Washington, D.C., November 4, 2010 – The Washington Business Journal honored NoMa Business Improvement District President Liz Price in its 2010 Women Who Mean Business awards program. This prestigious award is bestowed upon only 25 of the region’s most influential women each year, women from every industry and profession who have made a difference in their communities and are leaving a mark on the Washington business community.
“Liz has been instrumental in the branding, development and marketing of NoMa and, in fact, has earned the very accurate title of ‘Mayor of NoMa’ to everyone acquainted with her work,” said NoMa BID Chairman and J Street Companies Chairman, Bruce Baschuk. “Her leadership skills are not only evidenced in the explosion of activity and community spirit within NoMa but also in her creation of the best BID team in the city. The NoMa BID staff’s confidence in her is best demonstrated by their nomination of her to this very prestigious honor.”
After a successful career in economic development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development, and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, Liz Price jumped at the opportunity to run the NoMa BID. She is now deeply involved in the redevelopment of NoMa, Washington DC’s fastest growing neighborhood, just four blocks from the Capitol. NoMa has leased more than three million square feet of commercial office space in the last three years, including 10 new restaurants and cafés, three residential buildings, and two hotels. The city’s largest Harris Teeter will open on December 8. “We are building a new community and not just a series of buildings or projects,” she reminds her staff regularly.
Under Ms. Price’s leadership, the BID has risen to new heights and engaged in a wide array of issues, including:
- Safety. BIDs are often known for their clean and safe services, and NoMa has seen dramatic changes in this regard: crime is down 53% since 2007. The BID removed 1.4 million pounds of trash in FY 2008 and 2009.
- Beautification. NoMa BID is pushing beyond clean to beautification. The BID has planted 4,800 daffodils, plus 123 street trees through partnerships with DDOT and Casey Trees.
- Parks. In 2008, NoMa received a $50,000 grant to design a park along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and has also improved two pocket parks. The BID is leading the charge to make room for parks and open space that are vital to the quality of life of the neighborhood.
- Pedestrian and cycling improvements. In 2009, NoMa received $250,000 in grants to improve the intersection of New York and Florida Avenues with brick sidewalks, augmented landscaping and additional street trees, making it safer and more attractive for pedestrians. NoMa is also working to make NoMa the most bike friendly neighborhood in DC. It already has three Capital Bikeshare stations and celebrated the opening of the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail in spring 2010.
- Economic Development. In 2009, the DC Council passed a tax abatement to encourage residential development in NoMa. Archstone broke ground in July 2010 on a 469-unit luxury apartment building – the largest residential building to break ground in DC thus far in 2010.
- Events. Ms. Price started NoMa Summer Screen in 2008, a popular summer film festival that now attracts more than 300 residents each week in its third season. Rhythm in NoMa, a 10-week lunch-time concert series, began in 2010, enticing daytime employees to dance on NoMa’s sidewalks each week.
- Arts and culture. Through partnerships with Cultural Development Corporation, Solas Nua and Artomatic, Ms. Price constantly works to bring beauty and creativity to NoMa while simultaneously supporting local musicians, arts groups and theatre companies. Her view of community building encompasses all the necessary components needed to make a true neighborhood – not just bricks and mortar, but also bringing people together to form relationships, foster creativity and create a vibrant, unique place.
Ms. Price oversees a budget of $1.9 million and a growing staff of 10 people. NoMa BID continues to innovate and create, while collaborating with the community and public agencies. As president of NoMa BID, she has built an organization that is viewed as effective, innovative and compassionate by the community, as well as the public and private sectors.
Honored individuals will be profiled in the Nov. 19-25 edition of the Washington Business Journal and recognized at an evening awards program to be held November 18, 2010, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Registration information for the event is available atwww.wbjwomenwhomeanbusiness.com.
About NoMa
NoMa is a mixed-use neighborhood north of Massachusetts Avenue and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In the last three years, private developers have invested more than $3 billion in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID, and have plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space over the next 15 years. More than 5,000 new employees and residents will move into NoMa in 2010. View our NoMa Summer Screen video here: www.nomasummerscreen.com. For more information about the BID, including an interactive development map, visit the BID Web site at nomabid.wpengine.com.
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