About Stanton Development Corporation

Stanton Development Corporation (SDC) is a Washington, D.C.- based real estate development business founded in 1982. Its principal objective is the development of commercial properties in the Historic District of Capitol Hill. The three principals are Frank Reed, Kitty Kaupp and Ken Golding, all of whom are actively involved in the community. The company's projects have all required some combination of variances, special exceptions, Fine Arts and Historic Preservation Review Board approvals. To date, SDC has completed nine projects with two new ones (i.e. Lenox School Town houses and 300 Independence Avenue SE) under construction with an aggregate market value of over $50,000,000. The completed properties have either won or have been recognized by the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) for their superb designs and contributing value.

Frank Reed, president of SDC, has been a practicing attorney in the District of Columbia for over thirty years specializing in real estate and a 14-year resident of Capitol Hill. Together with his partners, Ken and Kitty, he has built and renovated property on Capitol Hill and with them is the owner of several income producing commercial properties there. He is a board member and past president of the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, a board member and past chairman and treasurer of the Washington Hospital Center, and a past board member and treasurer of the Audubon Naturalist Society of the Mid-Atlantic States.

Ken Golding, vice president of SDC, is a part owner and developer of the Willard Hotel, retail and office complex located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. He owns and manages shopping centers, office buildings, traditional neighborhood developments (TND), boatyards and apartment buildings in D.C., Boston, Tampa, Denver, Boulder, Santa Fe, and Tucson. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, The Congress for New Urbanism, D.C. Building Industry Association, and the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District.

Kitty Kaupp, vice president of SDC, is an active Real Estate Broker with Coldwell Banker on Capitol Hill, specializing in commercial real estate. She lives and works on Capitol Hill where she has developed over 185,000 square feet of commercial and residential projects, with her partners. She is also a member of the Washington Board of Realtors and has received The Board of Realtors Top Producer Award each year. In 1998, she was a recipient of the Capitol Hill Community Achievement Award for distinguished service to the community of Capitol Hill, Washington, DC given by the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals Foundation.

Historic Capitol Hill is the front yard of the U.S. Capitol Building and Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. is one of L’Enfants’ majestic gateways. As such, the “Hill” frames the nation’s seat of power. Historic, beautiful structures such as the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court mark the entrance to Capitol Hill. There is history in every corner. The British marched through Stanton Park in 1814 with torch in hand en route to the White House. The lure brings over 15 million tourists annually to the U.S. Capitol and surrounding neighborhood. However, in spite of its historic and national importance, Historic Capitol Hill by the mid-1980’s had serious pockets of deteriorated buildings and debris, laden sites. Further, Washington, DC suffered from corrupt political leadership, and Hill residents, who numbered 50,000 (the size of Santa Fe proper), were moving elsewhere.

History has shown that buildings built with civic pride are the ones still standing. The Applicant replaced obsolescent or abandoned buildings with structures that improved appearance, livability and generated civic pride. These projects have reinforced the fledgling retail community, which went from near collapse to a thriving neighborhood market. Fifteen years and ten buildings later, Historic Capitol Hill is in demand. Residents are building additions rather than leaving, families are buying homes and more babies in strollers are witnessed on the 7th Street outdoor cafes than ever before. The neighborhood has responded to the quality and design of its commercial buildings by voting with its feet. Throughout this period, Historic Capitol Hill has been able to maintain its feel of small town and sense of community even though it lies at one end of the National Mall.

Anyone building primarily for profit alone would not have built these buildings. The Applicant subordinated early financial returns for a long-term investment strategy and for community betterment. Design standards were established and kept over the fifteen-year period. “Community betterment” was achieved through design, community input, and handpicking retailers, many of whom live in the neighborhood.

Fifteen years, personal signatures on loans, living and working in the community, active members of numerous local organizations, and years of entitlement work for small commercial properties are marks of commitment. The community is now comfortable that greater density can be achieved tastefully and with respect for the historic fabric of the “Hill”. As such, with the assistance of the Applicant, the “Capitol Hill Historic District Overlay Zone” allowing for greater FAR has been submitted for review and approval to the Zoning Commission. This density also fills an economic and urban mandate to maximize use of the $15 billion subway system that has several stations in the community.