In Full Bloom - These five initiatives showcase community building at its best.
BY RACHEL Z AZOFF
Ask developers to describe their corporate mission, and you’re bound to hear these two little words: community building. The answer often sounds so cliché— after all, who doesn’t want to be known for giving back to the community at large? But after surveying the market, DEVELOPER quickly discovered a number of professionals across the country who are doing more than talking the talk—they are walking the walk. They go beyond building physical assets and find innovative ways to enhance their residential projects by contributing to the surrounding community.
“Community building happens in a variety of ways,” says Tom Baum, president of Greenbelt, Md.–based Bozzuto Development Co. “Sometimes it’s just building a grocery store at the base of your building so that it becomes a neighborhood. Other times, it’s building various types of housing— both affordable and market-rate together— so the community is blended.”
The following five projects show that giving back comes in all different shapes and sizes. In one instance, a developer went above and beyond to help revive a beloved historic theater; meanwhile, another donated a building to an immigrant advocacy organization for use as a community center. One example even shows that community building can happen years before a development is built. How’s that for walking the walk?
Bethesda Theater- Broadway in the ‘Burbs
Park East Enterprise Lofts - Economic Driver
Coyote Valley - It Takes a Community
McCormick-Goodhart Mansion - Immigrant Outreach
