Home > Newsroom > Golden Triangle Business Improvement District Announces Owen Billman as Board Chairman
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 30, 2024 – Owen Billman has been elected the new chairman of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, the BID announced today. His main focus will be on the continued transformation and exciting growth of the office corridor to a premier mixed-use neighborhood.
Billman, who started as board chairman on October 8, is President of Blake Real Estate and oversees a portfolio of 2.5 million square feet across eight different affiliated companies within Blake.
Billman is known for his expertise in business management and the commercial real estate market. He has served as a panelist at industry events and spoken at American University, the University of Maryland, and The George Washington University. He was named one of Bisnow’s top 35 under 35 Real Estate Professionals in both 2011 and 2013.
“I am honored to be selected as the board chair of the Golden Triangle BID,” said Billman. “I look forward to working with other board members, staff, and stakeholders to build on the BID’s successes and create an even more vibrant and welcoming community for residents, businesses, and visitors.”
The former Board Chair Kathryn Clement of JBG Smith will remain a member of the board and executive committee. The board is made up of 21 leaders from the community with interests inside the boundaries of the BID.
“We are fortunate to have Owen lead our board,” said Leona Agouridis, President of the Golden Triangle BID. “His smart, forward-looking approach to economic development will be invaluable as we continue to grow the Golden Triangle’s thriving community.”
Billman takes over the BID’s board at a critical time.
The BID is exploring new ways to evolve in the wake of changes to the office environment following the pandemic. The resulting availability of office spaces around the country, including within the Golden Triangle, has prompted new thinking about how to use former office corridors more creatively.
Within the Golden Triangle, vacant office buildings have been repurposed as residential buildings, with one project complete and others planned. In addition, the Golden Triangle BID has been at the forefront of efforts to provide former retail and office space to pop-up businesses and visual and performing arts groups like Rorschach Theatre.
The Golden Triangle BID collaboratively developed the Downtown Action Plan, which Mayor Muriel Bowser supported upon its release earlier this year. Among its many recommendations, that plan proposes a stronger web of green spaces to help draw visitors off the National Mall and into neighborhoods that were formerly primarily office focused.
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About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC’s central business district, the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. For more information, visit goldentriangledc.com and follow the BID on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact
Karyn Le Blanc at 202-497-4572 or karyn.leblanc@kglcommunications.com. Or Vince Morris at 202-503-6802 or vince.morris@kglcommunications.com
