Anacostia’s MLK Gateway development team chosen

This Friday, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced the development team for Anacostia’s MLK Gateway, located at 1201-1215 Good Hope Road SE and 1909 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE.

The chosen team is Menkiti Group and Enlightened, Inc., who plan for an over 50,500-square-foot commercial development with accessible neighborhood-serving retail, tech incubator, and a full-service sit-down restaurant. The project will feature a a fresh food market, health and wellness facilities, and civic plaza with public art. There will also be a Keller Williams brokerage office with a Real Estate Entrepreneurship Career Academy.

The commercial office space will span 28,500 square feet, while the restaurant, grocery, and retail space will span nearly 22,000 square feet.

According to a press release, Enlightened Inc. will relocate its headquarters from Downtown to the Good Hope Road SE parcels, bringing 150 jobs to Ward 8. Retailers planned for the site also include Filter Coffee, Good Food Markets, Smith Commons, and City First Bank.

The project is expected to bring in over 200 jobs to Ward 8 and over $21 million in new tax revenue to the District over a 15-year period, according to a press release.

Construction is expected to begin 2018.