As expected, Hoffman Madison Waterfront submitted a stage two Planned Unit Development (PUD) application in May for the third phase of development at District Wharf and details are now available. Back in March, representatives from the development team indicated that they would be submitting an application for Parcels 6 – 10, as well as three water buildings, parks and piers. One major change from what was approved during the stage one PUD process for the entire project is the addition of hotel use to Parcel 8. Originally, only residential and office uses were approved for the parcel, either with ground floor retail. Below is a description of each of the parcels and public spaces in the final phase of development.
Parcel 6 & 7
These parcels are located to the east of 7th Street Park and will contain an approximately 539,000 SF office building, including about 34,000 SF of ground floor retail. The building was designed by SHoP Architects and will rise 10 stories to a height of 130 feet. As designed, the building will be contemporary in style with two glass towers connected by a “belt-level” on the second floor. The second level will contain office space as well as a large oval opening called the Oculus. On the ground level, there will be a north-south pedestrian connection between Maine Avenue and Wharf Street. In addition, an east-west service corridor will provide loading access for the building and allow for ground floor retail on all four sides of each office tower and along the service and pedestrian corridors. Two winter gardens will be incorporated into the design – one on the northwest corner facing 7th Street Park and the other on the south side facing Wharf Street.
Parcel 8
ODA has designed the Parcel 8 building, which will include about 26,000 SF of ground floor retail, 79,000 SF dedicated for a 116-key hotel, and 266,000 SF for a residential building with 235 units (115 will be market-rate units). The remaining 120 units will be reserved at different levels of affordability, including 30% of Area Median Income (AMI), 60% of AMI, and workforce housing. Parcel 8 is designed in a U shape with the open portion of the building facing the Washington Channel. On the north and east “bars” of the building, residential uses will be built, while the hotel will occupy the west “bar.” The east “bar” will be set back at each floor to provide terraces for residents while the west “bar” will do the opposite so each successive floor will cantilever over the lower floor. A covered alley will run in the middle of the building on the first floor, allowing pedestrian and vehicular access, as well as providing for retail entrances on four sides of the building. The design of the building will allow for a large landscaped courtyard facing Wharf Street and the Washington Channel, containing a pool and other amenities for the residential building. The hotel and residential lobbies will be accessed from Wharf Street and will be located on the ground level.
Parcel 9
Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, Parcel 9 will contain an 82-unit condominium building with about 16,000 SF of ground floor retail. All of the units in the condo building will be market-rate. Its positioning gives the building great visibility for travelers coming west on M Street and due to its proposed height of 130 feet, it will be the tallest building on the east side of District Wharf so boat passengers will see it as they travel north on the Washington Channel. The building is also next to M Street Landing, one of the larger planned open spaces in the Southwest Waterfront redevelopment. There is a curve to the building, which complements the design of Arena Stage located just to the north.
Parcel 10
Parcel 10 steps down in height from the other parcels in this phase to 60 feet. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the building is planned as an office building with about 60,100 SF of space and 16,200 SF of ground floor retail. Seat steps will be built onto the podium of the building to allow for views down Wharf Street.
Water Buildings
In addition to the five parcels, there are three water buildings planned for a variety of uses. Water Building 1 will be located adjacent to Parcels 6/7 with a maximum height of 34 feet containing 11,900 SF of space dedicated to retail and maritime uses.
Water Building 2 will be located on the Wharf promenade next to Parcel 9. It too will be two stories tall with a maximum height of 34 feet. Retail/service uses will be located on both floors of the building, but terraces will be incorporated on the second floor to afford views of the Washington Channel and District Wharf.
Meanwhile, Water Building 3 is located to the east of Parcel 10. This building will be slightly taller than the others at 38 feet and will contain about 5,000 SF for use by the live-aboards at Gangplank Marina.
Interspersed throughout the promenade in the final phase of development are kiosks. From the PUD application:
These outdoor kiosk structures are intended to serve as incubator spaces for small local businesses to try out their retail concepts on a low-risk basis. If successful, the kiosk operators will have an opportunity to move indoors, into one of the spaces reserved throughout of the redevelopment project for unique and local business enterprises.
New marina docks will be constructed for the live-aboards at the Gangplank Marina. Other open spaces planned include M Street Landing, The Grove, The Terrace, and The Mews. If approved by the Zoning Commission, construction on the last phase of development at District Wharf could start in 2018. Meanwhile, the first phase of development is scheduled to open starting in October and the smaller second phase (including improvements to the Municipal Fish Market and Parcel 1 will be completed by next spring.
