SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, D.C.

A Strategy for Revitalizi ng Waterside Mall and the Waterfront

ULl-the Urban Land Institute March 2-6 l99B

ULl-the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N W Suite 500 West Washington D C 20007-J201 ABOUT ULI-THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE

f f lt-the Urban Land tnstitute sionais represented include de- \-, rs a nonprofit research and velopers bu jlders prcperty ow,n- educatron organ ization that pro- ers investors architects, public motes respcnsrble leadershrp in officrals planners, real estate the use of land rn order to enhance brokers, aifprarsers attorne\/s, the environment engineers f ina ncrers, academ i- The Institute maintains a cians students and librarians rnern bersh i p representi ng a U Ll relies hear,,il), on the experi- broad spectrum cf interests and ence of its rnernbers It is through sponsors a r,vide varietv of educa- nrember involvement and rnfor- tional programs and forums to rnation resources that U Ll has encourage an open exchange of been able to set standards of ex- rdeas and sharing of experience cellence in dev'elopment practice uLl initrates research that antici- The lnstitute has long been rec- pates emerging land use trends ogn ized as one of America's most and issues and proposes creative respected and widely quoted solutions based cn thrs research; sc)urces of obtective information provides adviso15, services; and on urban planning growth, and a ivide variety mate- \-1\-\Cr\rurrrcllt.,-J^*,^i^^,_^ ltublishes of I riaI s to disseminate informatior-r This Advisory, Servrces panel on land use and development report is intended to further the Established in 1936 the In- objectives of the lnstitute and to stitute today has some 13 000 nrake authoritative information rnernbers and associates from 50 generaiiy available to those seek- countries representrng the entire 1ng knowledge rn the field of urban speclrunn of the land use and de- Iand use velopment drsciplrnes Profes- Richard M. Rosan President

.OIc)98 bi lJL-l-the Urban Lanci Institr-itc. ii)25 Thcmas lefferstrlr Street N \\1 Sirif e 5Otl \\''est

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r)r an\ co[)\'- ABOUT ULI ADVISORY SERVICES

r|he goal of ULI's Advisory Ser- includes an in-depth briefing day ULI PROJECT STAFF I vices Program is to bring the composed of a tour of the site and finest expertise in the real estate meetings with sponsor representa- Marta Goldsmith field to bear on complex land use tives; a day and a half of hour-long Vice President Land Policy planning and development pro- interviews of typically 80 to 100 key Use jects, programs, and policies people within the community; and Adrienne Teleki Since 1947 , this program has as- a day and a half of formulating rec- sembled well over 200 ULI-mem- ommendations Many long nights Director ber teams to help sponsors find of discussion precede the panel's Advisory Services creative, practical solutions for conclusions On the final day on such issues as downtown rede- site, the panel makes an oral pre- Adrienne Sch mitz velopment, land management sentation of its findings and con- Senior Associate strategies, evaluation of develop- clusions to the sponsor At the Policy and Practice ment potential, growth manage- request of the sponsor, a written ment, commun ity revi talization, report is prepared and published Iennifer LeFurgy brownfields redevelopment, mili- Because the sponsoring enti- Associate tary base reuse, provision of low- ties are responsible for significant Land Use Policy cost and affordable housing, and preparation prior to the panel's asset management strategies, visit, including sending extensive Nancy Stewart among others A wide variety of briefing materials to each member Director, Book Program public, private, and nonprofit or- and arranging for the panel to meet ganizations have contracted for with key local community mem- Ann Lenney Manuscrrpt Editor U LI's advisory services. bers and stakeholders in the proj- Each panel team is composed ect under consideration, panel of highly qualified professionals members on ULI's five-day panel Betsy Van Buskirk who volunteer their time to ULI assignments can provide accurate Art Director They are chosen for their knowl- assessments of a sponsor's issues N anez edge relative to the topic of the and make recommendations in a Joanne panel and screened to ensure compressed amount of time. Layout their objectivity ULI panel teams A key strength of the program are interdisciplinary Teams typi- is ULI's unique ability to draw upon Kim Rusch cally include several developers, the knowiedge and expertise of its Graph ics a landscape architect, a planner, members, including land develop- a market analyst, a financial ex- ers and owners, public officials, Diann Stanley-Austin pert, and others with niche exper- academics, representatives of fi- Associate Director for Publishing tise needed to address the proi- nancial institutions, and others Operations ect ULI teams provide a holistic In fulfillment of the mrssion of look at development problems the Urban Land Institute, this Ad- Each panel is chaired by a re- visory Services report is intended spected ULI member who has to provide oblective advice that previous panel experience promotes the responsible use of The agenda for a five-day land in order to enhance our en- panel assignment is intensive. It viron m ent ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Panel Chair W au ne Ratkovich D oth individually and on behalf u,ith Conq ressu,o man Eleano r t'-rof the Urban Land Institute, Holntes Norfon. the panel members and staff wish to thank all of the members and leaders of the Southwest Neigh- borhood Assembly TSWNA) for the invitation to participate in their considerable efforts to develop a revitalization strategy for the South- west community The SWNA; its president, Dr. Marc WeiSS; ond the chair of SWNAs Waterfront Task Force, Margaret Feldman, are to be

congratu lated on t h eir colossa I achievement in assembling the funding and broad-based public support for this effort Panel members and staff appreciate the efforts of all who gave brief ings and worked tirelessly to provide briefing materials The panel also appreciates the extraord inary hospitality extended by the com- of the District of Columbia Council opment; ond Councilmember munity during the study process on Econom ic Development, gave lack Evans-and to the federal The panel expresses its grat- her full support to the panel, pro- government, most notably the itude to the politrcal leaders who viding interview space and con- Environmental Protection Agency supported the panel and to the tributing her time and expertise and the General Services Admin- community Congresswoman The panel is also indebted rstration, for their cooperation Eleanor Holmes Norton offered to the government of the District and support her complete endorsement to the of Columbia-especially to Dr In addition, the panel wishes goals and obiectives of the South- Camille Cates Barnett, chief man- to thank the many other contrib- west com m u n ity Dr Charlene agement offiCer; Richard Monteilh, utors without whom this effort Drew Jarvis, both in her capacity director of the Department of would not have been possible: as president of Southeastern Uni- Housing and Community Devel- versity and in her role as chairman COSPONSORS CONTRIBUTORS Dr Marra Miller Roger Moffatt Advisory Neighborhood Neal and Barbara Peirce Bresler & Reiner (Town Center Comm ission Mary Pett

(ANC 2-D ) Management ) Phillips' Flagship Restaurant Channel Inn Hotel Mims C Aitman Robert Pitts Colon ial Parking Atlantic Builders Hardware Davelene and Beniamin Renshaw Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Corporation Rodney Ross Mercedes N orton Richard Beene & Jean Rostron CVS/Pharmacy Sandoval-Beene St Augustine's Episcopal Church D C Department of Housing and Amy Billingsley Sandy Schwartz Community Development Harrell Bosley, Sr. Catherine D Scott D C Housing Authority Anthony G Bowman Margaret Smith Harbour Square Cooperative Edgewater Condominium Dea n Stroh meyer HRH lnsurance Ioseph O Curtis Edward C Sylvester Le Rivage Restaurant Barba ra and David Ehrlich H Ralph Taylor Metro (Washington Metropolitan Loretta and lim Fulton Management Four Transit Authority) Ian Cilbert Robert Tredway NationsBank Glass Contractors lnc. Triangle Sheet Metal Odyssey Cruises Sh i rley H arrington-Watson Dr Marc A Weiss Portals Development Associates Lorraine Hashian Toni Ann Wilson River Park Mutual Honres Audrey Hatry Riverside Condominium William A Hinkley And finally, the panel is grate- Safeway Stores Hogate's Seafood Restaurant ful to the more than 100 residents Senate Dry Cleaners Susie H Humpreys anC business and community lead- Southeastern U n iversity Beverly Iackson ers of the Southwest neighborhood Southwest Neighborhood Ouelina Jordan r,vho took the time to come and Assembly (SWNA) Vaike Kulvet share their thoughts with the panel Spirit Cruises Colonel Myron Lewis, Jr. during the interview process Tiber lsland Cooperative Loew's L'Enfant Plaza Hotel Town Square Towers Marjohn Creative Design U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U S. General Services Administration (GSA) Service lndustries Ward 2 Councilmember Iack Evans Washington Waterfront Associat ion W.E. Bolvers lnc CONTENTS

PANEL MEMBERS AND STAFF 7

FOREWORD: THE PANEL,S ASSIGNMENT B

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 14

MARKET POTENTIAL 1B

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY 28

DESIGN AND PLANNING 37

PLAN IMPLEMENTATION 4B

CONCLUSION 54

ABOUT THE PANEL 56 PANEL MEMBERS AND STAFF

PANEL CHAIR Paul Ostergaard PROIECT DTRECTOR

Principa I Wayne Ratkovich U DA itects Adrienne Teleki Pres ident Director Pittsbu rgh , Pen n sylva n ia The Ratkovich Company Advisory Services Los Angeles, California Lawrence H. Parks Senior Vice President REPORT EDITOR PANEL MEMBERS Federal Home Loan Bank San Francisco, California Adrienne Schmitz Charles S Ackerman Sen ior Associate President/Chairman of the Board Steven E Spickard Policy and Practice Ackerman & Company Senior Vice President Atlanta, Georgia Economics Research Associates ON-SITE COORDINATOR San Francisco, Californ ia John H Alschuler, Jr lennifer LeFurgy President Deborah L Younger Policy Associate Hamilton, Rabinovitz t Adm in istrator Alschuler, Inc Neighborhood Devel opment New York, New York Services Department of Trade and Willram Anderson Barnes Development Prin cipa I Columbus, Ch io Barnes & Company

fr, San Francisco, California {} Marc Weiss (center), SWNA :' ,', president, ynembers w.,l +,1; leads panel ' .,.1,

