Our Goals
We have established guiding principles and objectives that are critical to this redevelopment project. The following goals will help to guide our ongoing analysis and implementation strategy.
Lifelong Live-Learn Community
Anchored by the development of a new Howard University School of Divinity and the addition of Howard University School of Social Work, the university seeks a redevelopment that will enhance the academic experience of its students, faculty and staff and advance the economic stability of Howard University. To this end, the university envisions an enriched East Campus, which offers a diverse selection of housing options, which complement the existing neighborhood.
Further, it seeks a plan that will facilitate an environment rich in educational programming for community members, with a close link to the main university campus. This lifelong live-learn community will invite and encourage older residents to continue to grow intellectually, discover new ideas and participate in public discourse. Further, it will complement the area’s cultural and historical heritage, ensuring that the East Campus remains a thriving community for generations to come.
Inclusion and Capacity Building
Howard University was founded in 1867 as a private, research university comprised of 13 schools and colleges and designated as a historically black college and university (HBCU). As an HBCU committed to capacity building for underserved communities, the university seeks to leverage this redevelopment effort to provide critical training surrounding real estate development and investment to both students within Howard University as well as youth within the surrounding community. We are keenly aware that there is a high-barrier to entry in to the real estate development industry. Consequently, this commitment fosters our mission of training and advancing minority scholars.
Financial Revenue
The redevelopment of Howard University’s East Campus presents a unique opportunity to create a model lifelong learning community in the heart of northeast Washington, D.C. while generating significant economic benefits to the university. Howard’s dedication to revitalizing its academic and physical structures requires substantial, sustainable resources. Meeting this challenge requires developing and utilizing innovative and non-traditional solutions, including imaginative repositioning and leveraging of Howard’s real estate assets. The East Campus is one such project in which the university is seeking ingenuity to generate long term value.
Commitment to Transparency
As a community partner, the university is committed to including our neighbors in all phases of the planning process of the Howard University East Campus development project. Like any concerned resident, the university understands the long-term impacts a construction project can have on the community. It is the aim of the university to transform the site into an environmentally friendly campus that adds value to the community and the District.
The university and the master development team seek to administer a comprehensive site planning process rooted in transparency and significant stakeholder engagement, including both university and neighborhood stakeholders, with the purpose of generating a conceptual development plan that achieves university goals and is responsive to the considerations of the surrounding community.