On Monday, July 13, 2026, the Committee on Human Services (chaired by Councilmember Matt Freuman, Ward 3) and the Committee on Facilities (chaired by Councilmember Janice Lewis George, Ward 4) co-held a public hearing in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building and via Zoom. The hearing addressed four bills related to the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeth's East Campus in Congress Heights: B26-121 (extension of disposition authority for Parcel 13), B26-466 (term sheet amendment for Parcel 13), B26-425 (surplus declaration and disposition for Parcels 7, 8, and 9), and B26-530 (surplus declaration and disposition for Parcel 6). The campus is a 183-acre National Historic Landmark. The bills aim to advance mixed-use development including hundreds of new housing units, retail, and community spaces. No votes were taken; the hearing was for testimony and discussion.
Recording in progress. Good afternoon. I am Matt Freuman, Ward 3 Councilmember and Chairperson of the Committee on Human Services. Today is Monday, July 13th, 2026. We are meeting in person in room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building and virtually via Zoom. The time is now 118 p.m. Today I will be joined shortly by my colleague chairperson Janice Lewis George of the Committee on Facilities. Today we are conducting a public hearing to discuss B 26-121, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13 extension of disposition authority amendment act of 2025, B26-466, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13 Term Sheet Amendment Act of 2025, B-26-425, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcels 7, 8, and 9 surplus declaration and disposition approval act of 2025, and B-26-530, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 6 surplus declaration and disposition approval act of 2025. The St. Elizabeth site is a National Historic Landmark located in Congress Heights and comprised of East and West campuses. In 1987, the federal government transferred ownership of the East Campus to the District. The St. Elizabeth's East Redevelopment Framework Plan and subsequent and the subsequent St. Elizabeth's East Master Plan and Design Guidelines establish the vision, scope, and details of how the district would revitalize the East Campus. The measures we are hearing today would make that revitalization a reality, bringing hundreds of units of new housing, dense walkable cityscape defined by multi-purpose development, and millions of dollars of economic activity toward aid. Two of the bills, B26-425, and B26-530 were jointly referred to the Committee on Facilities and the Committee on Human Services, while the two bills related to St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13, B-26-121, and B26-466 were solely referred to the Committee on Human Services. I will turn to my colleague, Councilmember Lewis George in just a moment, but finish off the introduction for those portions, those of the bills that are referred exclusively to the Committee on Human Services. Located on 1100 Alabama Avenue Southeast, Parcel 13 consists of approximately 138,162 square feet of vacant land abutting the new St. Elizabeth's Hospital. The St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13 Surplus Declaration and Disposition Approval Act declared Parcel 13 as surplus and allowed its disposal for private development. The district's authority to dispose of the property, however, was in effect for only two years from the bill's effective date through March 10th, 2025. B26-121, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13 extension of Disposition Authority Act of 2025 would extend the district's authority to dispose of the parcel by two years through March 10th, 2027. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, or DEMPED contends that the previous disposition authority expired because of several unforeseeable factors, including the chosen developer neighborhood development corporations ceasing operations due to market conditions and challenges with the pre-existing WOMATA infrastructure on the property. Demped has shared that the design work continues to progress with the identified challenges being carefully managed to ensure project feasibility and safety. Under section 10-801 of the DC Code, substantive changes to the business terms of the transaction described in a term sheet must be submitted to the council in a proposed resolution. Bill B26-466, the St. Elizabeth's East Parcel 13 Term Sheet Amendment Act of 2025 would authorize specific amendments to the term sheet for parcel 13. First, the name of the developer will be amended to reflect the new developer for the property, Dante's Partners Acquisitions LLC. Second, the amount of the proposed gallery and retail square footage included in the original proposal will be reduced from 21,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, and the number of housing units to be built will be reduced from 421 to 241. Third, the period for closing on the parcel will be extended from two years to six years following the council's initial approval of disposition. Finally, the period for substantial completion of the parcel will be extended from 36 months to 42 months following the start of construction. I look forward to learning more today about why these revisions to the term sheet are necessary. It is not clear to me, for example, why it is necessary to reduce the number of housing units, and we must ensure we are putting all district-owned land to its highest and best use to create opportunity for our residents. And for her to chair the portion of the committee related to the bills under her purview. And with that, I will turn to Councilmember Lewis George. Thank you so much, Matt, and good afternoon. I am Ward for Councilmember Denise Lewis George, Chair of the Committee on Facilities, and thank you to Chairperson Frumett for co-chairing this hearing with me. B 26530 related to parcel six and B24425 related to parcel seven, eight, and nine are surplus dispositions that were sequentially referred to the committee on facilities and the committee on human services. To start, I'll provide some background on the St. Elizabeth campus and these parcels. The federal government transferred the 183-acre St. Elizabeth East Campus to the district in 1987.