Bruce M Hoch and local representatives on 01

Prin cipa I W::"*,"*'.'* tour of the studq area. Development Concepts Group West Orange, New Jersey

R McDuffie (Mac) Nichols Senior Program Manager National Main Street Center National Trust for Historic Preservation Washington, D.C FOREWORD: THE PANEUS ASSIGNMENT i,,*+;n

The Southwest neighborhood, The Southwest community ties exist to expand the commer- -1 located in the smallest quad- recognizes that its stability is being cial base of the community and rant of the District of Columbia, threatened by the impending re- to improve recreational opportu- is a largely residential section of location of the 4,)00 employees nities for residents the city with a unique character cf the U S Environmental Protec- The neighborhood is losing The neighborhood was complete- tion Agency from Waterside Mall, population, partly as the result of ly redeveloped during the 1960s the neighborhood's only large com- its aging demographics And the and therefore has a different look mercial concentration. Waterside Washington Navy Yard, a military

and feel from the rest of the city, Mall rs a complex that includes 1 facility located just to the east of which has evolved slowly over time million square feet of office space the neighborhood, is beginning The area has an almost suburban and 17J,000 square feet of an expansion, adding more than character, with culs-de-sac, large space The mall houses the major 4,000 workers and offering the open areas, and buildings in land- n eighborh ood-servi ng bu sinesses potential for increased demand scaped park settings Southwest in Southwest, which provide the for goods and services from South- has trvo locational advantages community with many of its day- west businesses To explore all of First, it is within a short walk of to-day needs Neighborhood resi- these issues and opportu n rties, the , the U S Capitol, dents fear that these businesses the Southwest Neighborhood As- and the concentration of down- cannot survive without the sup- sembly (SWNA) requested ULI to town federal office buildings And port of the office population And convene an advisory panel. second, it fronts on one of only two it is clear to community leaders As the 5 Oth a n n iversa ry of developed waterfronts in the city that there is no apparent replace- Southwest's urban renewal ap' The neighborhood is the ment tenant for this I million- proaches, the perspective of time most economically and racially square-foot office complex The and the evolution of new under- integrated in the city and is home community understands that it is standings about urban communi- to members of Congress, along essential to take preventive ac- ty development offer the unique with families living in public hous- tion to stem the decline that opportunity to correct past mis' ing Southwest is viewed as an could occur as a result of EPAs takes and to strengthen the eco- extremely stable and desirable exod u s nomic health and social stability community, with 30-year resi- There are other issues as well. of the neighborhood The changes dents not uncommon and with The commun ity realizes that its the neighborhood is currently un- many citizens residing in the waterfront is an underused re- dergoing are bringing the prospect neighborhood for generations source with a great potential for both for exciting new opportunity f u rther development Possibili- and for a sign if icant risk of urban decav. Wlirclt lRor,t,, WHs/rinqtttn -,

rr[1t':;i lr/oi i1 ir/ r'tru.il1)[f _r,'-.. I'triil ut l7q j is ct t'L'mtrltir'r' iif Scrrr ilitya,gtt s lonct ltislirrui

,,,,,i,'/#iM *w,i,llwa wlEi##,tffi Wq' rcsry na, w: {.b ffiffi[@. ffiM w# ffi #&FXAW..|: ffi ffi# ffiffi W+*a+ COMMUNITY HISTORY AND Wk'km W ,# 'ffi WF W:: BACKGROUND \&" '#ffi 'i.',: ,,.,, ,r.::M;w 'Jr# .ffiW Located in the southwestern ffi:ffiffiW quadrant :il:W of Washington, D C , t_w, w;ffi w,. ffi t#l4w&"t?w+' ,,ffi today's Southwest waterfront &+*t**wmad Wffi M community is a product of the federal urban renewal program of the 1950s and 1960s But South- west has a long and rich history that dates back to the early set- tlement of the nation's Southwest, which was first set- tled in the late I 7th century, was included \ in the original city de- \ sign by Pierre L'Enfant Wheat \ Row, still housrng residents of t Southwest today, was built in 1793 and is known as Washing- ton's oldest standing block of rowhouses Fort McNair, one cf the nation's oldest military posts, was onginally established as a fort in 1794 Much of Southwest's development was oriented to- ward the , with wharves for freight shipping, pas- senger boats, and ferries By 1B 15, the had been built, cutting the neighborhood off from the rest of the city Because of this early iso- lation, Southwest became a less fashionable place to live and was soon home to a diverse popula- tion of low-income newcomers with ties to the waterfront From the mid- I B00s through the turn of the century,this community Some historians and resrdents spillover, crowded slum condi- offered shelter for freed slaves, as consider the yea rs between I 89 5 tions, and increasing poverty di- well as for European immigrants and 1930 to have been Southwesl's minishing the desirability of For decades, African Americans, "golden years " In 1905, the popu- Southwest once again In the 1940s Italian immigrants, Eastern Euro- lation peaked at abouI7J,000, and and the earl5' 1950s, before urban pean Jews, and others lived and the comm un ity included a rich di- renewal the neighborhood was worked side by side in this poor versity of residents and hcusrng perceived as a slum ln fact, many but thriving neighborhood, rich types, cultural institutions and sections of the cornmunrty were in cultural traditions and with businesses By 1920, conditions blighted by unsafe and unhealthy strong community ties had declined with comrnercial living conditions Jhou,n in | 93l, So Lr thu,esl u,as home to a thriv'in91 sltip- ptinq industrq

In the era of urban renewal, the standard redevelopment prac- tice was to begin with a clean slate All existing features-the historic homes and churches, thriving busi- nesses, and gathering places that fostered the rich social life of the commun ity-were scraped off, then replaced with wide new streets, superblocks of modern structures, and broad open spaces. Businesses residents and com- ,t" ,r,lti$'l munity landmarks and anchors were relocated or elim inated. The planners of the 1950s ln i95B , ntanA restaurants and 1960s subscribed to a new and other businesses lined paradigm for cities: towers in the watert'ront park settings and the abandon- ment of traditional urban forms Conventional patterns of public open space-created by build- ings lin ing streets-were broken apart and the street grid frac- tured The objective was to sepa- rate the pedestrian from the au- tomobile and the automobile from public open space. As a re- sult, access has been limited for residents and visitors, and much of Southwest has been cut off from its greatest resource, the waterfront Despite the errors of urban Dernolition in 1966 siqnaled renewal, the Southwest commu- the era of urban renewal t'or nity has many positive attributes Southwest. Many people in the neighborhood have worked to maintain a cohe- sive community, one that is tak- ing preventrve action now, before maior deterioration sets in Today, the neighborhood is one of the Washington region's most success- ful in terms of economic and racial diversity The Southwest Neighbor- hood Assembly was the first racial- lv integrated civic association in the nation's capital, formed by uniting separate black and white com m un ity organ izations.

l0 T l,te u, ate rt'ro nt p ro me nade totlatl lnrlrs thc critical mass of com ntercial develop ment needed to dra11, pedestrian ac- tivitq The panel recommands

c |uste ri tlq c nte rtai n m e nl - oriented retail at the northern WATERSIDE MALL AND OFFICE end ot' the waterfront, w,hile rna,intaininq residential TOWERS the chAracter ol the southern end The office towers and retail mall that form the commercial center of the community were built in the early 1970s by Bresler & Reiner on land leased until 2058 from the D C Redevelop- ment Land Agency The project includes over I million square feet of off ice and retail space In 1997, Southwest's popula- THE STUDY AREA Waterside Mall is the malor retail facility serving the community tion was estimated at 12,4BB, a panel's providing decline of B 5 percent from the The assignment was the only supermarket, potential rede- bank, essen- I 990 census The popu lation is to evaluate the for drugstore, and other 62 percent black and 30 percent veloping Waterside Mall and the tial commercial services white, with the remainder com- waterfront In addition, the panel The office component con- plus posed of Hispanic, Asian, and addressed some overall communi- sists of two l2-story towers other minorities Median house- ty issues, such as street realign- the second and third levels of the hold income varies widely by ments and housing initiatives All ma11 structure The entire office of the issues were examined in portion has been leased by the census tract, from over S t t i,000 terms of four key focuSe S: Environmental Protection Agency to less than S I 1,000, indicating that pockets of poverty still exist . Market potential and feasibili- since the building first opened within the community ty a na lys is EPA is now vacating the space, The physical environment o Design and planning with no plans by the federal gov- includes urban housing types . Development strategies. ernment or any other entity for ranging from efficiency apart- . Implementation. re-leasing it ments to luxury townhomes and penthouses The ma jority of Waftrsidp Mall and its ot't'itt these homes are about 30 years touters v)ere a primarq t'ocus old and are generally in good to of the panel Todaq the mail excellent condition There are ap- ls slrur qalina, and tfu officc proximately 900 public housing towers are losinq their sole units in Southwest, all concen- tenant, the U S Enviro14- me ntal P rotectio n Aq encul trated east of Third Street and along Delaware Avenue Com- mercial development consists of two primary sites: Waterside N4all and the waterfront area A no- table community asset is Arena Stage, a regional theater with a national reputation that draws patrons from the entire metro- politan area The neighborhood is also home to Southeastern University, a small but growing institution of higher learning

ll The mall was origrnally in- tended to serve as a regional cen- Soutlu,trcsf s u,ctterfrolrl is ter However, shopping and trans- /trrrrlr' /rr l/lt' F ls/r W/r nrf and portation patterns nun4( rous restau ranf-s Tlrr have resulted in neighborhood-level p a nel r('c () tl,l m e n ds i n c rt: asi n a only sup- pcrt, plus nctiv,ityt ht:rc u,ifli -s mnll-scale support from wcrkers

