Reeves CMC +Think Local First DC
Contact:
Simone Goring Devaney, CSG Urban Partners, LLC
sgoring@csgurban.com
MAY 26, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
REEVES CMC VENTURE ANNOUNCES ITS EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH DC NON-PROFIT THINK LOCAL FIRST DC
Partnership signals dedication to engaging and supporting local, independent businesses for proposed development on 14th and U Streets NW
WASHINGTON (May 24, 2021) — Reeves CMC Venture announces its exclusive partnership with DC non-profit, Think Local First DC, to cement its dedication to working with small and local businesses to inform the planning of its proposed design to redevelop the Frank D. Reeves Center.
The partnership was formed out of Reeves CMC Venture’s desire to ensure small and local businesses have a seat at the table as a community-led vision of the building rises up at the intersection of 14th and U Streets NW. So far, the project’s prestigious and community-based proposed tenants include The Washington Jazz Arts Institute, CityDance DREAM, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre/The Ailey School, and Christian Tabernacle Child Development Center. Importantly, the project will house the new national headquarters of the NAACP.
“We chose to partner with Reeves CMC because the team showed true commitment to engaging our small and local businesses, as well as honoring the rich history and culture of Black Broadway,” said Kim Dreux-Kelly, co-executive director of Think Local First DC. “This team’s dedication to ‘local first’ perfectly aligns with our mission and our values, to ensure small and local businesses thrive in an inclusive and vibrant community.”
Reeves CMC Venture is a minority-controlled and -led partnership between CSG Urban Partners, Capri Investment Group, and MRP Realty that has been formed to pursue the redevelopment of the Reeves Center. More information about its uniquely transformational project can be found at https://www.reevescmcventure.com.
“The culmination of history known as ‘Black Broadway on U’ and the existing legacy businesses on the corridor today are what the Think Local First DC and Reeves CMC Venture partnership strives to celebrate and grow under this central hub known as 14th and U, said Karen Baker, co-executive director of Think Local First DC. “We look forward to seeing a transformed space that creates the conditions in which local businesses thrive.”
The Reeves CMC Venture team includes numerous locally based development, architecture, landscape design, construction and other organizations that are qualified to do business in the District as Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs), Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBEs), and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs). This includes Michael Marshall Design, PGN Architects, Bradley Site Design, Smoot Construction of Washington D.C., and other qualified firms.
“Working with small and local businesses is good business, and the Reeves CMC Venture team is committed to making sure our plans for the space are additive to, rather than extractive from, the community,” said Simone Goring Devaney, Managing Principal of CSG Urban Partners, one of three partners of Reeves CMC Venture. “We want to see our local retail and restaurants succeed and thrive, and not create more competition.”
For more information about Reeves CMC Venture’s proposed project, go to https://www.reevescmcventure.com.
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About Reeves CMC Venture
Reeves CMC Venture consists of three prominent real estate development and investment organizations: CSG Urban Partners, a locally based, minority-owned firm established in 2003 by Charles King and Simone Goring Devaney that has been involved in numerous commercial projects in the 14th Street and U Street Corridors, across the District, as well as along the east coast; Capri Investment Group, a minority-owned Chicago and Los Angeles based real estate investment and development firm founded in 1992 by Quintin E. Primo III that has completed over $14 billion in commercial investments globally; and MRP Realty, a Washington D.C. based firm led by Robert J. Murphy and established in 2005 that has completed 34.3 million square feet of development projects, representing $6.6 billion in capital investment. Reeves CMC is proposing a community-led civic and cultural destination at the Reeves Center that invests in affordable housing for District families, provides opportunities for local businesses and job creation, and amplifies the city’s commitment to equitable development.
About Think Local First
Think Local First DC has been dedicated to supporting local independent businesses in our nation’s capital. Our mission is to support responsible local business(es) and create the conditions in which they thrive in order to make Washington, DC. a more vibrant, inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and play.
For more information on Think Local First DC’s programs, leadership, and impact visit ThinkLocalFirstDC.org.