Mayor Muriel Bowser selected a developer to build 177 units, a community center and a library in Chevy Chase, part of her administration’s efforts to open up publicly owned land to create more affordable housing in the city.

The mayor’s office picked D.C.-based Rift Valley Capital for the redevelopment at the Chevy Chase Civic Site in Ward 3, a project that will include 54 affordable units.

The redevelopment will also replace a community center and library, which were built between 1968 and 1971, with new facilities spanning 21,600 SF and 23,500 SF, respectively. The plan also includes 8K SF of ground-floor retail.

The city issued a request for proposals for the 73K SF site on Connecticut Avenue Northwest in January 2024 and narrowed it down to eight proposals last spring before announcing the selection of Rift Valley on Friday morning.

“They incorporated public facilities and maximized housing in a way that we thought was the most compelling,” D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert said in a Friday morning interview with Bisnow. 

She said Rift’s plan is “at a scale that we think fits in very nicely with the community” and that it maximizes housing on the site.

Rift Valley’s plan includes a public park and plaza, sports and events courts, an amphitheater, a foot terrace and an outdoor classroom, and a lawn with a native plant garden.

Albert also called the plan “elegant” and “welcoming,” pointing to the public park and green space adjacent to the library and community center spaces.