(. o n1 nl e rc.ial dev, elop m e nt, in the office towers The mall 61lpno w,ith puhlic improvt- now outmoded, has experienced wrct1ts to iuclutlc outtloor serious decline; less than haif of St,r? li t1t,t , lantlscapinq , anttr th e reta il space is n ow leased; h1-strr rit markers and it is expected that, with EPA vacating the off ice towers, the mall will deteriorate further The community fears that it could lose essential businesses and services if erosion of sucoort

continues {#'&w{ The Waterfront Metro station F#ffi is located on the south side of the mall, with the mall effectively ob- waterf ront is home to one small MARKET OPPORTUNITIES structrng access for those coming hotel tthe Channel Inn ), several This team investigated the from north of M Street large restaurants, two tour boats, market potential for Waterside a marin a, and a well-known and Mall and the waterfront, explor- well-supported outdoor Fish SOUTHWEST WATERFRONT ing the best uses for the Water- Wharf These uses generate a cer- side office towers and the econom- The Southwest waterf ront is tain amount of activity, but the ic viability of the retail component one of only two developed rvater- waterfront's full potential has not cf the mall Sectors examined in- fronts in the Distrrct of Columbia been captu red clude office, retail, residential, en- the other being the Washrngton tertainment, hotel, and others. Harbour development in Ceorge- THE PANEL'S APPROACH Several pro formas were prepared toln Southwest's waterf ront ru n s to analyze various scenarios for along the , The panel approached this redeveloping the office towers which is separated from the Po- assrgnrnent by recognizing and The panel also identified types of tomac River by the island cf East seekins solutions to the concerns potential tenants for both the mall Potomac Park lt is generally agreed ur^r d^, u >Ldncr'lolders^i^'.^t in the redevel- and the waterfront and studied that the Southwest waterfront is opment of the community The the direction that any new devel- underdeveloped and underused, panel conducted its work by di- cpment shou ld take-whether with unrealized potential for rn- viding into teams based on ex- the focus should be on drawing vestment and opportunitres for a pertise Team members analyzed tourists to the area or serving better recreationai environment problems in terms of the con- n eighborhood residents for the community Currentl5, the cerns described below

l')IL DESIGN AND PLANNING The Spirit and Odyssey cruise liners launch frorn the The design and planning team Southw,est w aterfro nt, b ring - concentrated on updating Water- ing visitors to the area. Manq rnoored here side Mall to be competitive in pleasure boats are as well The panel recorvtvnends today's retail market and studied increased, approp riatelq scaled strategy whether the appropriate developvnent to create a n'tore for the building might be demoli- vibrant destination tion or a redesign Other design issues related to the Waterfront Metro station and improving its access, safety, and aesthetics. Traffic flow, both pedestrian and vehicular was another issue con- cerning the mall and its possible redesign The design team also focused on reconfiguring the waterfront to encourage investment in this underused resource Ouestions relating to bicycle and pedestrian linkage, parking, traffic, and visi- bility were explored Specific is- sues revolved around the Fish Wharf and how to build upon the activity generated at this land- mark to benefit other businesses along the waterfront Additional design issues in- cluded the realignment of street patterns and pedestrian links in order to physically and psycholog- ically reestabl ish neighborhood connections with the rest of the nation's capital. multiple tasks of redevelopment abutting the neighborhood The Implementation strategies were following days were spent con- DEVELOPMENT STRMEGIES defined, such as aligning com- ducting more than 100 interviews munity residents, property own- with community residents, busi- A development concept for ers, and the various city and fed- ness owners, property owners, both the Waterside Mall and the eral government agencies in the government officials, arts organi- waterfront was outlined by the interest of advancing a common zat\ons, financial institutions, development strategies team. plan; devising an organ izational and other local experts Count- Approaches for strengthening the structure to accomplish the rec- less inquiries were made of con- community were defined These ommendations; ond strategies sultants, real estate agents, con- included recommendations to for generating funds for speciflc tractors, parking operators, and stem declining population, boost plans and boosting the commu- many others. property values, and induce new nity's image. Time frames were Following this data collec- investment in the area Strategies addressed as well tion process, the panel began for capturing market share from The full panel had begun its formulating conclusions and the expanding Navy Yard were work by studying the briefing ma- preparing the oral presentation identif ied terials provided by the sponsor and this written report What fol- Upon arriving in Washington lows are recommended strategies IMPLEMENTATION panel members took an in-dePth for solving specrfic problems, as tour of the study area, including defined by the sponsor, and for The implementation team the waterfront, residential neigh- addressing some related issues addressed the question of which borhoods, the interior of the Wa- that affect the continued vitality agencies and/or orga nizations terside Mall complex, and areas of the neighborhood should be responsible for the

t3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The panel was challenged with efit both the Southwest and the involved parties The panel was -1 developing strategies to pre- surrounding city and region Other, impressed by the leaders of the vent the decline of a stable com- supporting initiatives-for hous- community, who took prompt ac- munity facing the loss of its com- ing, iobs, education, and commu- tion before serious deterioration mercial core. The imminent reloca- nity investment-will improve the could begin Through its activist tion of EPA presents the neighbor- vitality and livability of Southwest leadership, the community will hood with a unique opportunity and will draw new residents to the be able to implement the improve- for uniting toward a common neighborhood ments needed to maintain its liv- goal After several decades The panel has made many rec- ability and to attract new resi- of maintaining a status quo that ommendations in response to the dents Key recommendations are has not necessarily been in the questions posed by the sponsors as follows community's best interests, the These recommendations provide now redevelop a framework for meeting goals chance exists to the SOUTHWEST'S TOWN CENTER Southwest's business core into a of the Southwest neighborhood commu nity-oriented town center, Fine-tuning of the plan is left to In response to the leasing and its waterfront into an appro- the community and to the imple- challenges currently facing the priately scaled commercial enter- menters, to be worked out as spe- retail portion of Waterside Mall, tainment district that would ben- cific details are negotiated with all the panel recommends complete' ly reconfiguring the mall to up- grade and update this facility to Panel vnevnbers to riqhtl lleft today's standards The panel rec- Andq Barnes, Charles ommends a plan that will reintro- Ackerrnan, Iohn Alschuler, grid D eb orah Y oung er, Stev en duce the traditional street to Spickard, and Mac N icftols the neighborhood by reconnect- following interviews, held at ing Fourth Street The central

Southeastern U niversitu . portion of Waterside Mall would be demolished, allowing the street to continue through while splitting the massive, enclosed mall into two, more manageable structures lining both sides of the newly opened Fourth Street

t4 The panel interview,ed more t[tan 100 co n4n4unitq resi- de nts, qove rn me nt officials, a rttl dtvelop rne nl p rafessio nals

trian and vehrcular circulation and would allow for better accessibility to the Waterfront Metro station, which would then be surrounded by an attractive and accessible pedestrian plaza The panel believes that, be- cause of locational factors and the extremely large size of the office towers, there is limited market ap- peal, particularly for attracting a single large tenant, whether a pub- lic agency or private firm Instead While this plan would demol- The new retail town center the panel suggests that several ish approximately 37,000 square would be occupied by both new oirtions be explored, including feet of mall area, it would actually and existing neighborhood-servi ng repositioning the towers for small- result in increased leasable space businesses New retail tenants er office users or upstart high-tech because the remaining buildings mtght include small restaurants businesSes; renovating the prop- would be more efficient and ap- and cafes, a bakery bookstcre, erty for residential use, possibiy propriately configured for retail office supply store bank, cop1, as an assisted living facility for and other neighborhood-sca1e center and additicnal services the aging popu lation; or integrat- tenants The panel estimates that The two upper levels would be rng a mix of multiple uses the enclosed mall can be recon- likelv sites for health services a structed as a new "Main Street"- fitness center do),care, and other oriented retail center with over nonretail sei'vices Splitting the 50 percent more leasable retail mall anC opening up Fourth space than it has now Street would aid in both pedes-

l5 W aterside Mall and the wa- TRANSPORTATION terfront todaLt are houtnded bu1 wide roadu,aqs that dis- The panel recommends a

