The 1M SF project from Philadelphia-based Post Brothers is set to transform two mid-century Connecticut Avenue office buildings near Dupont Circle into 525 residential units … the project was one of the first three to receive D.C.’s 20-year tax abatement for downtown office-to-residential conversions.
The D.C. Council on Tuesday tentatively authorized legislation creating a new business improvement district encompassing Congress Heights and St. Elizabeths East, an area poised to grow in the coming years.
The BID boundaries generally follow Martin Luther Jr. Avenue SE and South Capitol Street as far south as Atlantic Street SE, Wheeler Road SE to Southern Avenue, and Alabama Avenue as far as Stanton Road. It would include the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus but not St. Elizabeths West, owned by the federal government.
Most of Congress Heights’ expected growth is likely to primarily come from additional development at St. E’s East. The D.C.-owned 180-acre St. E’s campus is divided into 17 parcels, which include the existing St. Elizabeths Hospital, CareFirst Arena, the city’s Unified Communications Center, Sycamore & Oak interim retail village, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, Whitman-Walker Health’s Max Robinson Center, townhomes and apartments.
The last year in D.C.’s office market was a fight for stability, as the city sought to remain resilient amid massive turbulence. But now, signs indicate 2026 could be a year that brings something the market has long sought: a surge of new companies.
Despite the perception issues D.C. faced last year — from the federal government’s budget cuts to the National Guard deployment in August — the city’s office market demand remained steady.
“Looking ahead, this resilient market is positioned for growth from specific sectors — namely defense tech and education,” JLL’s Q4 report says.
Valinor Enterprises, a D.C. startup co-founded and led by a former Palantir Technologies Inc. exec, has raised $54 million from big-name investors as it looks to become the Berkshire Hathaway of defense tech companies.
The funding brings Valinor’s total outside investment to $85 million since its founding in 2024 by CEO Julie Bush and General Catalyst Managing Director Paul Kwan.
Valinor employs about 40 people across its product companies, about half of whom are based in Greater Washington. Bush expects that figure to climb, but isn’t ready to share by how much just yet. She also declined to share revenue.
She said she’s committed to growing the company in D.C.
“It’s just important to be here,” she said. “I’ve been in this market for 20 years, and I think you need to be where your customers are, right? And so we’re here.”
The university, whose D.C. base is just two blocks away, bought 633 Indiana Ave. NW for $30.7 million …
The 13-story, 151,300-square-foot building, which has long housed the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, will instead provide additional space for JHU faculty and staff when CSOSA’s lease ends later this year, according to a university spokesperson.