What is currently a surface parking lot in NoMa will now become a mixed-use project, Washington City Paper reported. The site of the former Temple Courts low-income housing complex in NoMa, which was torn down nine years ago, will now include retail and a community center.

MRP Realty and CSG Urban are heading the project, Washington City Paper said, which will bring back the 211 affordable dwelling units Temple Courts lost along with an additional 307 affordable units, 255 market-rate units, 56,000 square feet of retail, a grocery store and a community center. 

This project is part of the New Communities Initiative (NCI), which aims to rebuild downtrodden public housing into mixed-income developments in Wards 1, 6, 7 and 8, Washington City Paper said. A core principal of NCI is the former residents’ “right to return” to the locations that were torn down.

The deal with MRP Realty and CSG Urban is yet to be finalized. Once the terms are set, the D.C. Council must approve it, according to the report. Once all is said and done, construction is planned to move forward in two phases.