c a uraq e yt e dest ria n actit,ittl more human-scaled and conve- nient street pattern with more ef- ficient use of land and better-used green space, in the form of public pa rks an d squares It proposes that existing parking be made more convenient and safe, and that additional parking be estab- lished as required for areas near the town center, the waterfront, Arena Stage, and Southeastern University The panel recom- iirt' mends that improved linkages for both pedestrians and auto traffic be created to tie the communtty to the monumental core of the District of Columbia and to facili- tate pedestrian access to the wa- terf ront Specif ic recom mendation s include ferry service to Hains Point in East Potomac Park, water taxis linking the other major wa- terfronts in the region, and shut- tle buses from the Nationai Mall and the Navy Yard to bring visi- tors to the Southwest waterfront. THE WATERFRONT neighborhood con nectivity and Southwest should be promoted activity; at the same time, the to Metro users throughout the re- The Southwest waterfront plan would create a regional gion One way to accomplish this represents an underused oppor- recreational draw The upgraded wculd be by establishing an in- quality tunity for enhanced of waterfront would be character- troductory free pass to the Water- life, expanded employment, and ized by a newly configured front Metro station once initial investment in the community. and marina spaces, the existing community improvements have panel pro- The recommends a Fish Wh arf , and new mixed-use been made gram to create a lively entertain- development, all unified by a de- ment venue by adding I 50,000 sign theme inspired by the origi- HOUSING AND COMMUNITY square feet of new restaurants, nal buildings that existed along DEVELOPMENT specialty retail, and entertain- the waterfront before the urban ment facilities centered on a new renewal of the 1960s The panel recommends that pedestrian-oriented Water Street Because the Fish Wharf is between 9J and 175 new units of district The existing parking areas central to the redevelopment market-rate housing be developed between Maine and Water streets concept, it is essential that a on infill and underused sites, to would be used as new develop- more predictable status be insti- be geared toward young adults It ment sites for small-scale retail tuted for the vendors, many of proposes that a program be de- and other activities with a recre- whom now possess only month- veloped to systematically reduce ational focus. to-month leases No upgrading the operating costs of cooperative The recommended plan for can be expected to occur without and condominium residences in waterfront development is of a a more permanent status estab- Southwest so that these costs are scale and character that are con- lished for these key players more competitive with those of ducive to reinforcing strong comparable housing elsewhere in the region

l6 Panel rnernbers Andq Barnes (eft\ , W aqne Ratkovich, and Lawrence Parks (far right) vneet with Citq Council Chair Charlene Drew larvis.

Renovating public housing also is recommended The least successful public housing devel- opments east of Waterside Mall can be improved without displac- ing any residents, by using Section B certificates to integrate some residents into middle-income Finally, Arena Stage is a vital government funding sources to rental housing. Improvements institution within Southwest The provide f inancial support to ex- can include reducing densities community should work with Arena isting and new businesses for and promoting a mixed-income Stage to ensure its long-term via- maior capital improvements and population Homeownership bility and to maintain its role as other financial needs should be facilitated for those a key activity center in the neigh- Other responsibilities of the public housing residents who borhood SNDC would include devising qualify marketing strategies to promote Neighborhood livability can the desirability of living in South- be enhanced through upgraded PLAN IMPLEMENTATION west to potential residents, and security measures and by improv- To implement the recom- marketing the recreational and ing the public's perception of mended program, the panel envi- economic aspects of the commu- safety This can be accomplished sions the creation of a new, local- nity to businesses and tourists. by using public space safety tech- ly based public corporation, with The SNDC would develop niques such as those perfected in a director to be appointed by the and manage parking facilities, transformed places like Bryant chief management officer of the public parks, and other common Park in New York City More visi- District of Columbia It is recom- areas. ble efforts-patrolling security mended that the organization, Further, the panel recom- services and reenergized commu- referred to in this report as the mends that implementation of nity watch progra re often Southwest Neighborhood Devel- the physical elements of redevel- effective Clean up programs opment Corporation (SNDC), be opment begin within 24 months throughout the community, par- established within 60 days of re- Most of the Southwest com- ticularly in high'use public areas, ceipt of this report The SNDC's munity's redevelopment is ex- could be increased recommended purpose would be pected to be implemented by pri- It is important to maintain to coordinate and lead the revi- vate investors, with federal and high design and architectural talization efforts in Southwest, local funding initiating the public standards throughout the neigh- including the redevelopment of improvements and providing loans borhood for new buildings, graph- Waterside Mall and the water- and other incentives. Recommen- ics, signage, lighting, and street front The key responsibility of dations made by the panel should furniture The panel recommends the SNDC would be to assist in produce a comprehensive devel- that new recreational amenities financing the mall and water- opment program that would at- and a coordinated program of front transformation It would be tract over S tOO million worth of cultural events be established, SNDC's tob to arrange and coor- new investment to Southwest. i ncludi ng neighborhood-based dinate funding sources for these The next four sections of this arts festivals, community celebra- maior efforts The corporation report present in detail the panel's tions, and other special events would also start and manage the findings, conclusions, and recom- that would contribute to the cul- Neighborhood Assistance Fund, mendations for Southwest. tural life and social vitality of the which would coordinate private community. A new community sector and local and national identity and marketing program for the area would add to these coordinated efforts

l7 \ , a

I /

MARKET POTENTIAL

n il any residential real estate I Y lbrokers refer to the South- "best- west neighborhood as the I I kept secret in Washington " The neighborhood enloys the remark- able combination of close prox- imity to the downtown and rela- tively affordable housing South- WAgHINGTON west is within easy walking dis- tance of ma jor employment cen- ters south of the National Mall; it has a Metro station at its center; and it provides ample parking for residents A malor portion of the gourHwEsrwRgHluorox- housing is rn very good condition Yet despite the neighborhood's desirability, residential sales prices VIRGINIA and rents in Southwest are still WAgHINGTON below those of most other neigh- ] xilJ8[?+ '** borhoods within the District of Colu mbia The Southwest neighborhood F7 attracts many people because of its diversity, in both ethnicity and income There are several public housing developments in the neighborhood providing homes for those with low and very low incomes At the same trme, a LOCATION MAP solid middle class resides in the neighborhood, with a scattering years of some very wealthy individuals over the next three from from these workers The Navy Yard northern Historically, Members of the Supreme Court Virginia expansion can serve as a catalyst Navy Yard have and Congress lrve in Southwest employees had for development in the surround- very interaction alongside families on welfare little with the ing area, including office space for surrounding community its Navy's private The Washington Navy Yard, and the contractors and bu sinesses. However, improved located just to the east, currently retail stores and services to meet accessibility and a more attrac- the daily needs more has over 5,000 workers and is of than 9,000 tive mix of commercial establish- wo rke rs . slated to add another 4, 100 em- ments could draw greater ployees, who will be relocated support

IB The redeveloprnent of South- u,esl durinq lhe ]r960s in- cluded sonte innovative and \, / award,-winning desig ns in a housinq This section of the report / discusses the development po- tential that exists today in South- west. The sources of market sup- port for different land uses vary greatly, with strong market po- tential for some uses and little support for others. Markets for these individual land uses are analyzed below , , OFFICE MARKET

1

I During the last 20 years, 4,000 I 5,000 workers I to office have been I based in Southwest, occupying t 9r0,000 square feet of office space 6 A These statistics are misleading, t however, because the entire of- I fice employment base is com- ! / posed of a single user, the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, t and is housed in a single com- plex, Waterside Mall, which was s privately developed for EPA In : spite of this large concentration l of office employment, the South- I west neighborhood has never last year by more than 5,000 iobs Neal Peirce, Southwest resident been viewed by the real estate With job loss subtracted from iob and natio nallq recaq nized community as an attractive loca- creation, employment growth urban writer, briefs the panel tion for office development, and was almost l5 times stronger in in the 26 years since EPA moved northern Virginia than within the into the neighborhood, no other District of Columbia office development (public or pri- In spite of government iob vate) has followed losses in Washington, the market Throughout the Washington for office space in the District has metropolitan area, the regional remained strong Vacancy rates in economy continues in the expan- Class A office space have been sion mode of the last few years hovering around 6 percent in re- More than 55,000 lobs were added cent years in the District (although in the metropolitan region in the they were as low as 2.5 percent in l2 months ending September northern Virginia last year) For all 1997 As shown in Figure 1, the classes of office space, District va- majority of this job growth has cancies have been closer to 9 per- occurred in northern Virginia An- cent in recent years. The growth other maior trend shown in the in demand has come entirely from figure is that the iob growth has the private sector, with the hot been entirely in the private sec- area for private office develop- tor; in the public sector, in fact, ment being the Northwest quad- employment actual ly declined rant of the citv

t9 FIGURE I WASHINGTON AREA EMPLOYMENT GROWTH FOR I2 MONTHS ENDING 9197 Several features of South- west Washington make it a seem- Private Sector: 60,500 ingly attractive location for office Public Sector: -5,400 development As has been dis- Total lob Growth: 55,1 00 cussed, it is very close to other federal office concentrations south of the National Mall, it is 38.6 served by Metrorail and buses, and it enloys excellent automo- 30 bile access from nearby highways and ma jor streets The Washing- ton Navy Yard, one and a half a miles to the east, will be adding E20 approximately 4,1 00 new employ- ees over the next few years, creat' ing the possibility of additional ; office activity Proximity to Capi- -c l0 ll.7 tol Hill could make Southwest at- lo.2 tractive for lobbyists and other advocacy groups. 0.6 1.5 On the other hand, a num- ber of disadvantages diminish the chance of developing addi- tional office space or even reoc-

cupying existing Sp?Ce : o The neighborhood lacks the interiocking combination of Virginia urban businesses that makes for a stimulating and mutually Government Private Sector supportive office environment similar to that now found in Sources: U S Bureau of Labor Statistics and Delta Associates the business districts of North- west Washington o Compared with the office con- tually an adaptive reuse from a o In spite of the relatively short centrations in Northwest Wash- building that was developed distance from Southwest to ington, Southwest is perceived for retail purposes, and its de- the federal government office to be a high-crime neighbor- sign is suboptimal for office concentration tust south of hood te n a nts. the National Mall, Southwest o The single existing office com- o Much of the existing office is separated from these other plex in Southwest has been space lies directly above an federal buildings by the l-39, continuously operated for more underground public parking freeway and by railroad tracks, than 25 years and is in need of garage Because of the security with a lack of convenient cross- substantial rehabilitation be- concerns that have developed ings and a resulting perception fore it can be re-leased in recent years, federal govern- that the distances are greater o Much of the existing office ment office tenants-and many than thev actuallv are space in Waterside Mall is ac- private ones-refuse to occupy space over a garage.

