The future Gibson Plaza.

In the last few months, it’s seemed that the ice floes have started to crack and shift for development in Shaw: Project after project has broken financing deadlocks and will see shovels in the ground this year. Add another to the list: Gibson Plaza, the 10-story public housing behemoth on 7th and O Street NW, which will be getting a massive gut retrofit to upgrade its 217 affordable units, starting June 28th. The improvements, paid for by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, cover a complete facade upgrade, all new green appliances, plumbing and electrical systems, new windows, and “cultured marble vanity tops” in bathrooms.

The complex opened in 1974–the same year as its non-profit owner, First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The church has promised that no tenants will be permanently displaced during construction, and those who remain throughout won’t be bothered too much. Read more here.