DC Approves Legislation for New Friendship Heights Business Improvement District
WASHINGTON, DC, AUGUST 3, 2023 — Wednesday, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an order that officially registers the Friendship Heights Alliance as the area’s business improvement district corporation. The final step will be permanent legislation later this fall. This is one more step in the process to create the 12th business improvement district in the District of Columbia – half of a cross-jurisdictional organization created to support the transformation of the Friendship Heights neighborhood.
On the Montgomery County side, the Urban District was officially formed earlier this spring. The Friendship Heights Alliance is one of a handful of cross-jurisdictional place management organizations in North America, and represents a new level of public-private cooperation between stakeholders and governments across state lines.
Together, the Urban District and BID will serve as two funding streams to support the Friendship Heights Alliance, a 501(c)6 nonprofit place management organization formed in fall 2021 to support the revitalization of the neighborhood.
Wednesday’s action is one step closer to a fully funded organization. The DC Council and Mayor will take up permanent legislation this fall.
Place management organizations typically fund services that supplement those already provided by the government, such as economic development, business support and promotion, public realm cleaning and maintenance, placemaking and streetscape enhancements, neighborhood marketing, and more. Already, the Alliance has created a dynamic events program, a public realm and placemaking initiative, and bright, friendly branding to cohesively market the neighborhood. More about the work of the Alliance and its future plans are available at friendshipheights.com and in the 2023-2026 Business Plan. More about the legislative process on both sides can be found in this February release.
About the Friendship Heights Alliance
The Friendship Heights Alliance envisions a more vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive future for Friendship Heights, with diversity in housing opportunities and retail experiences, and a people-friendly public realm. This place management organization coordinates the community building needed to reinvigorate Friendship Heights, focusing on the commercial corridor along Wisconsin Avenue from Oliver Street in Montgomery County, Maryland, to Fessenden Street NW in Washington, DC. The Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit created in 2021 to increase collaboration amongst property owners in both Maryland and Washington, DC, as development continues; focus on public space management and coordination; promote the neighborhood; and engage with residents and businesses. For more information or to get involved, contact hello@friendshipheights.com, visit friendshipheights.com, or follow the organization on Instagram @FriendshipHeightsAlliance.