D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opens Southwest complex as part of her affordable housing plan

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday announced the grand opening of a Waterfront apartment complex that is part of her initiative to create 36,000 new homes in the District by 2025, including 12,000 affordable homes.

The new Westerly complex, located in Ward 6 in Southwest, features 449 apartments including 136 affordable units and 28 family units.

The Bowser administration has overseen the investment of $1.5 billion in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The Westerly was built especially to provide more housing opportunities for families.

“I’m a new resident at The Westerly and I really love the building. I love the amenities, [and] I’m excited to send my son to Apple Tree,” Amber  Johnston said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Apple Tree is an Early Learning Center and one of the amenities in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood along with a public library, elementary and middle schools, a duck pond, churches and a Metro stop.

“You’ve got all the things that you want to have within this community. And it’s going to be a phenomenal place that so many people get to call home,” said D.C. Council member Charles Allen, Ward 6 Democrat.

Ms. Bowser also spoke about initiatives to fund mixed income development, with 30% of the units at The Westerly designated as affordable.

The Westerly offers affordable units for residents who earn between $33,040 and $80,000 a year, with some households living on incomes of less than $25,000 a year.

“We have individuals, couples, and families living at The Westerly. Essential workers in the local economy, administrative support staff, employees in education and medical fields. People working in sales and retail and public service jobs; so we have a tremendous mixture of families and individuals here at The Westerly,” said Paul Bernard, chief executive officer of Affordable Homes and Communities Inc.

“We’re proud that what was once a vacant parcel is now a mixed-use and mixed-income community that is bringing more vibrancy and creating new opportunities in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood,” said Ms. Bowser.