People in business attire standing on a stairway behind a red ribbon.

Washington, D.C. – Enterprise Community Development and Durrani Development welcomed city and community leaders on September 30 to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Aspire Apartments, an 86-unit affordable housing community in Southeast Washington, DC. The $49.1 million development provides one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, a majority of which are affordable to households earning 60% of the area median income (AMI) or less. Eighteen apartments are reserved for families earning 30% AMI or less through the DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s Local Rental Subsidy Program.

Those in attendance for the celebration included:

  • Colleen Green, Director, DC Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Christopher Donald, CEO/Executive Director, DC Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA)
  • Janine Lind, President, Enterprise Community Development
  • Shelynda Brown, Vice President of Real Estate, Enterprise Community Development
  • Mustafa Durrani, Durrani Development
  • Charmekia Martin, MBA, Growth & Engagement Director, Medicaid Business Development, Elevance Health

“Aspire Apartments shows the power of collaboration and creative investment in delivering high-quality, affordable homes for families in Southeast DC,” said Janine Lind, president of Enterprise Community Development. “This community not only offers modern, sustainable living spaces, but also strengthens the neighborhood and sets a new standard for equitable, environmentally responsible housing.”

The property was designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities standards and incorporates solar panels, a green roof, and other clean energy technologies. Resident amenities include a community club room, business center, bike storage, yoga and meditation space, and a playground. The development replaces a 1960s-era single-family building with a higher-density, modern, and accessible multifamily community.

“Aspire is a testament to what’s possible. This is more than a celebration of bricks and mortar; this is a celebration of vision, resilience, and a partnership that transforms lives,” said Colleen Green, director of DC Department of Housing and Community Development. “DHCD was proud to provide financing to Aspire and will continue to provide gap funding for affordable housing communities throughout the District.”

Aspire is the first project developed through Enterprise Community Development’s Let’s Build Accelerator program. The initiative provides capital, partnerships and hands-on learning opportunities to increase inclusion in real estate development for economically and socially disadvantaged developers, housing providers, community-focused developers and faith-based organizations. Aspire stands as a model for how collaboration, innovation and investment can bring equitable housing solutions to life.

“The success of Aspire Apartments comes down to teamwork. This project brought together dedicated partners who shared a vision of creating high-quality, affordable homes for families in Southeast DC,” said Mustafa Durrani, founder of Durrani Development. "We’re proud to have played a role in building a community that will have a lasting, positive impact for generations to come.”

The $49.1 million project was financed as a 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit development through a combination of public and private partners, including the DC Housing Finance Agency, the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, R4 Capital Funding and Durrani Development. Hamel Builders served as general contractor, GPS Design, LLC as architect, Bohler Engineering as civil engineer and Residential One, LLC as property manager.

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Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that exists to make a good home possible for the millions of families without one. We support community development organizations on the ground, aggregate and invest capital for impact, advance housing policy at every level of government, and build and manage communities ourselves. Since 1982, we have invested $72 billion and created 1 million homes across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – all to make home and community places of pride, power and belonging. Join us at enterprisecommunity.org.

Enterprise Community Development is a mission-driven affordable housing provider that specializes in high-impact residential development, preservation, property management and resident services for more than 24,000 people who call our communities home. Our $1.4 billion portfolio includes 115 communities and 14,000 homes, positioning us as the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in the Mid-Atlantic and the sixth largest nonprofit owner of affordable housing in the United States. We are an affiliate of Enterprise Community Partners. For more information, visit www.enterprisecommunitydevelopment.org.