NO NIMBY-ISM IN SOUTHWEST DC

"A Sleepy Neighborhood Faces Titanic Development," says the HillRag in a broad overview of the history of Southwest, as well as the impediments to and possibilities of development.





For decades, the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, designed to ferry members of Congress back to Virginia as quickly as possible, cut off Southwest from the rest of DC. Unless this is fixed, Southwest will continue to be disconnected, not matter how great the baseball stadium and other development.

HillRag reports that efforts are underway to connect the southeast with the rest of the city. For starters, there's "an ambitious initiative to revitalize South Capitol Street Corridor," plus build a new bridge. Also, the Overlook at L'Enfant Plaza is the subject of "a controversial redesign," which features a grand staircase that would provide a pedestrian corridor from the Mall to the Southwest waterfront. Water taxis and a new metro stop are also envisioned.

As for development, much is happening:

• The Anacostia Waterfront Corp. is working on a plan that calls for a series of twelve-story buildings hugging the Washington Channel. These would be interspersed with smaller construction and vistas from Maine Ave. to the water,
• The Waterside Mall is set for change too. Waterfront Associates, a joint venture between developers Forest City Washington and the Kaempfer Company, have partnered with the mallÂ’s owner NCRC to redevelop the site. The current deal calls for Waterfront Associates to acquire 13 acres of land outright while the NCRC retains a parcel for residential development,
• Other smaller developments are on the way too.