@dcbia.org

February 12, 2025

DCBIA Applauds Mayor Bowser’s RENTAL Act for a Stronger D.C. Housing Market 

The District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) commends Mayor Muriel Bowser for introducing the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act, an important and necessary step toward stabilizing DC’s housing market, ensuring continued investment, and preserving naturally affordable housing.

This comprehensive legislation streamlines processes while making permanent much-needed ERAP reforms, and modernizing the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) to ensure greater clarity, predictability, and efficiency. The RENTAL Act clarifies TOPA’s application, ensuring its original intent is upheld protecting tenants while removing unnecessary barriers to investment and promoting affordable housing preservation. This balanced approach strengthens DC’s built environment and economic future. The RENTAL Act benefits the community, housing providers, and investors by:

“The RENTAL Act is a critical step toward stabilizing DC’s housing market at a time when affordability and investment are both under significant pressure,” said Liz DeBarros, CEO of DCBIA. “This legislation not only upholds tenant protections but also fosters a much-needed private investment-friendly climate. We applaud Mayor Bowser’s leadership in advancing a thoughtful policy that reflects the urgent realities of our housing market and supports renters, housing providers, and DC’s economic future.”

DCBIA and other organizations have long advocated for modernizing TOPA to ensure it works as intended—protecting tenants without creating unnecessary roadblocks to development and investment. The RENTAL Act reflects these priorities, ensuring that DC remains a national leader in sustainable urban growth.

Clint Mann, DCBIA Board President and a leading force in DC real estate, highlighted the link between housing and community saying, “Strong neighborhoods need a strong housing market. With housing providers under pressure from years of lost rental income, the RENTAL Act provides a solid foundation to rebuild a more sustainable and vibrant DC. We applaud the Mayor and look forward to collaborating with public and private partners on further solutions to ensure our city thrives.”

Here is a summary of the bill’s 11 components.

Looking to connect with the top real estate professionals in Washington, DC? Then you need to join DCBIA! We bring together all the key players in the industry, including developers, architects, engineers, consultants and more. You’ll have the opportunity to network with your peers, learn about the latest trends, and make your voice heard on critical policy issues that directly affect your business.

But it’s more than just networking and education. At DCBIA, you can directly impact the future of real estate development in DC through our committees and working groups. Whether you’re interested in capital markets, construction and development, housing, or public policy and regulation, we have a committee for you. You’ll be able to collaborate with your peers to shape the future of the industry and make a real difference in the community.

Right now, DCBIA is at the forefront of two critical initiatives that will significantly shape the future of real estate in our city: the RENTAL Act and the upcoming tax reclassification for office-to-residential conversions. These are not just policy discussions; they represent tangible opportunities and challenges for our industry.

The RENTAL Act: This comprehensive emergency legislation, detailed in this summary of the 11 parts of the bill proposes significant changes to the rental landscape in DC to make residential conversions easier. Understanding this emergency bill is crucial for developers, property managers, and investors alike. DCBIA is actively working to ensure the industry’s voice is heard during this pivotal process.

Office-to-Residential Tax Reclassification: Beginning April 1st, a new tax reclassification will make it easier to convert underutilized office spaces into much-needed residential units. This initiative has the potential to revitalize downtown DC and other parts of the city to address the city’s housing shortage. DCBIA is engaging with city officials to ensure a smooth implementation and maximize the benefits for our members. Read more.

Why is this important for you? These initiatives directly impact your bottom line and the future of your business. By engaging with DCBIA, you gain access to vital information, influence policy decisions, and connect with thought leaders driving these changes. Attending our events provides invaluable opportunities to discuss these critical issues, network with key stakeholders, and stay ahead of the curve.

Read the benefits. 

Join here.

DCBIA and AOBA continue to partner with the Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) to hold trainings on Building Energy Performance Standards. In January 2023, we hosted a webinar series to share tools, resources and information for building owners and property managers to make business decisions.

Access the January 12 recording here.

Access the January 12 slides here.

Access a list of resource links here.

Access the January 23 recording here.

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS (DOB)

DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DDOT)

Dates are subject to change without notice.

As you know, DCBIA’s Community Improvement Day annually brings together hundreds of DCBIA volunteers to renovate and beautify a park or recreation center for more than 28 years! We missed last year because of the pandemic, so this year we have two exciting community service opportunities in the works!

Steateries (Spring / Summer 2021)

DCBIA Streateries Community Improvement Day 2021 is partnership between DCBIA and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), pairing up DCBIA architectural designers and general contractors with restaurant operators to provide pro-bono services to the restaurant industry, one of the first industries to be drastically impacted by the pandemic.

