INDUSTRIAL LAND IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY District of ...

District of Columbia Industrial Areas Study DC Office of Planning
Prepared by Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
Sidebar: Sample Policies
Job Training and Employment in Washington, DC
ARCH (Action to Rehabilitate Community Housing) was established in Historic Anacostia in 1986 as a
training-oriented development organization. ARCH began as an organization to encourage and train
DC’s ‘at risk' residents in academic and carpentry skills while rehabilitating residential property in
Anacostia. Today, ARCH has evolved to provide services including assessment, job training, career
development, up-to- date technology, and personal counseling to ensure individuals and families access
to quality education, livable wage jobs, cultural activities, affordable housing, neighborhood businesses,
effective health and social services; while supporting the successful transition to a life-long journey of
education, self-sufficiency, and community awareness.
In 2003, ARCH finished a five-year development project on a new home in the historic Woolworth
building; the new facility is a state of the art school with 16,000 square feet of usable space. The new
training center's top floor offers academic classrooms, computer classrooms and computer labs with highspeed
Internet access. The training center has locker areas, large lunchrooms, the skills lab, our version
of a lecture room and offices for our teachers, counselors and caseworkers. Next door to the school is
ARCH's Career Services Department and Executive offices, along with a small computer lab for students
working with Job Developers – for a total of 20,000 square feet utilized for academics, training,
counseling and career development. Visit http://www.archdc.org/ for more information.
ACE Mentors: Developing New Professionals
Founded by principals of leading design and construction firms, ACE is an after-school mentoring
program for high school students interested in exploring career opportunities in architecture, engineering
and construction management. Comprised of a “unique partnership of schools and universities,
architects, interior designers, engineers, construction companies, professional organizations, and related
corporations,” ACE volunteers from these fields mentor high school students by introducing them to the
broad range of people and projects within the construction industry. Students tour project offices and visit
active construction sites, and mentors present students with challenging real-world projects.
For more information about the ACE program, visit http://www.ace-mentor-dc.org/index.html
Industrial Investment and Retention: Boston’s Back Streets
Boston has a policy of no net loss of industrial space and implemented the Back Streets program to
“retain and grow viable industrial and commercial businesses through the strategic use of land, workforce
and financial resources.” Back Streets “complement yet stand in contract to Main Street businesses,” as
Back Street businesses are often “unknown and undervalued but are essential to the flow of goods” and
significant employment centers in their own right. Backstreets targets the following sectors:
Manufacturing — metal; chemical; high tech; printing and publishing.
Wholesale — distribution; receiving; reselling.
Commercial Services — business services; data management; security services; maintenance.
Logistics — moving; transportation; warehousing; storage.
Building and contractors — general contractors; subcontractors.
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