Washington, D.C.'s newest neighborhood is continuing to expand, as the private developers behind Southwest's District Wharf kicked off construction for the second phase of development along the Potomac River Saturday.
City officials like Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton joined representatives from Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, the joint partnership that built and owns the Wharf, to celebrate the beginning of construction of the second half of the mile-long development along the waterfront of the Potomac.
The Wharf is a $2.5 billion development project that built a 3.2-million square foot neighborhood along the Potomac River south of the National Mall. The first phase of construction was completed in 2017 and is described as the largest private development in the city.
"The Wharf is a tremendous example of how the District can, through innovative public-private partnerships, transform underdeveloped land into housing, jobs, and opportunity. Already, with Phase 1, The Wharf has become a world-class destination for residents and visitors alike,” Bowser said in a news release.
The completed Wharf would add 1.25 million square feet of mixed-use building space, including 625,000 square feet of office space, 255 apartments, 131 hotel rooms, 96 condominiums, a 1.5-acre park and two underground garages with more than 1,000 parking spaces.
The project would also include new marina space and 109,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.
“In 2019, Washington, DC is truly a waterfront city, and we look forward to building on our progress and success," Bowser said. "Together, we will continue ensuring that Washingtonians along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers – in all the surrounding wards – are able to enjoy and benefit from the many opportunities that our city and waterfronts have to offer.”
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D.C. Council member Charles Allen, who represents Ward 6, also highlighted the reinvestment in the city's riverfronts.
"One of the things I'm most excited about what I've seen over this last year has really been the way in which thousands and thousands and thousands of people have interacted with and been on our water and our river in a way that just had not been happening," Allen said at the event. "D.C. is a city on two rivers and we are remembering that and rediscovering that.
