1. Who is Geoffrey Griffis?
Geoffrey Griffis is the Founder and Managing Member of CityPartners, the Washington-based group that is dedicated to redeveloping urban areas and strengthening communities. Over a long and distinguished career as a developer, designer, and civic volunteer, Griffis has been committed to improving the lives of District citizens, particularly those in need.  Griffis began his career as an affordable housing specialist and, more recently, he formed CityPartners Pathways. It’s a hospitality apprenticeship program for 18-24 year-olds from Wards 7 and 8 that has trained 31 young women and men in all areas of the hospitality industry. To date, 23 of those apprentices have gone on to hold permanent jobs at the Hyatt Place Hotel, where Griffis is an owner.
 

2. Opponents of the Congress Heights Metro project are very critical of Griffis. What’s the truth?
Geoffrey Griffis only owns one other rental building in DC. He has earned the respect of the tenants in that building, and will likewise do so in Congress Heights. When CityPartners purchased the 19-room apartment building in Anacostia in 2015, the building was in terrible disrepair and squatters and drug dealers ran wild. Today, the building is safe and secure and the tenants are grateful. CityPartners has renovated nearly every apartment in the building, plus all the common areas. The building is 100% occupied. That’s Griffis’s track record in DC as a landlord, and one he will continue at Congress Heights.
 

3. Why didn't Griffis take care of the tenants at Congress Heights before?
Until December 29, 2017, Griffis had absolutely no legal or financial involvement in any Sanford-owned buildings. He was not a partner or owner of the Congress Heights apartment buildings or any other Sanford-owned buildings. As such, he had no control over what happened to the residents of Congress Heights, or their apartments.  He had control over the Metro site, but never the apartment buildings that fell into disrepair. Griffis tried several times to purchase the buildings from Sanford Capital, but his offers were repeatedly rejected. Now that Griffis has control of the buildings, Sanford and their owners are 100% out and will have no future interests in these buildings. “I have no intention in ever being involved with Sanford again,” Griffis said.
 

4. Was the transfer of the Sanford apartment buildings to Griffis and his companies legal?
Yes. CityPartners 5914, LLC, (“CityPartners”) acquired the properties—1309 Alabama Ave., SE, 1331-1333 Alabama Ave., SE, and 3210 13th St., SE—from affiliates of Sanford Capital, LLC, in a “deed in lieu of foreclosure” transaction. That’s a transfer of the title on the properties to avoid foreclosure, which was imminent as the affiliates of Sanford Capital had stopped making mortgage payments to CityPartners, the lender at the time of the “deed in lieu of foreclosure” transaction, and to the banks prior to that. While we realize that the transfer of the buildings took place quickly and may have come as a surprise to some, it was completely legal, and absolutely did not remove the tenants' TOPA rights.  Further, this question was resolved in DC Superior Court when the Court found that “CityPartners5914 is the current owner of record.”
 

5. Will the current tenants at the Congress Heights Metro Site lose their TOPA rights?
No!  In June 2018, CityPartners5914 gave the tenants a purchase notice which triggered TOPA (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.) The tenants responded by forming an association and indicating that they would like the opportunity to purchase the property. 

6. What is CityPartners 5914 offering to the tenants as an alternative to purchasing the buildings?

There are ten members of the Tenant Association.  If they decide to not purchase the buildings, then CityPartners 5914 has pledged to give them all of the following:

• A $100,000.00 payment to each Tenant Association member household

• CityPartners 5914 will pay the taxes on the initial payment, for an additional amount up to $10,000 per Tenant Association member household

• CityPartners 5914 has and will continue to pay for each household’s relocation/moving costs

• CityPartners 5914 is willing to allow tenants to move back into the new development at their current rental rates

• CityPartners 5914 is open to having tenants invest in and participate in the new development, with a minimum investment of $10,000.  Their investment would be considered as equity in the new project, and tenants could receive a preferred interest rate of 7%

• CityPartners will arrange for and cover costs for a financial consultant—if requested—to help each Tenant Association member household decide how best to invest their $100,000 payment

​

7.  What will the new buildings at the Congress Heights Metro Site feature?
The new development will feature affordable apartments, market-rate apartments, retail shops, underground parking, restaurants and offices to serve booming Southeast DC, across from the city’s new $65 million practice facility for the Washington Wizards basketball team and arena for the Washington Mystics WNBA team. As part of the project, CityPartners also pledges to:

- Provide jobs to Ward 8 residents during construction
- Provide free office space to the Ward 8 Advisory Neighborhood Commission, for five years
- Contribute generously to a variety of Ward 8 community-based non-profit organizations