About CHMS
Congress Heights is a largely residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Although it is in the lower income section of what is generally regarded as inner-city Washington - the area east of the Anacostia River -- it is very likely the most economically diverse neighborhood in that section of the city. Congress Heights, in fact, contains the largest commercial district in Washington's Ward 8.
Congress Heights is bounded by Mississippi Avenue SE to southeast, Wheeler Road SE to the east, Alabama Avenue SE to the north, and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and South Capitol Street to the northwest. It is served by the Congress Heights station on the Green line.
Because of its location in Southeast Washington, Congress Heights had experienced great urban neglect for several decades. However, in the 21st century, Congress Heights has received a great deal of attention from the city and urban developers. Nineteen development projects worth a total of $455 million are underway or completed in Congress Heights as of November 2006. Among these are a redevelopment of St. Elizabeth’s West Campus for federal use; a request for Proposals from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for the area around the Congress Heights Metro station; and a planned redevelopment of Camp Simms as a mixed-use project, including a new Giant grocery store, enhancement to an existing shopping center, and 75 new residential units.
Congress Heights is open for business! Congress Heights Main Streets is service organization with programs designed to support the establishment and implantation of lasting, comprehensive revitalization in the Congress Heights business district. The Congress Heights Main Streets (CHMS) goal is to support retail investment in the District through retention and expansion of existing businesses and the recruitment of new businesses. The CHMS program is based on the National Trust for Historic Preservation nationally proven model, which includes work in the areas of organization of commercial revitalization efforts, promotion of neighborhood businesses and business districts, design ‘physical environment’ and economic restructuring ‘business and property development’. The Main Streets approach provides local organizations with a mechanism to manage their neighborhood commercial districts and create a structure to implement commercial revitalization activities that will achieve the stakeholders’ goals for their commercial district.