The effort pivots DCBIA’s traditional Community Improvement Day effort to provide service now before the summer to create outdoor dining spaces as dining season gears up, health measures improve, and the city reopens.

The RAMW poured through 85 applications and selected several deserving restaurants to design and build their outdoor dining space all over the city, including Atxondo, Confetti Play Cafe, Letena, Indique, Provost, Rasa, Zeke Coffee, Busboys & Poets of Anacostia! Through this project, we are inviting people to come back to work and enjoy the new and expanding amenities in our own neighborhoods!

Parks / Recreation Centers (Fall 2021)

We return to several of our 28 past Community Improvement Day sites that need beautification this fall! Stay tuned for more details and how to get involved as a volunteer!

We need your financial support for both of these projects!

For amounts above $5,000, we will recognize your company throughout the year!

Partnering with the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), DCBIA seeks volunteers to help us design and build up to 8 streateries and/or outdoor dining spaces across the District. We believe this is our time to support DC neighborhoods and to bring customers back to commercial corridors all over the city. We seek your in-kind design services, general contracting, and general labor (and financial) volunteer services over the next few weeks.

Special Thanks to the following firms and companies who are providing volunteer hours and making financial donations to design and build streateries across DC!

We are in need of financial donations for this effort!

This community service opportunity is available to DCBIA members only.

Check your membership status here. Not a member? Join here.

The DC Development Report is a summary of the major development and construction projects in the District of Columbia. Published on March 11, 2021 by Washington, DC Economic Partnership.

HIGHLIGHTS

Groundbreakings – Despite the health pandemic more than 4.6 million SF of projects broke ground between March and December 2020. During this time the month of August experienced the most project starts with five, totaling just over one million SF. The vast majority of projects were multifamily residential showing the continued investor interest in this sector.

Office – While the long-term nature of leases in the office sector have provided better protection from the COVID-19 shock compared to other sectors such as hospitality and multifamily, it has not escaped unscathed

Retail – 2020 has been a tumultuous year for the District of Columbia’s retail and restaurant market as the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily curtailed demand, with the notable exception of grocery stores. Prior to the pandemic, the retail landscape in the District was robust and recorded strong growth in 2019 into the first quarter of 2020.

Residential – The Washington metro area is the seventh largest apartment market in the U.S., with the Census Bureau approximating its multifamily supply at 561,000 units.

Hospitality – After years of consistent occupancy and RevPAR rates, despite thousands of new hotel rooms being added to the market, the COVID-19 pandemic has made a major impact on the hospitality sector.

Quality of Life – Given the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, “quality of life” spaces, defined as serving education, medical, and community purposes, have never proved more essential.

 

Download HERE2020-DCDR-web.

DCRA and DDOT 

Suspension of Work Calendar 2022

Plan ahead!

The biggest change in 2022 is that a new holiday Juneteenth will be recognized.

If you anticipate requiring an exemption for construction work on public space from DDOT, contact Lareon Brent at Lareon.brent@dc.gov2 or 202.671.4631. For DCRA regarding private space, refer to the DCRA after work hours permit process. 

Dates are subject to change without notice. 

 

DCRA UPDATE: Thursday, June 16, 2022:

The District of Columbia Government lists Monday, June 20 as an observed federal holiday. DCBIA confirmed with DCRA today that “in observance of the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday, no construction will be allowed on Sunday, June 19, 2022 without an after-hours permit. Construction is allowed on Monday, June 20, 2022, however, the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) will be closed. DCRA offers many online services, tools, and resources, enabling customers to conduct business 24 hours per day, seven days per week.” 

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More on DCRA here: https://dcra.dc.gov/page/no-construction-allowed-holidays

Good jobs are plentiful in the Washington area, but DC residents are not securing nearly enough of them.

Many employers and organizations are working hard to fix this problem, but their efforts are not coordinated and they face barriers and challenges along the way.

Hire Local DC believes that by tackling these challenges as a Coalition, we can support more DC residents in securing good jobs and achieve a more equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Modeled after MetroNow, Hire Local DC provides a single place for employers to coordinate their efforts to strengthen the local talent pipeline.

We offer a single point of access for the government to reach the employer community and for the employer community to coordinate with government and non-profit providers.

We help employers share resources, create alignment across their individual initiatives, and work together toward common goals.

Through events, a regular newsletter, our website and engagement with individual employers, we pursue three primary activities:

Sign up to receive the Hire Local DC newsletter.

 

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Earlier this year, DCBIA launched a new committee. Read about DCBIA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee efforts HERE. The DEI Committee is co-chaired by Anitra Androh, Nelson Mullins and Lamont Bessicks, Lewis Real Estate Services. Email us if you would like to join the committee.