Pollin Family, Enterprise Homes Celebrate Groundbreaking of
Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development

125 units of green for-sale and rental homes in northeast Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, District of Columbia Council Chair Vincent C. Gray, Councilmember Yvette Alexander, the Pollin family and representatives from Enterprise Homes, Inc. today celebrated the groundbreaking of the Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development in northeast Washington. The new development will feature 125 green for-sale and rental homes that will provide quality workforce housing affordable to the District's workers, including police officers, firefighters, teachers and health care workers. The Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development, named in honor of two of the children of the late Abe Pollin and Irene Pollin, will continue Abe Pollin's legacy of public spirit and generosity through community revitalization.

"It was a privilege and an honor to have worked with Abe Pollin," said Chickie Grayson, president and CEO, Enterprise Homes. "We are humbled and inspired by his dedication to the community and public service, and we are proud to continue his legacy by providing Washington, D.C., workers and residents with additional affordable housing opportunities through both homeownership and rental housing."

Developed by the Abe Pollin Grantor Trust in partnership with Enterprise, the $35 million Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development will be built as a mixed-income neighborhood and will utilize the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria for sustainable affordable housing. Enterprise Community Partners provided a $50,000 Enterprise Green Communities grant to support the integration of green design features into the development, including green label carpet, water-conserving appliances and fixtures, energy-efficient HVAC systems, EnergyStar appliances and drought-tolerant landscaping with native species.

"My father worked long and hard to see this day come true," said Robert Pollin. "The night before he died, he spoke to me about how committed he was to this project. He was eager to be out here in the mud, even though he would have to do it in a wheelchair. We have every intention of carrying out the project at the highest possible standard, exactly as he would have insisted."

The community will feature 83 three-bedroom townhouses for sale to buyers earning 40 to 100 percent of area media income (AMI) and 42 apartments and townhomes will be targeted for eligible District of Columbia Housing Authority residents who earn up to 80 percent of AMI. One-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom townhomes will be available for rent. The community green space will be professionally landscaped and will include a playground and an attractive streetscape.

Financing for the Linda Joy and Kenneth Jay Pollin Memorial Community Development is being provided by the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development, the District of Columbia Housing Authority, United Bank, Enterprise and the Abe Pollin Grantor Trust.

The community will be developed in two phases. The first homes are slated to be completed by early 2011.