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A RESOLUTION
26-302
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
January 6, 2026
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Business
Improvement Districts Act of 1996 to authorize the establishment and administration of
the Soul of the City Business Improvement District.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Soul of the City Business Improvement District Emergency
Declaration Resolution of 2026”.
Sec. 2. (a) The Business Improvement Districts Act of 1996, effective May 29, 1996
(D.C. Law 11-134; D.C. Official Code § 2-1215.01 et seq.), authorizes the establishment of a
Business Improvement District (“BID”).
(b) The Congress Heights neighborhood, generally located between Mississippi Avenue,
Southeast and Alabama Avenue, Southeast, within and around which the Soul of the City
Business Improvement District (“Soul of the City BID”) is proposed to be established, is a
historically underinvested community that is now experiencing rapid and consequential
transformation as a result of significant public and private investment.
(c) Recent and planned investments contributing to this transformation include major
development at the Saint Elizabeths East and West campuses, including a 4,200-seat sports and
entertainment arena serving as the home of the Washington Mystics and a practice facility for the
Washington Wizards, the General Services Administration’s investment in approximately 4
million square feet of office space at Saint Elizabeths West, and private investment resulting in
the construction of approximately 1,000 new residential housing units. These investments have
created an urgent need for a coordinated, community-based entity to serve as a steward of
neighborhood change, ensure effective public space management, and act as a bridge between
longtime residents, local businesses, and new stakeholders.
(d) The commercial corridors within the proposed Soul of the City BID are home to a
concentration of small, locally owned businesses, many of which are owned and operated by
District residents and long-time members of the surrounding community, that face
disproportionate vulnerability during periods of rapid neighborhood change. These businesses
are operating amid rising commercial rents, increased competition from new development,
heightened public-space management demands, and limited access to coordinated marketing,
technical assistance, and capital, and currently lack a formal mechanism to connect to workforce
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pipelines, visitor-serving opportunities, and procurement pathways associated with major nearby
anchor institutions, including large-scale employment centers, entertainment venues, and public
facilities. Absent a structured and locally governed Business Improvement District, many of
these small businesses lack the collective capacity to adapt to increased foot traffic, visitor
demand, and evolving market conditions, placing them at risk of displacement or closure at the
precise moment when neighborhood investment is accelerating. The establishment of the Soul of
the City BID is necessary to stabilize existing small businesses, improve commercial corridor
conditions, support business retention and expansion, and ensure that long-standing
neighborhood enterprises are positioned to benefit from, rather than be harmed by, ongoing
public and private investment.
(e) The Soul of the City BID’s goals are to coordinate efforts to ensure that existing
residents and businesses benefit from new development and increased prosperity, improve the
area’s parks and public spaces, creating more inviting places for neighborhood gathering and
community building, diversify and strengthen neighborhood retail and services, bring more job
opportunities and neighborhood amenities to existing residents, improve the perception of the
Congress Heights commercial area, Increase visitation to area attractions and businesses, and
increase sales and occupancy along the neighborhood’s commercial corridors.
(f) The BID application has been filed with the Department of Small and Local Business
Development, and a certification hearing has been scheduled for January 16, 2026.
(g) The Soul of the City Business Improvement District Amendment Act of 2025, which
has been reported out of the Committee on Business and Economic Development, authorizes the
establishment and administration of the Soul of the City BID, including the applicable tax rates
for eligible properties.
(h) Without the timely establishment and operationalization of the Soul of the City BID,
residents, businesses, and visitors will be unable to realize the benefits of enhanced services,
public realm improvements, economic development programming, and community-driven
revitalization during a critical period of neighborhood transition.
(i) Absent emergency Council action to allow the BID to submit required materials to the
Office of Tax and Revenue in time for the issuance of tax bills in March 2026, the BID would be
designated by the Mayor as such but unable to operate, collect assessments, or provide services
until tax bills are issued, creating a prolonged gap between designation and functionality. Failure
to do so would delay the issuance of tax bills until September 2026, resulting in approximately 6
months during which the BID would be unable to collect revenue or carry out its statutory
purpose.
(j) Such a delay would significantly hinder the BID’s ability to respond to ongoing
development activity, support neighborhood businesses, maintain public spaces, and deliver
timely benefits to residents and visitors in Ward 8, while also risking the loss of momentum
generated by recent investment and community engagement efforts.
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Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in Section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Soul of
the City Business Improvement District Emergency Amendment Act of 2026 be adopted after a
single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.