20 After reviewing all of its in- office space, even with the pro- tween the private, predominately formation on the office market, posed upgrading of neighborhood middle-class residential complex- the ULI panel has concluded that amenities Other kinds of smaller es and the public housing devel- it is highly unlikely that the South- office users may possibly be found cpments The vast ma jority of res- west neighborhood will emerge idents in census tracts dominated public as a viable location for large-scale RESIDENTIAL MARKET by housing are African private office users in the foresee- American They are mostly very able future For a public sector Southwest is among the old- low-income families Residents office user, substantial upgrading est neighborhoods in Washington of the census tracts in the west- of the existing office complex (as- Traditionally, it was a port of entry ern part of the neighborhood are bestos removal, rewiring for high- for immigrants and free African predomi nately m iddle-income, technology telecom m u n ications, Americans moving north But have much higher educational at- installing "green" environmental urban renewal radically changed tainment, and include almost systems, etc.)would be necessary the built form of the neighbor- equal numbers of whites and to qualify this space for consider- hood and in the process relocat- African Americans. ation by another large tenant. Even ed and dislocated large numbers In 1997, Southwest's popula- these changes are unlikely to en- of people This disruption to the tion was estimated at approxi- able the building to compete with community, which took place dur- mately 1 2 , 500 Rough ly 7,000 other locations for large public ing the 1950s and 1960s, is still (56 percent) were in the predomi- sector users There will also have resented by many people today nately middle-income census to be a concomitant redevelop- However, a vital community con- tracts, and 5, t00 (44 percent ) ment and expansion of commer- tinues to thrive in Southwest lived in the census tracts domi- cial amenities in the neighbor- A primary attraction of the nated by public housing Popula- hood, providing the kinds of urban Southwest neighborhood is its tion has declined srgnificantly personal services and convenience racial integration Several of its since the 1990 census The popu- retail facilities expected in a mod- census tracts are the most highly lation in the public housing areas ern office environment, in order integrated in the Washington met- has remained relatively constant to capture new smaller-scale of- ropolitan area The neighborhood over this time period, but the fice users is also stable, with many residents middle-income areas have lost Further, recognizing that gov- living in Southwest for 20 or 30 more than 1,200 people over the ernment employment is declining years. It is not uncommon for same seven years, for a total pop- in the District, the panel believes families to be in their second or ulation loss of approximately lJ that it is unlikely that a public sec- third generation of Southwest percent. tor tenant will step forward in the residency. Much of the decline in South- next few years to reoccupy Water- There exist, however, differ- west's population is attributable side Mall's 950,000 square feet of ences in racial composition be- to decreasing household sizes One byproduct of the neighbor- hood's stability has been an in- Cuiet, tree-lined streets crease in the average age, as tUpifa Southwest's residen- many residents are getting older tial neighborhoods. Since 1990, more children have grown up and moved out of the neighborhood, leaving empty nesters in place At the same time, families with young chil- dren have moved to the suburbs to avoid urban school problems and have been replaced by child- less couples and one-person h ouseholds

21 :'-:,: ,-.:'::r: ,.t...:,il.:i1ii,:,,,ljri I 1,r:, i',, ., . , l;1,l^i i sire to stay with in th is interesting neighborhood, there may also be Mosl of Soulhu'est's housinq an ernerging market for a range of stock is over 30 qears old, but housrng-product types for seniors, in good condition including assisted living facilities

RETAIL MARKET

There are only two signifi- cant concentrations of retail uses within the Southwest neighbor- hood: Watersrde Mall and the wa- terfront There are a few smaller retail establishments, including a m u ltitenant development along In the census tracts domi- Overall home purchase and a few nated by private middle-income prices in Southwest are relatively other small businesses scattered housing, a variety of housing types lorv for the District of Columbia around the neighborhood Water- exist There are a few traditional Combin ed with the other attrac- side Mall and the waterfront have rowhouses dating back as far as trve features of the neighborhood, very different sources of market the 1790s However, the maiority this factor has kept housing de- support and thus are discussed of housing has been built since mand at a healthy level Home separately below There are four potentiai urban renewal, dunng the I 960s sale prices are currently rising and 1970s, rncluding traditional slightly, and the number of sales sources of demand for retail de- townhouse units for sale condo- is increasing Many homes sell velopment within the Southwest neighborh ood minium , and a few on their first showing,and very ' . Residents of the neighborhood cooperative townhouses. Other few are on the market for more o housing is in h igh-nse (eight- to than 30 days Employees working within the ten-story) rental apartments, con- Based on a review of the neigh borh ood dominiums, and cooperatives housing market, the panel con- . Residents and employees from Prices of for-sale housing are quot- cludes that the development po- elsewhere in the metropolitan ed by real estate agents at about tential in Southwest is good for region. o Tourists and visitors S 100 per square foot for fee-sim- competitively priced, market-rate other to ple and condorninium products townhouses and condominrums Wash ington Townhomes in the area typically Grven the aging of Southwest's sell for S200,000 to S250 000, an population and the residents'de- excellent va lu e for Wash inston

22 Waterside Mall cuts off Fourth Street, irnpeding both pedestrian and vehicular traf- fic The panel recornrnends reconfigwring the rnall, de- rnolishing its central portion, to allow for the reopening of WATERSIDE MALL TODAY Fourth Street The retail portion of Water- side Mall today captures signifi- cant market support from the res- idents of Southwest, as well as the employees of EPA, who work in office space within the same complex Waterside Mall attracts almost no business from people working and living elsewhere in the metropolitan region or from These businesses are all doing The conclusion to be drawn the tourism market. well at this time, but other estab- from these investigations is that Waterside Mall contains ap- lishments within the mall are there is indeed significant and re- proximately 17r,000 square feet struggling The Roy Rogers fast- liable support for a neighborhood of leasable retail space, of which food outlet has recently closed retail concentration in Southwest. only 50 percent is currently leased The most immediately pressing Even if EPA leaves without re- It was originally designed to in- threat to Waterside Mall and its placement by another major of- clude significant retail space on retail tenants, of course, is the fice tenant, a viable and attrac- the second floor as well as the planned relocation of EPA One tive retail concentration can be ground level When the larger re- thousand EPA employees have supported by the community, if tail concept proved to be unsup- already been relocated, and a no- access can be improved. Some portable, however, the second ticeable drop in business within estimates for the appropriate size floor was converted into office the mall has already occurred of such a concentration, with sug- space for EPA Over the last 25 Extensive interviews with in gestions for a good mix of tenant years, a number of retail business- the community revealed a num- types, are presented under the es have attempted to succeed in ber of interesting shopping pat- next heading Waterside Mall Those remaining terns among local residents. today include several very healthy While many residents of South- SWNA Waterfront Task businesses, although much of the west use Waterside Mall for con- Force Chair Marqaret Feld- leasable retail space in the mall venience purchases, a significant rnan addresses the panel remains vacant. number report that they drive out The largest retail tenant in of the community for maior gro- Waterside Mall, and the undis- cery purchases and other shop- puted anchor for the shopping ping trips Reasons for not pa- center, is a 32,500-square-foot tronizing Waterside Mall include Safeway grocery store. The store an unwillingness to park in the en joys a healthy sales volume, underground garage, which charges and Safeway is currently invest- a fee and is seen as confusing and ing S2 B million to remodel and unsafe; a lack of specific retail busi- expand the store. Safeway caters nesses and services for resident both to the on-site EPA employees needs; ahd the generally run-down and to neighborhood residents and unattractive appearance of ln addition to Safeway, Water- the retail environment Interest- side Mall contains a CVS pharmacy, ingly, most Southwest residents a Chinese restaurant, a dry clean- report that prices and quality of er, a video rental shop, and sever- merchandise are good at Water- al other small establishments side Mall

27 IDENTIFICATION AND OUANTIFICATION OF MAIN FIGURE 2 STREET TENANTS FOR CURRENT WATERSIDE MALL TENANTS WATERSIDE MALL TYPE OF TENANT SOUARE FEET The urban design program Banking and Financial Services 5,680 detailed in the Design and Plan- Restaurants 3,21, ning section of this report recom- mends that Waterside Mall be re- I ,426 configured to create a "Main 6,579 Street" retail center to serve the | ,452 local community. The purposes 12 ,67 2 of identifying and quantifying Grocery and Other Food 35 ,019 "Main Street"-type tenants are: Drug, Variety 13 ,713 to provide analysis to assist in Clothing and Clothing Services meeting the shopping and ser- (dry cleaners, alterations) 8,248 vice needs of the Southwest com- Electronics, Video 2,907 munity; to establish a tenant mix Books, Records, Cards 5,275 that is synergistic and economical- Hair, Nails | ,693 ly viable; oild to provide a shop- Liquor 2 ,591 ping experience that will enhance Accessories 275 the social and cultural fabric of the neighborhood Total BB,O73

