Most all the talk was about “The District” – It may sound like a broken record, but the message from Washington, DC commercial real estate and development executives focused on a continued migration to the core or in this case – “The District”.

Mid $40’s rents, $80+ improvement costs combined with limited new development are allowing office rents to continue to rise in “The District”. Owners’ preemptive renewals as much as 3 years prior to expiration are making true “Class B space” with “Class B rates” more difficult to find. It’s not like you can develop new Class B Office space.

The need for nice lower-income work force properties is not going unnoticed. Washington, DC REAL Professionals Mastermind Group guest, Stefanie Reiser of Align Development is focused on what she called “ugly brick boxes” that currently house very lower-income residents. Working with architect member Keith Switzer of Intec Group to drive better and more environmentally efficient design, Align Development is transforming lower-income housing communities into more acceptable workforce-quality housing within eyesight and and a stone’s throw of high-rent districts.