The Mayor announced today the selection of developers to renovate and bring back into productive use two shuttered Capitol Hill properties, including the old Engine House 10 on Maryland Ave, NE.

ANC 6A has been instrumental in helping facilitate a public review process that evaluated proposals and made recommendations; voting to support the team that was eventually selected by the Mayor. Here's the Mayor's press release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development announced Wednesday that it selected the Argos Group to redevelop a pair of Capitol Hill properties including Old Engine House 10.

“These are great historic structures, but they’ve been neighborhood eye sores for far too long,” said Deputy Mayor Neil O. Albert. “Argos is a highly capable local developer that will put these properties back to productive use and make lasting improvements to these neighborhoods.”

The properties, located at 525 Ninth Street NE and 1341 Maryland Ave. NE are located on the Northeast edge of Capitol Hill near the H Street Corridor. Old Engine House 10 – the Maryland Avenue property – is 114 years old and has been designated a historic landmark.

The Ninth Street site was built in 1932 and used to house a police station. Both buildings are just more than 5,000 square feet and have been vacant for years. They were controlled by the former National Capital Revitalization Corp. until the economic development agency was dissolved and its portfolio transferred to the Deputy Mayor’s Office last October.

The District issued a competitive solicitation seeking a developer for the properties in January.  Three teams submitted proposals. Argos, which is headed by Gilberto Cardenas, is partnered with Hamel Builders and Architrave – Argos and Architrave are Certified Business Enterprises.

They developer proposed building four condo units in each building and half of the units will be made affordable. The total development cost is about $3 million.