In Chinatown, residents and supportive councilmembers are fighting against Virginia-based property owner Bush Companies over the demolition of Museum Square Apartments. According to Washington City Paper, this project is "ensnared in more legal and legislative controversy than possibly any other housing proposal in recent years." What Bush Companies' plans for the site of the apartment building is a 14-story building on K Street NW with 450 apartments, a 13-story building on L Street NW with 375 condos, 17,000-square-feet of retail, and a four-story garage. The price per unit would be around $312,500. Last summer, the tenants were informed about the plans to demolish the building and were told that they would have to pay $250 million to buy it under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Washington City Paper reported that since then there have been two lawsuits and three D.C. Council bills against the Museum Square Apartments. Bush Companies has also filed a suit against the city, claiming that "the City Council has specifically targeted Museum Square." Bush Companies hopes to begin construction in 2016 with a completion date by 2018.
· Developer Plans to Replace Museum Square With 825 Apartments and Condos [Washington City Paper]
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