One great turn of public-private money can turn around an entire city neighborhood for decades to follow.
When I arrived in DC in the 1980s, the Georgetown waterfront - stretching south of M Street from Key Bridge in the west to the Four Seasons Hotel and Rock Creek Parkway in the east - was a depressing scene. Warehouses, parking lots, and remnants of its history as a working port dominated the landscape - coal yards and cement plants lay abandoned and neglected.
A tremendous initiative by private citizens over two decades led to the dedication of the Georgetown Waterfront Park on the western edge in 2011. Private fundraising efforts, led by the Friends of Georgetown Waterfront Park, donation of National Park land, and DC government dollars matched by federal funds epitomized a successful public-private partnership.
Their efforts continue to have tremendous impact. The current pipeline of development for new residential, hotel and commercial space is astounding, with the vast majority of it south of M Street on the waterfront.
Here's the lineup:
3333 K Street NW
Planned conversion of the office building at 3333 K Street NW (map) into a 30-unit residential project. Interiors will be gutted to create two retail spaces on the ground floor with 30 apartments or condos on floors 2-5.
1101 30th Street NW
Conversion of the office building at 1101 30th Street NW (map) would deliver hundreds of new apartments. The conversion would include full interior renovation and expansion with balconies and roof decks.
Flour Mill Conversion
Conversion of the office space at 1000 Potomac Street NW (map) would add 135 new units to the existing residences at the Flour Mill. Approximately 8,000 square feet of retail would be constructed along Potomac Street and Water Street NW as part of the project.
2715 Pennsylvania Avenue
At the eastern-most end of M St, Georgetown developer EastBanc is constructing an ultra lux five-story building (map) with just seven units averaging 2000 SF each. A stunning, modern design bookend Georgetown. The ground-floor will house a restaurant with outdoor seating.
Georgetown West Heating Plant
The long-awaited redevelopment of the Georgetown West Heating Plant at 1051-1055 29th Street NW (map) is on track to deliver this summer. The Four Season-branded condominium building will deliver 64 ultra lux units and a one-acre public park that sits elevated atop roughly 100 parking spaces.
3300 Whitehaven Street
An office building adjacent to The British International School of Washington at 3300 Whitehaven Street NW (map) will be replaced with a five-story residential/educational building with 265 residential units spanning from studios to three-bedrooms. There will be 256 parking spaces.
1000 and 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street
The largest residential conversion planned in Georgetown at 1000 and 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NW (map) is continuing to move forward. The conversion would add roughly 300 new units between the two buildings, maintaining the existing 370 below grade parking spaces.
1805 Wisconsin Avenue
Fortis Companies is in the process of replacing the single-story commercial building and surface parking lot at 1805 Wisconsin Avenue NW (map) with nine new townhouses, elevated courtyard and retail. Architect is Christian Zapatka.
Latham Hotel Redevelopment
This Georgetown hotel project has been on the boards for nearly a decade.
A one-year extension request to line up financing has been submitted for construction of the José Andrés Group's inaugural hotel, The Bazaar House by José Andrés, a 67-room luxury hotel and private club.
citizenM Hotel on Water Street
Work continues on a new 228-room citizenM hotel along Water Street. The development team is reusing the façade of the two-story building at 3401 Water Street NW (map) and constructing a five-story-plus-penthouse addition.
