The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is charged with executing the Mayor's economic development strategy. When it comes to economic development in the District, there are five priority goals that will help build the Pathway to the Middle Class. Our top priorities for this year include:
Increase affordable housing. Through partnerships with District housing agencies, DMPED will look to continue to produce, preserve and protect affordable housing. Key initiatives include the Mayor’s Preservation Strike Force, Inclusionary Zoning updates, and continued investment in affordable housing through the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) and land disposition. DMPED will continue to support the diversification of DC’s economy through strategic partnerships and high-return investments in technology and innovation. DMPED sees inclusive and diverse innovation as a comparative advantage of the District and will seek to leverage this advantage for the future. Key initiatives include South by Southwest (SXSW), the Howard Hub, the Innovation & Technology Inclusion Council, innoMAYtion, 1776’s Challenge Festival, pitch competitions, and continued use of Qualified High-Tech Companies (QHTC) for key employers. Achieve significant progress on large-scale and neighborhood real estate development projects. This year DMPED will continue to make unprecedented process moving its real estate portfolio forward. Key large projects include The Parks at Walter Reed, St. Elizabeths East (infrastructure, Entertainment and Sports Arena, and Phase 1), DC United Stadium, New Communities, and McMillan Sand Filtration redevelopment. Create a vibrant and competitive place for job creation, relocation, and growth. This year, DMPED will continue our efforts to ensure that the District of Columbia is a place that is friendly to job creation. Key initiatives include corporate attraction and retention, international missions, institutional partnerships, regulatory review and improvements, and business support services. Make DMPED a more open and transparent agency. This year DMPED will continue its efforts to better engage residents, businesses, advocates, and other stakeholders through as many vehicles as possible. From community meetings to social media to open websites, DMPED will seek not only to continue to provide more information than ever, it will also seek to ensure its receives feedback. Key indicatives will include: OurRFP, Economic Intelligence Dashboard, public real estate pipeline, Affordable Housing Tracker, affordable housing primer, and our under-development Ward analysis tool.
