FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Salvation Army Lists Harbor Light Center Property on New York Avenue NE Feldman Ruel Tapped as Exclusive Broker for Prime Redevelopment Opportunity
Press Contact: Josh Feldman, Managing Principal, (202) 318-6833
Listing Agents: Josh Feldman, Managing Principal; Ian Ruel, Managing Principal; Brandon Shure, Investment Associate
Washington, D.C., August 25, 2025 – The Salvation Army has officially listed its longtime Harbor Light Center property, located at 2100 New York Avenue NE, for sale. Feldman Ruel, a leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in the marketing and sale of investment properties in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, has been selected as the exclusive broker for the sale effort. The property is being offered unpriced with no preset call-for- offers deadline. At this time, offers will be considered as they are received.
2100 New York Avenue NE offers a wide array of execution options. A potential purchaser may elect to maintain the existing planned unit development (PUD) and use, modify the existing PUD to allow a different use but still maintain the current building envelope, extinguish the existing PUD in which case the property would revert back to its by-right zoning designation of PDR-2, or extinguish the existing PUD and simultaneously request a map amendment to a less restrictive zoning designation with a higher permitted density such as MU-9. Such a map amendment could allow for the development of more than 800,000 above-grade square feet. The property is situated along a portion of the New York avenue corridor that was upgraded on the District of Columbia’s Future Land Use Map in its most recent Comprehensive Plan update to allow for high-density residential use and high-density commercial use.
The Salvation Army originally purchased the property in 1993 and opened The Harbor Light Center shortly thereafter in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, initially serving as a shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. By the early 2000s, the organization pivoted to meet evolving community needs, transforming the building into a residential addiction treatment center operated in collaboration with the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). The program ceased operations in 2020 as court activity slowed during the pandemic.
Following a needs assessment in 2022, The Salvation Army permanently closed the facility and leased the majority of it to the District of Columbia through mid-2026. That same study revealed a growing demand for services in other parts of the District, particularly Northeast and Southeast Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the sale will directly fund the opening of a new social services center elsewhere in Northeast.
The new facility will include emergency rental and utility assistance programs, a food market, volunteer engagement opportunities, and the launch of Grate Patrol 2, a daytime expansion of The Salvation Army’s long-running mobile outreach program for individuals experiencing homelessness.
“The Salvation Army National Capital Area Command (NCAC) has served the Washington, D.C. community for 140 years, reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals in need. One of the cornerstones of our work is conducting ongoing needs assessments to ensure our programs evolve with the community. We consistently ask: What does the community need today, and who else is providing those services? With the sale of the Harbor Light Center, we will purchase a second Grate Patrol vehicle to provide hot meals, food boxes, and essential supplies to residents in Northeast and Southeast D.C. during the day, reaching even more individuals experiencing hunger, homelessness, and isolation.” — Statement from The Salvation Army National Capital Area Command
“Given the legacy of this property, we know it matters deeply to the community,” said Josh Feldman, Managing Principal of Feldman Ruel. “We’re honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and for the opportunity to play our part in the continued transformation of the New York Avenue corridor. Most of all, we are excited to be in a position to assist The Salvation Army in broadening its impact across the Washington, D.C. region.”
The offering is expected to appeal to a wide range of potential purchasers including non-profit users, value-add investors, and developers of numerous product types due to the property’s scale, potential land-use optionality, and significant frontage along a major arterial route.
About Feldman Ruel
Feldman Ruel is a commercial real estate services firm focused primarily on investment sales and property management in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and is consistently recognized as a market leader in the industry. Feldman Ruel successfully completes scores of transactions every year making it one of the top investment sales brokerage firms in the area. The experience and relationships resulting from hundreds of successful transactions allow the principals and agents of Feldman Ruel to provide their clients with the most accurate valuations, the most effective multichannel marketing, and the best advisory services available in the market.