Congress Heights /
Saint Elizabeths
SE
OVERVIEW
HOME TO THE 350-ACRE SAINT ELIZABETHS East and West Campuses, a new Entertainment & Sports Arena, the 3,700-employee U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, and the new consolidated home for the Department of Homeland Security, Congress Heights will be an epicenter for future business opportunities.
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New Entertainment Destination
The 4,200-seat Entertainment & Sports Arena (ESA), located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, opened in 2018 and is the new home for the 2019 WNBA Champion Washington Mystics, the practice facility for the Washington Wizards, and a versatile venue that hosts concerts, festivals, and sporting events. The ESA has already hosted Mary J. Blige, mixed-martial-arts, and e-sports competitions.
Innovation Center
Gateway DC and the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center offer flexible and innovative spaces for meetings & collaboration and provide a destination for farmers markets and other community, cultural, and arts events.
5 Million SF Redevelopment At Saint Elizabeths East
- Redbrick LMD & Gragg Cardona Partners are the master developers for Phase I and will redevelop 16 acres into 220,000 SF of office (anchored by Whitman-Walker Health), 20,000 SF of retail, 252 apartments, and up to 90 for-sale townhomes, including live-work units.
- Flaherty & Collins and the Anacostia Economic Development Corp. have completed construction on Phase 1A, the conversion of seven historic hospital buildings into 252 residential apartment units.
- Parcel 13 will be redeveloped into a 421-unit residential rental building with 126 affordable units, 21,000 SF of commercial space, and 240 underground parking spaces.
- The DC government is investing $100 million in infrastructure work and plans to build a new hospital that will be managed by George Washington University.
Small Business Assistance
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue is a designated Great Streets corridor. As funds become available small businesses can apply for grants to cover capital improvements and certain soft costs. In 2020, up to $50,000 was awarded per location.
- The Congress Heights Community Partnership was established in 2018 with new branding for the neighborhood as the Soul of the City.
Local Area Industries
6,689 Total Area Employment
- Heath Care & Social Assistance: 27%
- Public Administration: 16%
- Educational Services: 14%





Contact: Destination Congress Heights Main Street Program
Wendell Quann
Project Director