Montgomery County Council Unanimously Approves New Friendship Heights Urban District
For Immediate Release
Montgomery County Council Unanimously Approves New Friendship Heights Urban District
WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 11, 2023 — Today the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved the County’s fourth urban district, a taxing entity created specifically to shepherd the transformation underway in the Friendship Heights neighborhood. The legislation was introduced in February by Councilmember Andrew Friedson. Small business owners, residents, and property owners alike spoke in support of the organization at a hearing in March.
“The Friendship Heights Alliance was founded to bring new energy, coordination and vibrancy to Friendship Heights,” said Natalie Avery, the Alliance’s Director of Strategy and Engagement. “Over the last year, we've heard from hundreds of residents and business owners who are excited about the potential of Friendship Heights to be one of the region's great urban places. We are delighted to continue working with partners on both sides of the DC and Maryland borders to make this vision a reality.”
A parallel effort is underway in the District of Columbia to create the District’s 12th business improvement district, in an effort to create a cross-jurisdictional place management organization to serve the entire neighborhood on both sides of Western Avenue. 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.
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.