Commercial Landscaping for Wheeler Terrace in Washington, DC

In the last few years, E-Landscape has developed a significant body of work in the affordable housing segment. Recent projects have include the House of Lebanon, Arlington Mills Residences, Richmond Hill Manor, The Avenue (Park Morton), Dahlgreen Courts, The SeVerna, Poppleton Place, and Buchanan Gardens, to name a few.

Now, we’re pleased to add a new project to our affordable housing portfolio, with work beginning on Wheeler Terrace, the first affordable housing community in Washington, D.C. to simultaneously meet the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and obtain LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Built as Veteran Housing in 1947, Wheeler Terrace is now home to some of the most vulnerable residents in the District of Columbia. Seventy-three percent of Wheeler Terrace households have annual incomes below $10,000, and the community’s median income is just shy of $5,600.

In 2006, Wheeler Terrace residents were faced with the prospect of losing their homes when the property’s affordability requirement expired. The owner planned to sell the property to a developer intent on bulldozing it for redevelopment. Tenants joined together to form the Wheeler Terrace Tenant Association (WTA) and exercised their right of first refusal under DC law. After interviewing numerous developers, WTA elected to transfer ownership and development rights to the Community Preservation Development Corporation (CPDC), a local nonprofit housing provider. WTA was impressed with CPDC’s commitment to affordable housing preservation and community empowerment, as well as with their expertise and experience in rehabilitating occupied multi-family rental complexes. It also committed to renewing the Section 8 housing contract for another 20 years. Since its inception in 1989, CPDC has developed or preserved 27 properties with over 4000 units.

In conjunction with Architect Wiencek + Associates and General Contractor Turner Construction, E-Landscape is providing design-build commercial landscaping services including turf restoration and timber walls.