April 2021 Newsletter

Entertainment & Sports Arena Hosts Two High-Capacity Vaccination Sites

The Entertainment & Sports Arena is currently hosting two high-capacity vaccination sites to support Ward 8 and DC residents. Georgetown University has partnered with Events DC and the District government to coordinate one of the city’s new high-capacity vaccination sites in an effort to vaccinate as many residents as possible. On the other side of the Arena, One Medical and the DC Department of Health administered vaccines from Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30 AM– 6:00 PM through until April 10, 2021.

DC residents can register for the vaccine, and eligible residents can schedule an appointment to get vaccinated at the Entertainment & Sports Arena and other vaccination sites across the city.

Skyland Town Center Development Brings New Restaurants & More East of the River

Late last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that five new restaurants are confirmed for the Skyland Town Center development east of the Anacostia River. Roaming Rooster, a Black-owned fried chicken sandwich business, is slated to open in Skyland this fall. &pizza, Tropical Smoothie Café, South American street food eatery Maizal, and Mezeh, a Mediterranean restaurant are expected to open in spring or summer 2022.

Skyland is expected to be complete by 2022, hosting 450 homes as well as full-service restaurants and other amenities. Currently, Skyland hosts a CVS Pharmacy, Like That Barbershop, and Skyland Nails and Spa. A Chase Bank and a Starbucks will open in 2022. German grocery chain, Lidl, will also open in 2022, and will be the first full-service supermarket to come to Southeast since 2007. Currently, Wards 7 and 8 only have three grocery stores to serve the 160,000 residents.

Events DC Community Grant Awardee Spotlight: Open Goal Project

Events DC Fiscal Year 2021 Community Grant awardee, Open Goal Project (OGP) is eliminating soccer opportunity barriers that have affected lower income and underserviced populations from receiving the greater game growth and coaching opportunities available to others. OGP offers free programs within walking distance to public transportation, bilingual instructors, and camps/clinics hosted by professional coaches and mentors.

Throughout the COVID-19 global health pandemic, the Open Goal Project has continued to create innovative, safe, in-person programs that ensure their athletes stay physically and mentally fit.  In 2020, OGP successfully hosted a summer cohort for high school and college bound students, the District of Columbia Football Club (DCFC) for the younger ages, workshops on mental health, academic tutoring, and other off-the-field resources. The 6-week socially distanced in-person summer program not only offered professional soccer training, but also provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, along with a built-in self-discovery program. The DCFC return to play cohort placed the younger athletes into small groups of 10 or less and practiced 3-times a week.

OGP is already ramping up with the DCFC Academy as it recently held tryouts, and hosted over 100 young male and female soccer players. 

Community Input Needed for Future of Ward 8

Ward 8 Community Economic Development (W8CED) Planning Process launched earlier this year, with the goal of engaging local residents in data collection, goal-setting, and planning, to create a comprehensive economic development plan for Ward 8. W8CED is currently seeking members of the Ward 8 community to sign up and join one of the many subcommittees including: Arts and Culture, Business/Commercial Development/ Wealth Building, Education, Health Care, Housing, Public Safety, Seniors, Sustainable Environment & Energy, Transportation, Workforce Development, and Youth & Family Support. 

The committees will develop a plan to include mapping out the area’s social, cultural and economic assets, as well as collect data on the community’s challenges. 

Mayor Bowser Announces Development Opportunities on the St. Elizabeths East Campus

As part of the annual March Madness event and District’s March Madness Week, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to issue new requests for proposals for three parcels of land on the St. Elizabeths Campus. One piece of property should have room for new construction, while the others would likely involve the adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The week features a series of economic development events and announcements focused on health and housing, opportunity prosperity, and equity. 

Washington Mystics Launch District of Change

Join the Washington Mystics in their mission to be a force for positive change. District of Change is an inclusive community of strong, committed, and dedicated people. The Mystics are united behind a game bigger than basketball in their effort to advance gender and racial equality. 

Spring Has Sprung Across the District

Recently, the Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street announced it had received the Risaikuru sculpture, created by Jon Gann as part of the 2021 National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Art in Bloom project. Presented by Amazon, Art in Bloom is a community-wide public art exhibition showcasing the visual arts and revealing the creative and whimsical sides of the Festival and the nation’s capital. Twenty-six Art in Bloom sculptures that feature unique designs painted by local artists were installed by March 20, the 2021 Festival’s opening day, in all eight wards of Washington, D.C., plus Maryland’s National Harbor and the Aurora Hills and National Landing neighborhoods in Northern Virginia.

Risaikuru (Recycle) will remain at Ward 7’s Shops at Penn Branch (3200 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE) until May 31, 2021!!! Also, don’t miss Ward 8’s Full Circle Blossom installed at 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE. Go visit and share your journey with @CherryBlossFest and tag #ArtinBloom for a chance to be randomly selected to win a $25 (or a $500!) Amazon gift card!

Follow the Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street @PAEMSDC on all social media platforms to hear about upcoming events in celebration of the Art in Bloom project!