by Brianna Crandall — March 26, 2014—Facilities personnel who might consider a change of location or a visit to a vibrant yet historic setting may want to take note of a world-class waterfront development on the historic Washington Channel in Washington, DC, that just marked its first day of construction. The development is part of a planned revitalization of the downtown Anacostia River area through the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative.
The Wharf is a $2 billion mixed-use development situated along the District of Columbia’s Southwest Waterfront. The planned development is adjacent to the National Mall, with a development area that stretches across 27 acres of land and more than 50 acres of water. When complete, it will feature approximately 3 million square feet of new residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, and public uses including waterfront parks, promenades, piers and docks. Phase 1 alone comprises 24 acres of land, more than 50 acres of waterfront, and a building area of more than 1.9 million gross square feet. It is projected for completion in 2017.
The design vision for The Wharf is founded on principles of: reconnecting the city to its waterfront; providing DC residents with a world-class public destination for year-round use; and restoring Washington as a port city with a rich maritime history. Plans for The Wharf include offering residents and visitors a series of grand and varied places while maintaining an intimate urban feel, replete with residential, commercial, hospitality, dining and entertainment programs. Small lots are being constructed along the water’s edge in order to preserve panoramic views of the waterfront and Washington Channel from multiple vantage points.
Some of the features are the Wharf, District Pier, Transit Pier, Market Pier, Mews, and two levels of below-grade parking to accommodate more than 1,500 vehicles. New construction along the water’s edge will include the Pierhouse Pavilion on the District Pier, the Dockmaster Building, and the Jetty Terminal. Parcels 2 and 3A will include two residential towers totaling 300 units, a 200,000 sq. ft. office building, a 150,000 sq. ft. music entertainment venue, 25,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space, and 15,000 sq. ft. of upper-floor entertainment space.
The Wharf development team is led by PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette and is comprised of ER Bacon Development, City Partners, Paramount Development, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, and Triden Development. The design team features Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, Moffatt & Nichol Engineers, Mathews Nielsen, AMT Engineering, Walker Parking, Colonial Parking, Haley & Aldrich, PSI, and Gorove/Slade Associates. The construction team consists of PN Hoffman and Clark Construction.
