New affordable housing opens in Anacostia, America’s Islamic Heritage Musem gets new permanent home

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon on a new affordable housing spot in Southeast D.C. on Friday.

The Clara will provide Anacostia with 81 new units of affordable housing, according to a press release from Bowser’s office. It also includes 11,000 square feet of retail space and will be the new permanent home of America’s Islamic Heritage Museum.

“This is an important day for the community – not only because we are cutting the ribbon on 81 new homes in historic Anacostia, but also because of the history and culture that this site represents and preserves,” said Bowser in a statement. “The Clara is a reminder of what is possible when we lead with and invest in our values and focus on creating hope and opportunity in our community.”

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Units at the Clara range from studios to three-bedroom apartments, with 61 units reserved for households earning up to 50% of the median family income (MFI), and the remaining 20 units reserved for households earning up to 30% of the MFI.

Retail space at the ground level will host local businesses, including Sweet Tooth Bathery and Restaurant and TOIZ, a youth-owned environmental tenant services company that provides laundry and vending services and environmental equipment, the statement read.

Sweet Tooth Bakery is set to open in April 2024 and America’s Islamic Heritage Museum will open in the winter of 2024.

“The Clara represents the first of its kind faith-based partnership with an Islamic house of worship,” said DC Housing Finance Agency Executive Director/CEO Christopher E. Donald.

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The Clara is situated on the grounds once home to America’s Islamic Heritage Museum and the Clara Muhammad School and is named in honor of Clara Muhammad. The Clara Muhammad Schools are a national network of schools, established in the 1930s and initially launched as the University of Islam.

The name of the building and the return of America’s Islamic Heritage Museum marks a return to the heritage of the site and an homage to its history that celebrates the legacy of the Black Muslim community, the press release read.

The Clara is the latest addition to the Bowser Administration’s goal of creating 12,000 new affordable housing units throughout D.C. by 2025 and was built through a partnership between the District and local developer Banneker Ventures.

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