Best Real Estate Deals: POAH wins Nonprofit Developer of the Year award

By Elizabeth Drachman, Contributing Writer

..."For developer Preservation of Affordable Housing — our Nonprofit Developer of the Year — the goal was always clear: “Create a vibrant, mixed-income neighborhood that would provide residents with high-quality housing, economic opportunities, and access to vital services,” said Maia Shanklin Roberts, vice president of real estate development for POAH's Mid-Atlantic region.

A goal this ambitious requires lots of partners and lots of buy-in from hundreds of residents who would have to endure being moved out of their homes to live somewhere temporarily for an unknown amount of time before being moved back into upgraded digs. The multi-stakeholder collaboration included: POAH, the D.C. government, the Barry Farm Advisory Committee, the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA), and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED).

POAH’s role kicked off in 2013 when it was chosen by DCHA to lead the redevelopment. Throughout the process, POAH and its partners conducted more than 50 meetings with residents, ensuring that their voices were central to every phase of the project. A critical component of the redevelopment was honoring the community’s legacy, which led to the preservation of five historic buildings and the creation of a cultural center, murals and path markers paying tribute to the neighborhood’s history...."

POAH's Rodger L. Brown Jr., Managing Director, Real Estate Development, and Maia Shanklin Roberts, Vice President, Real Estate Development, Mid-Atlantic (center) accepting award at Washington Business Journals award ceremony.