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Developer Breaks Ground on The Yards, Largest Redevelopment in DC
Forest City Washington, Inc. broke ground in October on a large-scale, mixed-use redevelopment project known as The Yards, a 42-acre site which fronts on the Anacostia River in southeast Washington D.C.
The history of The Yards is closely linked with that of the neighboring Washington Navy Yard. In fact, that's why this exciting new neighborhood is called The Yards. Originally part of the Navy Yard, ownership of the properties was transferred to the General Services Administration (GSA) in the 1960s. Under RCRA Corrective Action oversight, GSA spent $30 million to conduct environmental investigation, remediation, and demolition activities at the facility.
The Future Look of The Yards
In 2003, the GSA conducted a nationwide request for proposals to determine interest in acquiring the property for redevelopment. On one parcel of the property, the U.S. Department of Transportation contracted with a private sector developer for the design and construction of its dramatic new headquarters building. GSA awarded redevelopment rights of the remaining 42-acre property, including several historically protected, former industrial buildings, to Forest City Washington, to redevelop the site as an exciting new urban mixed-use, riverfront redevelopment.
The $1.7 billion redevelopment project is the largest such project in the District of Columbia. Upon completion, it will ultimately include 5.5 million square feet of new and existing buildings including approximately 2,800 residential units (both rental and for sale), 1.8 million square feet of office space, up to 400,000 square feet of retail/dining space, and a riverfront park including an esplanade along the banks of the Anacostia River.
The northeastern footprint of The Yards, nestled between the Navy Yard, M Street, and the DOT HQ. The large building is the Gun Mount Shop, which will be renovated into a 270-unit condo building. The smaller brick building, until recently home to the Federal Protective Services, and the parking lots surrounding it will become residential areas in later phases of the site's development.
Thanks to close working relationships cleanup and redevelopment are proceeding smoothly. "The extensive pre-development process has involved working with a few dozen governmental agencies, consultants and architects" said Deborah Ratner Salzberg, president of Forest City Washington. "This has been and will continue to be a very significant public/private partnership that will pay dividends for District residents for a long time to come."
The Yards project will blend adaptive reuse of five historically protected, former industrial buildings, as well as numerous sites of all-new construction based on sustainable design concepts. With approximately 30 buildings planned overall, The Yards will ultimately generate millions of tax dollars annually from land that was previously not on the District’s tax rolls, and create hundreds of construction and permanent jobs for D.C. residents. Over 3,000 new residents are expected to call The Yards home. In addition, the project will provide opportunities for local small and disadvantaged businesses, job training and First Source hiring programs.
"This isn't just a development project," said Mayor Adrian Fenty. "We are standing on what will be a new Anacostia Waterfront neighborhood that will incorporate the site's great historic buildings and include a world-class waterfront public park. The Yards is really a testament to what can happen when we work in partnership with federal agencies and the private sector."
A dozen buildings are in various stages of design and development with first phase completions expected in mid-2009 into 2010. The project's first phase will include the adaptive reuse of three former Navy Yard industrial buildings—two as residential and one as a retail center, as well as the all-new construction of an additional residential building and the project's initial office building.
The Yards is at the heart of all the development excitement happening in southeast Washington D.C.. Located on the riverfront, between the exciting new baseball district and the Washington Navy Yard, The Yards will be a vibrant new neighborhood destination in which to live, work, shop and play.
Article contributed by
Kristeen Gaffney, EPA's Brownfields and Land Revitalization Branch