Barry Farm Redevelopment Project to Begin Next Month

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday the closing of financing on Barry Farm and that the long-awaited redevelopment of the historic Ward 8 community will get underway in the coming weeks.

Construction is expected to begin next month on The Asberry, a mixed-use building with 108 units of affordable senior (55 and older) housing and about 5,000 square feet of commercial space that will be co-developed by the Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc., and the D.C. Housing Authority.

The Asberry will be located on 1200 Sumner Road SE, across from the Barry Farm Recreation Center. It is expected to be completed in 2024.

Barry Farm-Hillsdale was founded in 1867 for formerly enslaved Blacks to own land and create a self-sustaining community after the Civil War. A legacy of civil rights advocacy was established by residents that lasted until the 1940s when Barry Farm Dwellings, a public housing community was set up in the 1940s.

“Barry Farm is the site of so much important history for D.C. and for families in Ward 8,” Bowser said. “The Asberry is the first step toward bringing families and seniors back home. This redevelopment has been years in the making and as we get closer to shovels in the ground, we are investing in the past and the promise of the Barry Farm community and we are committed to delivering not just new housing, but a new opportunity.”

The Asberry, which will have replacement units for former public housing dwellers, will be 100 percent affordable, with 33 units at 30% of the area median family income, 44 units at 50% MFI, and 21 units at 60% MFI, and 10 units at 80% MFI, Bowser administration officials said.

The Asberry is Phase 1 of the redevelopment of all of Barry Farm. The whole Barry Farm redevelopment is on track to be completed by 2030.