Waterside Mall is composed FIGURE 3 of 17),000 square feet of leasable ILLUSTRATTVE TENANTS FOR RENOVATED WATERSIDE MALL retail space. Currently, only BB ,073 square feet of space is leased, for TYPE OF TENANT SOUARE FEET a vacancy rate of 50 percent The Merchandise uses in the occupied space are broken down in Figure 2 Grocery 4 5 ,000 The current demographics of Hardware 5,000 Southwest indicate an economi- General Store 5,000 cally and ethnically diverse com- Restaurants and Cafes 8,000 munity with a sound financial Bakery 500 base that could support a proper- Electronics, Video 5,000 ly designed and tenanted retail Office Supplies 2,500 center with appropriate social Books, Records 8,000 and recreational spaces. The Cleaners 2,000 neigh borhood's demograph ics Salon, Nails, Accessories 4,000 are more than adequate to sup- port a neighborhood Shoes 2,000 shopping center of 80,000 to I 30,000 Dresses 5,000 square feet. Other Retail I 07,000 5,000 Southwest's per capita in- Services come in 1997 was S2l ,r23, a 23 Copy Center 5,000 percent increase from 1990 The Banks and Financial Services 8,000 per capita income varies from Optician 1,000 54,075 in census tract 60.2, with a Health Services 3,000 population of 830, to $q+,98i per Other Services 3,500 20,500 capita in census tract 62.1, with a Total 127 ,500 population of 65 The largest cen- sus tract , 63. l, with a population of 3 ,257, had a solid per capita income of S+2,3 10, an increase of 26 2 percent from 1990

24 Wide streets and surface park- ing lots block watefront access and views. WATERFRONT RETAIL/RESTAURANT

The sources of market sup- pcrt for the waterfront are almost the inverse of those for Waterside Mall Patrons of the waterfront include people f rom throughout the metropolitan region and visi- tors from around the world There is also some patronage of the wa- terfront businesses from nearby employment concentrations, es- pecially at lunchtime Interesting- ly, the waterfront businesses at- tract a f airly small portion of their customers from the Southwest neighborhood residents The business mix on the wa- terfront is very different from that at Waterside Mall The waterfront includes several large restaurants, a small hotel, several cruise boats, two marinas, and the Fish Wharf The Fish Wharf, a unique and pop- ular destination point, regularly attracts a regional customer base. The cruise boats and restaurants also tend to attract the regional market, though largely for special Based on the current neigh- power per leased square foot of occasions. The waterfront draws borhood demographic profile, on retail space in Waterside Mall, some lunchtime business from tenant and shopper desires, and EPA employees at Waterside Mall Because of its proximity to L'En- on the oblective of persuading 5zl ,249 x ( l2,4BB total pop _ fant P|aza and the federal govern- more neighborhood residents to 830 = 1 1,6591 _ 5434,248,000 spend their dollars at Waterside ment offices north of I-39r, the Mall through better design, ac- These figures are sufficient Southwest waterfront also cap- cessibility, retail mix, merchan- to produce a gross sales volume tures a lunch trade from workers at these locations; the Fish Wharf dise, safety, and general environ- of either ( 1 ) S340 per square foot, mental conditions-the panel using l0 percent of per-square- in particular is a Craw for these workers. suggests the list of retail tenants foot per capita incoffie ; or (2 ) Tremendous opportunities and square footage shown in Fig- S tZ0 per square foot, using a for ure 3 This proposed tenant mix more conservative figure of 5 per- exist business development represents l0.2 square feet per cent of per-square-foot per capita on the Southwest waterfront, primarily Southwest resident and 52,685 income thanks to its water-ori- per capita income per square Assuming the lower income ented environment. The water, the amenity of East Potomac Park foot of leased area figure of S I ZO per square foot and The average per capita in- a rental factor of 10 percent of across the channel, the boats in the marina, the exposure to mid- come in Southwest exclusive of gross sales, a rent of S I 7 per square the very low-income census tract foot can be achieved, plus operat- day and afternoon sun, and the generally appeal ing promenade 60 2 was S3l ,249, for a total of ing cost charges of no more than all make this an attractive place 5+24,280,000 i n neighborhood- S3 per square foot This comes to for recreation and for spending a based purchasing power Thrs a total prolected lease rate of S20 pleasurable time However, a works out to S3,405 of purchasing per square foot for retail space in Waterside Mall number of constraints now exist to business development along the Southwest waterfront:

25 FIGURE 4 A general lack of awareness ILLUSTRATTVE SOUTHWEST WATERFRONT TENANTS about the Southwest water- FOR RECOMMENDED PLAN front within the region and USE SQUARE FEET even within the District of Co- lumbia Night Clubs: Constrained access by vehicles Jazz 3 ,000 or by pedestrians from the Na- Comedy 3,000 tional Mall and other parts of Soft Music 2, 500

the District Lounge 2 ,000 A lack of signage in nearby Sports Bar 10,000 parts of the District to lead Brew Pub 5,000 people into the waterfront Caf6s (2 ) 5,000 a rea Specialty Restaurants ( 3) I 5,000 A perception that the water- White-Tablecloth Restaurant front is unsafe 5,000 A lack of critical mass in the Model Boat Shop 1,000 commercial businesses along Bike and Skate Sales/Rentals 12,000 the waterfront. Ice Cream/Yogurt 600 A restaurant product offering Tropical Fish I,000 that has changed little in High-Tech Amusement 3,000 manv vears Boathouse 5,000 Regarding this last point, it Souvenir Sales 1,000 should be noted that despite the Nautical Sales 3 ,000 fact that the restaurant business Art Galleries 7 ,500 has become exceedingly compet- Titanic H i storv/So uven i rs 1,000 itive in recent years, the venera- Blown Glass 750 ble institutional names of the restaurants along the Southwest waterfront have continued to sur- Expand the commercial inven- o Encourage micro-enterprise vive Much of the waterfront tory on the waterfront to create activity, such as small stands restaurant business is generated greater critical mass Some of and carts owned by local by tourists, rather than local pa- this inventory expansion could smal I -business entrepreneu rs trons It is also notable sev- that be accomplished without add- with minimaI capital eral of these restaurants are ex- ing to the total spaceby subdi- o Develcp an inexpensive ferry perimenting with subdividing viding the existing large restau- service from the waterfront to their space to provide multiple rants to make for a greater East Potomac Park-perhaps dining opportunities in separate- variety of offerings completing a recreational bi- looking establishments with dif- Add other types of commercial cycle and iogging loop from ferent cuisines and different price businesses, such as small shops, Hains Point across the Four- ranges strategy that m ight galleries, and other specia lty teenth Street Bridge, up the work to-a draw more local clients. retail, to augment the food and Southwest waterfront, and The conclusion of panel the beverage offerings. across by ferry is that, despite the difficulties Provide additional food and o Market the waterfront much noted above, significant potential beverage opportunities in the more aggressively as its facili- exists to capture additional busi- inexpensive price ranges These ties and activities are being ness activity for the Southwest uses could include very small, expanded waterfront Actions and facilities cart-scale vendors for ice cream, With the enhancements dis- that would expand the market hot dogs, and other food items cussed above, an appealing new capture of the waterfront include along the promenade in season. waterfront could be created There the following: Provide for additional recre- is no reason that such a water- o Make stronger physical link- ational activities, perhaps in- front could not attract a larger ages to the rest of the District cluding a boathouse with row- market, for both new and existing of Columbia (a variety of phys- ing shells, kayaks, and other businesses, from all four of the ical improvements are pre- watercraft; bicycle and in-line market segments discussed above, sented in the Design and Plan- skate rentals; and other types neighbors, regional residents, re- ning section of this report) of businesses, including music gional employees, and part of the o Improve circulation and park- and dance clubs 26 mi llion-per-year visitor market ing within Southwest for both residents and visitors

26 The Southwest vtaterf ront, with its niarinas and cru,tisr ships, is a logical sife for ex- p anded e ntertain nte nt activi - ties, as recoynmended bu the panel

ENTERTAINMENT MARKET

ln the parlance of urban real estate development today, enter- tainment uses are often seen as a separate category from retail uses A number of entertainment activ- ities currently exist in Southwest and are worth discussing here. Foremost is Arena Stage, which HOTEL MARKET OTH ER ACTIVITY-GEN ERATI N G enjoys an excellent reputation in LAND USES the national arts community and Last yea r, 26 million nation- attracts 250,000 to 300,000 patrons al and international visitors came Additional types of tenants per year into the Southwest neigh- to Washington, D C A significant could occupy Waterside Mall and borhood The restaurants and portion of these stayed in the other commercial locations in cruise boats also represent a con- 87,000 hotel rooms in the Wash- Southwest These would provide centration of entertainment-ori- ington and Baltimore metropoli- additional activity and enhance ented uses. These businesses tan regions Hotel occupancy the interest and livabilit5r of the sometimes host live music, danc- rates are up from prior years and neighborhood Possibiiities in- ing, restaurant and bar activities, are currently running at approxi- clu de: and other special events. A con- mately 7l percent, well above the o A museum, large or small. straint for the entertarnment break-even level Within the Dis- o Charter schools at the grade value of these businesses, how- trict of Columbia, average daily school or high school level ever, is a widely held concern hotel rates are now approaching o Expansion space for South- that this type of business, when S t:0 These conditions put the eastern U n iversity held after l0 p m , can attract an Washington hotel market in an o Denta I off ices unsavory crowd and lead to prob- expansion mode o Small medical clinics lems that the business and resi- Several hotel projects are o Daycare centers. dential community is reluctant to currently proposed in the District o Other institutions requiring deal with The most important of these for space for offices, exhibits, ed- The panel concludes that the the Southwest neighborhood is ucation programs, meeting fa- logical location for an expanded the hotel proposed in the Portals cilities, and the like entertainment offering in South- proiect, fronting on Although the market for these west is the waterfront. Entertain- between Twelfth and Fourteenth uses is less easily quantified than ment activities should be suit- streets, S.W , immediately north that for retail uses, there may be ably scaled and targeted so as of the t-395 freeway A hotel on a real need for some of these fa- not to conflict with the residen- this site would overlook the en- cilities in Southwest The pres- tial character of the surrounding tire Southwest waterfront and ence of some of this type of activ- neighborhood With appropriate thus would Cive greater exposure ity would enhance the activity policing and management policies and visibility to the area, provid- level and thus the viability of a within the individual businesses, ing a pool of additional customers commercial complex in South- even ing entertainment-such as for waterfront businesses. As the west To avoid diluting the critical after-theater dining, live j azz or waterfront becomes more active, mass in the two retail districts, other soft music, and comedy the existing hotel expansion site however, it is recommended that clubs-could become a logical east of and adjacent to the Chan- these ancillary uses be located extension of daytime recreation nel Inn might also become a vi- above the street level in space and dining along the Southwest able location for additional hotel over commercial storefronts. waterfront (see Figu re 4) development

