PAT's Final Report Released on Buzzard Point

A Planning Assistance Team (PAT) from the American Planning Association studied Buzzard Point in November 2009 at the request of Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells and the Capitol Riverfront BID, whose boundaries include the isolated waterfront neighborhood.  The final report was finally released and includes a vision for how the area should be developed over the next 20-25 years.  Since Fort McNair isn't going anywhere, the report focuses on the mixed-use part of the neighborhood south of the existing residential neighborhood and east of the military installation. The report admits there are constraints on this part of the neighborhood, including the PEPCO plant and the Coast Guard Headquarters building and another office building, both of which block access to the waterfront.  The PAT recommends the neighborhood should be "a center for low-intensity recreational uses by area residents, visitors to the area and residents of other parts of the District, as well as an important link along the Anacostia River chain."  Major points include the following:

• Increase the quality and accessibility of the Buzzard Point waterfront, while recognizing its distinctive character.
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle linkages through the area and to the water along P Street and 2nd Street.
• Preserve and upgrade existing affordable housing in area.
• Make the South Capitol Street oval a major gateway to the District, creating an iconic building on the adjacent Steuart site.
• Strengthen Potomac Avenue as the link between the area and the Southeast waterfront.
• Ensure that development of the Akridge site maximizes connectivity and economic benefits to the Buzzard Point community.
• Change the proposed streetcar alignment to better serve the Buzzard Point area.
• Develop a long-range strategy for the PEPCO property, including ultimate reuse of the historic power plant building for cultural or educational use.

Buzzard Point has been making news lately, including plans for a condo building adjacent to the Buzzard Point Marina and rumors that DC United is looking at the 100 V Street parcel as a potential stadium site.

Rendering of Buzzard Point neighborhood courtesy of Akridge.

What Bloggers Are Saying About Southwest

- JDLand tweets about an article in the Navy Times, which describes efforts to bring the Navy Museum to the Southwest Waterfront, although the Navy itself isn't on board yet. Back in January, Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells voiced his support for the move in a letter to Navy Admiral Gary Roughead.

- Over on DCMud, there's a post about the continued space needs of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even though their headquarters is being moved to St. Elizabeths in SE. The U.S. Coast Guard, which currently resides in Buzzard Point, will be one of the first agencies to make the move to St. Elizabeths, as their new headquarters is currently under construction. According to the DCMud post, the GSA will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for 1.1 million square feet of space to suit the needs of DHS. Constitution Center has 1.2 million square feet of empty space in a highly secure environment, so that complex is an obvious candidate for the RFP, but the space needs don't necessarily have to be filled in one building.

Streetcar Investment May Spur Development in Buzzard Point

Last week, DDOT began holding meetings in each of the eight wards to explain their plans for the return of streetcars to DC. The proposed 37-mile streetcar network will include eight lines and will be built in three phases during the next 7-10 years. One of the lines is already under construction in Anacostia (the blue line on the map, from DDOT's website), and will terminate on 1st Street in Buzzard Point. Once all three phases are built, there will be two lines that run through Southwest and terminate in Buzzard Point. The second streetcar line (the orange line on the map) will run along M Street and go north on 7th Street towards downtown. Currently, Buzzard Point is a no-man's land of sorts, with industrial operations, a few office buildings, including the current headquarters of the U.S. Coast Guard (although they are moving to the East Campus of St. Elizabeth's), a couple marinas, and Fort McNair. Buzzard Point is a part of the Capitol Riverfront BID, which also covers most of Near Southeast. While there has been substantial development on the Southeast side of the BID, nothing has happened yet in Buzzard Point. Akridge has plans to develop a secure office campus at 100 V Street (the same site was rumored a few months ago as a possible site for D.C. United), but no tenants have been found yet. A few years ago during the height of the housing market bubble, Walnut Street Development had plans to build a condominium project in the area, but those plans were scuttled. With an investment as substantial as a streetcar network coming to Buzzard Point, the Southwest part of the Capitol Riverfront BID may soon start to see some development activity, or it may just be a convenient place to build a maintenance facility. DDOT officials tout the amount of private investment that Portland's streetcar system brought to neighborhoods along its route, so they are banking on a similar effect here in the District. We shall see...

Coast Guard HQ to Move to SE

GlobeSt.com reports that the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters, currently located at 2100 2nd Street in Buzzard Point, will be moving to the West Campus of St. Elizabeth's in Southeast sooner rather than later, thanks to $162 million in stimulus money. The Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, which wants to consolidate its operations at St. Elizabeth's. A $435 million contract was recently awarded to Clark Construction and HOK to build phase one of the new headquarters, which should get underway later this year and be complete by 2013. However, late in 2008, the GSA signed a 10-year lease renewal at the Coast Guard's current headquarters building, which is owned by Monday Properties. What will happen to the current building once the Coast Guard leaves? 2100 2nd Street was originally built in 1973 and renovated as recently as 2004. It abuts the James Creek Marina and is near Akridge's 100 V Street site. Perhaps by 2013, there may be some activity at 100 V Street, which could influence Monday Properties' plans for 2100 2nd Street.