NEW YORK CITY—Public and private organizations here broke ground on nearly $3 billion in construction projects in the first six months of this year, according to a new report from the New York Building Congress.

WASHINGTON, DC—Four new tenants have signed on at the JBG Companies' L'Enfant Plaza leasing nearly 50,000 square feet of space.

BOSTON—The City of Boston, which is in discussions with a developer to craft a master plan for the seven-acre City Hall Plaza, has issued a Request for Proposals for a partner to work with the city on how to transform the plaza into a civic and tourist destination.

WASHINGTON, DC—Government contracting firm Tech-Marine Business has expanded its headquarters operations and extended its lease at 100 M St. SE.

BALTIMORE—Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake unexpectedly announced on Friday that she would not seek reelection when her term ends in 15 months.

BOSTON—Michael Dirrane, the newly appointed chairman of the Commonwealth's Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, is confident that the Baker administration will address Massachusetts' fiscal issues, but also the need to add more workforce housing and transit-oriented development in key markets.

The City of Lowell has issued a Request for Qualifications seeking developers and investors interested in pursuing an $800-million mixed-use transit-oriented development on a 15-acre downtown site in the Hamilton Canal District.

NEW YORK CITY—The largest fluctuations in average residential rents in New York City have been in Harlem and Midtown East, according to a new report by the MNS Real Impact Real Estate brokerage firm.