27 DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY rl'rr i,i",j,4',$iJffiffiWr,

W aterside Mall could he re- q ignificant opportunities exist configured to create a "Main \-rto enhance the physical and Street" that would better cultural character of Washington's serve the cornrnunitut. Southwest neighborhood Build- ing on its considerable assets- its waterfront location and its close proximity to the National Mall, one of America's great ac- tivity centers-the Southwest neighborhood is well positioned to add new layers of urban ameni- ties and services to its existing fabric This will help to ensure the long-term health of the com- mu n ity The panel believes that it is time to launch a series of concert- ed and well-connected initiatives require that simultaneous new REDESIGN AND REDEVELOP to strengthen the community development and new programs THE WATERSIDE RETAIL MALL economically and socially, while occur in a well-coordinated fash- AND OFFICE COMPLEX dim in ish ing the forces mcst like- ion to reach a necessary levei of ly to cause decline A number of mutual reinforcement. Many ele- As the primary commercial broad initiatives are recommend- ments must come together to development of Southwest, the off ice ed, with particular attention and make revita lizati on successfu l, Waterside Mall retail and focus on revitalizing and reposi- including the founding of a new complex is a key element of the tioning Waterside Mall, the water- community development and economic development of the front, and the M Street corridor A management orga nization and area. Over the past 2) years, Wa- successful strategy for achieving the cooperation of maior busi- terside Mall has been remodeled new economic development will ness orga nizalions and cultural and merchandised for the primary require the marshaling of sub- institutions based within the benefit of a single tenant, EPA The stantia I resou rces involving both community The effort will call for panel believes that the planned federal and local funding developing linkages and syner- departure of EPA now necessitates During the 1960s and 1970s, gies between new physical devel- refocusing the property on the the neighborhood was redevel- opment and new programs neighborhood market, especially oped with public funds The panel The actions described, taken the retail component Retail devel- recommends an approach for the together, make up the proposed opment concepts have changed 1990s that will use a minimum of strategy for strengthening the considerably since the original public resources, instead leverag- Southwest community and en- design and development of Wa- panel rng much greater levels of private ha ncrng its overall livability terside Mall The believes investment This approach will that the concept of the enclosed

2B shopping mall is no longer a workable design for neighbor- hood-serving retail and services. F LLI The panel recommends a mixed- I lrl "Main Fv. use Street" town center (l) more consistent with the sur- Fr rounding neighborhood and the I \t needs of the market, as shown in the illustrative plan on page 42 I 9TREET The office towers present op- portunities for several possible reuse scenarios: residential uses and small public or private office uses, including defense contrac- tors, lobbyists seeking locations WATERaIDE near the Capitol, and perhaps MALL specialty uses such as medical and health services Further mar- ket study will be required to de- termine the most appropriate M 9TREET uses, but it is expected that in the future there will be a mix of rIEFI-]+ l-l+H tenants rather than a single, monolithic user PLAN OF EXISTING WATERSIDE MALL The panel believes that resi- dential uses are the most mar- ketable for the near term, follow- REDEVELOP THE Currently, the waterfront lacks ing EPAs departure over the next WATERFRONT a critical mass of retail or other five years Residential redevelop- commercial activity to attract these ment could include mixed-income One of the most valuable as- groups in sufficient numbers The apartments or condominiums or sets of Southwest is its water- panel recommends concentrating a senior living concept such as an front. The waterfront, as it is cur- commercial activities at the north- assisted living or congregate care rently developed, does not meet ern end of the waterfront and facility Should office rents increase the needs of current and poten- building on the energy of the ex- significantly in nearby markets tial markets identified by the isting Fish Wharf to create a lively such as Crystal City, or if office panel Nor does it meet the best entertainment and recreation demand grows quickly as a result interests of local residents and district The southern end of the of defense contractors relocating business owners. ln fact, several waterfront would be less intense- to be near the expanding Navy waterfront restaurants are vacant ly developed, with more green Yard, then private sector office and boarded, indicating a lack of space, to maintain sensitivity to demand could increase the mar- demand for this space In addi- the residential character of that ket viability of office space at the tion to serving as an amenity for section. mall's two office towers. neighborhood residents, the wa- The panel's development If Waterside Mall is redevel- terfront can also serve as an at- proposal is designed to avoid at- oped as a neighborhood-serving, traction to the tourist and metro- tracting excessive crowds that mixed-use town center with resi- politan-visitor markets Also, it would negatively affect the quali- dential uses in the towers, the can help to draw potential new ty of life in the community but in- Southwest neighborhood's over- residents, especially young stead maintain a character that all livability and economic viabil- adu lts will serve as a more attractive ity will be strengthened through additional daytime and evening population and activity, generated within a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

29 Arena Staqe, a rnajor coyn- vnunitq asset, houses three theaters and attracts a re- gional audience ot' nearlq 300, 000 patrons annuallq

operatives and condominiums increase the total housing ex- pense beyond that charged for a comparable unit elsewhere The high monthly fees decrease de- mand for these units, keeping values lower than they might oth- erwise be Young adults typically cannot afford such fees in combi- nation with their outstanding ed- ucation loans and the expenses amenity for Washington The new FOCUS ON THE YOUNG of starting a household Southwest waterfront will also ADULT RESIDENTIAL serve as an increased draw to MARKET SUPPORT AND RETAIN ARENA young adults, a significant com- STAGE ponent of Washington's residen- Attracting the young adult residential market was a key tial and commercial markets. Arena Stage is an important strategy in the redevelopment of Developable sites along the cultu ral and economic asset for Southwest during 1960s and Potomac River in the Washington the the Southwest neighborhood A 1970s Singles and couples have region are limited because of a nationally recognized theater com- been mainstays of the market- number of ownership and geo- pany, it attracts nearly 300,000 rate townhomes, iniums, graphic restrictions Thus, avail- condom patrons annually to the neighbor- cooperatives, and rental apart- able waterfront commercial sites hood. These patrons are not only ments However, as the original should be considered prime de- a large potential market for busi- residents have aged over the velopment opportunities. Each nesses in the community but also past three decades, the number waterfront district has an atmos- a possible source of new neighbor- new young residents phere unique unto itself, Old of adult hood residents moving into the neighborhood Town Alexandria reflects its his- The panel believes that some has declined To strengthen the toric lBth- and l gth-century port attention should be paid to sup- appeal of the neighborhood for with Georgian and Federal-style porting and retaining a strong the young adult market, the brick buildings, while George- Arena Stage in Southwest It is panel thinks there is a need to town's Washington Harbour is a recommended that the commu' develop strategies for drawing contemporary, upscale waterfront nity help Arena Stage to accom- and retaining this population development The Southwest wa- plish its expansion and renova- segment. terfront is identified with its Fish tion needs in its present location The panel recommends es- Wharf, its marinas, and its dining and to enhance its marketing pres- tablishing programs to system- opportu n ities ence in the metropolitan region atically reduce the capital and While the views from the The panel believes that the long- operating costs of cooperative Southwest waterfront are attrac- term viability and quality of Arena and condominium residential tive and appealing, the view of Stage's role as a key activity gen- in the neighborhood so the waterfront itself is less attrac- units erator in Southwest is important that these costs are more com- tive Unfortunately, much of the to the livability of the neighbor- petitive with those of compara- original character of the South- hood, as well as to its ability to ble housing in other parts of west waterfront area was lost to attract visitors and potential resi- the District New financing tech- urban renewal in the 1960s The dents The panel's design plan in- niques may part panel thinks, however, that this be necessary as cludes minor road realignment of the There is also character can be regained through solution recommendations that would some indication that the fees a redesigned waterfront district in- provide Arena Stage with some are unreasonably high because spired by original elements and additional land, creating a better of the demand for excessive ser- forms, as described in the Design sense of "turf ," as well as space vices at these residences. The and Planning section of this report for additional parking and/or the- current high monthly fees for co- ater expansion.

30 The W aterfront Metro station is a transportation arnenitq that could be better used, draw- ENHANCE NEIGHBORHOOD inq residents and visitors to LIVABILITY the watert'ront frorn all parts of the citrg The panel feels that much of the appeal of a city resides in the livabilitq of its neighborhoods The future of Southwest as an attrac- tive residential community lies in its ability to provide quality-of- life features for residents and vis- itors Southwest should be fully competitive with other distinctive neighborhoods in the Washing- ton metropolitan area Neighbor- hood lrvability is not only the re- sult of high-quality housing, the Increase the level of cleanup REINFORCE NEIGHBORHOOD programs IDENTITY availability of goods and services, throughout the particular, and adequate transportation Liv- community. In high- activity areas like Waterside Wash ington's neighborhoods ability is the sum of the entire ex- have distinct identities: Capitol perience one encounters-a feel- Mall, the Fish Wh arf , and the waterfront need to be kept Hill, Columbia Heights, Dupont ing of security and cleanliness, Circle, and Georgetown are ex- public amenities, recreational clean and inviting Maintain a high standard of amples The history and charac- and cultural facilities, and the de- ter of each neighborhood are dis- sign, scale, and function of public design in the neighborhood graphics tinct Southwest's identity is not spaces The Southwest neighbor- for new buildings, and signage, lighting, street as prominent; hor is its character hood offers a unique experience as well known or clearly defined in the Washington area But there furniture, and landscaping, as proposed as those of other Washrngton are many ways in which the liv- by the National Cap- n eighborhoods ability of the Southwest neighbor- ital Planning Commission's Legacy Plan High design stan- The panel feels that the ad- hood could be enhanced, such as, vantages of the Southwest neigh- o Enhance both the perception dards show local civic pride and prove that community residents borhood could be better market- and the reality of safety and ed if a strong identity was created security Although police sta- and businesses are watching out for the well-being of the that reflected the area's natural tistics show that Southwest is features (the water), historic iden- a relatively safe, low-crime neighborhood Hold a series of neighborhood- tity (birthplace of Washington, area, public perception of a D.C. ), the Metro station, or some lack of safety is undermining based special events, arts fes- tivals, and community festivals other feature that immediately the quality of life as well as promotes and identifies the com- the economic performance of that contribute to the cultural life and social vitality of the munity. As an example, the Inner the neighborhood of Baltimore has an easily The panel recommends start- community Examples might include a tie-in event with the understood physical and cultural ing a public relations campaign identity that clearly reflects the "zero- Cherry Blossom Festival, sum- and working toward a character of the district The iden- policy. mer lazz performances, crab tolerance" Lighting and tity develcped for the Southeast landscaping techniques, such festivals, student music com- petitions, community should be reinforced as those used in transformed outdoor summer performances organized by through appropriate imaging, public places like Bryant Park graphics, and signage in New York City, can help to Arena Stage, and other cele- mitigate some of this percep- brations appropriately scaled tion of crime The addition of to the size and character of the regularly patrolling security Southwest neighborhood services and a reenergized "eyes-on-the-street" cri me watch program can go a long way towarC changing public perceptions for the better

3l BREAK DOWN BARRIERS TO during selected time periods, D C Humanities Council, the TRANSPORTATION AND from selected Metro locations D C Heritage Tourism Coali- CIRCULATION near the National Mall, the tion, and the D.C. Historical business sections of Washing- Society Although historic The Southwest neighbor- ton, the Capitol, and the Navy buildings have markers, much hood has been physically and Yard It is recommended that of the history lost during psychologically isolated from the this program be operated for a urban renewal can be inter- rest of the District of Columbia period of approximately lB to preted in contemporary ways. ever since the early I 800s, when 24 months to introduce peo- One example of such interpre- the Canal turned ple to Southwest The program tation may be found in the Southwest Washington into an should begin after improve- Bronzeville section of Chicago, island. Urban renewal, which was ments and renovations have where sculpture, i nterpretive intended to give birth to a "new been completed for the South- plaques, and artwork tell the Southwest, " added new barriers, west waterfront and the new story of the Great Migration of particularly the l-395 freeway The town center. African Americans to that panel thinks that Southwest's Signs leading pedestrians and neighborhood and of the ac- physical isolation, wh ile at times automobiles to Southwest are complishments of those resi, allowing a respite within the city, few and undistinguished De- dents has also limited the neighbor- velop a "way-finding" signage Southwest's significa nt hood's economic potential and system with distinctive graph- heritage includes the Under- its accessibility A variety of ics to improve the ease of ground Railroad; the African transportation and circulation finding convenient ways into American, f ewish, and lta lian strategies are recommended to the neighborhood, particularly waves of migration; and the "reopen" Southwest to the city at to the waterfront Examples of commercial shipping era of large while maintaining its ap- such systems can be found in the waterfront-all i mportant pealing neighborhood ambience: Baltimore, Boston, and San threads in the fabric of Wash- o Although now served by the Francisco. ington's history Waterfront Metro station, the Develop a program of signs, Develop transportation con- neighborhood is still "undis- historic site markers, and nections to the waterfront by covered." The panel recom- sculptures that commemorate establishing a water taxi sys- mends developing a free Metro and explain famous sites and tem linking the Southwest wa- pass program for people trav- significant events in the neigh- terfront with Washington Har- eling to and from Southwest borhood, as proposed by the bour in Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria, and possibly the

Linda Davenp o rt, n"tanaging Ronald Reagan Wash ington director of Fannie Mae's National Airport

Aru e ric a n Co yn yn u nitie s Encourage the development of Fund, discusses plans with a shuttle bus system to ease panel yneynbers Larrq Parks the transportation of visitors and John Alschuler (riqh|. and local residents from the National Mall and Pennsylva- nia Avenue to the Southwest A similar shuttle service could operate from the Navy Yard to bring employees to the South- west waterfront and town cen- ter at lunchtime

72 INTRODUCE NEW HOUSING Public and private sector fi- gram The new Syphax Village INITIATIVES nancing and development incen- homes being built by Manna, tives must be used to address the Inc , would be enhanced and The following housing-related challenges inherent in urban hous- given greater impact if enough actions are recommended as meth- ing development: aging infrastruc- critical mass were generated to ods of strengthening the commu- ture, the public's negative percep- make homeownership more de- nity and its livability residents for tion of urban schools, potential sirable in the eastern portion of of a incomes ll site contamination and other en- the Southwest neighborhood A vironmental hazards, the need to spin-off benefit from increasing DEVELOP MARKET-RATE acquire and assemble large-enough homeownership around the HOUSING development sites, and the longer Syphax School site would be the time frame needed for city versus likelihood that commercial revi- The panel recommends that suburban development because talization might be stimulated new market-rate, ownership hous- of the more onerous approval and along South Capitol Street on its ing be developed with specral permitting process Potential tools western side, iust around the cor- emphasis on young adults One for encouraging investment in ner below M Street or both Waterside towers may be residential development include The panel's recommendation a good location for this kind of the following: to increase homeownership in resiciential use o A shortening of the District's lames Creek and other Southwest Many factors suggest that regu latory-perm it approva I public housing communities there is investment potential for process does not involve displacing any new market-rate housing in the o D C. purchase and writedown public housing residents from Southwest neighborhood First, of land costs the neighborhood lnstead, it of- the neighborhood has significant o Tax-exempt bonds. fers opportunities for existing amenities such as Arena Stage, o Second mortgages through the public housing residents to be- proximity to the National Mall HOME program, Community come private homeowners Cre- and maior employment centers, Development Block Grants, ative financing tech n iques-such and one of the few developable and other public resources. as providing "soft" second mort- waterfront locations in the Dis- o A property tax abatement pro- gages at below-market rates, en- trict of Columbia gram. couraging sweat equity (as in the The Southwest community o Attractive financing from com- Habitat for H u man ity program , joys ) also en a stability th at resu lts mercial bank-loan pools and offering homeownership ed- part in from being one of the o District development and ucation and counseling-can be most economically and racially funding of infrastructure im- included in the effort to increase integrated neighborhoods in the provements. homeownership Other initia- nation's capital Home sale prices The panel recommends that tives, including employment pace and sales are currently ris- homeownership opportunities be training and placement, must be ing in Southwest The neighbor- located within the public housing developed to provide affordable hood's housing stock is generally community next to the proposed homeownership opportunities for affordable, compared with much new Syphax Village development residents of public housing of the rest of the District Current on Half Street between N and O plans for redevelopment of the streets lames Creek Dwellings vacant Syphax School property would be a suitable place for an for affordable housing, and de- affordable homeownership pro- velopment of the three-acre Chal- lenger Mews site for 93 market- rate townhomes, also signal an increased housing demand

33 Southwest oft'ers a varietq of wrban hoursing tqpes The panel recon4ntend,s that more hoyneou, nership p rog rams h e rnade available to low-income residents.

RECONFIGURE PUBLIC HOUS- ING AND DEVELOP MIXED- INCOME PROPERTIES

The panel recommends that public housing be reconfigured and improved The goals shou ld

be neigh borh ood revita lization , and encouragement of housing near emerging employment op- portunities in Southwest. Means of accomplishing this are through federal public housing modern- ization funds, Section B afford- able housing certificates and vouchers, and financing sources such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, anC the Federal Home Loan Bank A concurrent strategy to be pursued while improving public housing is the development of mixed-income private housing Mixed-income housing is a way to sustain and reinforce the neigh- borhood diversity of Southwest This strategy also would lessen the separation imposed upon the residents of public housing by current neighborhood housi ng

configurations Examples of suc- low- r ncome, moderate-income, the development of seniors' cessful mixed-income public- and market-rate units is appro- housing so that current residents housi ng redevelopment efforts priate, so that no apparent gap could remain in the neighbor- include Rosewind in Columbus separates low-income residents hood as they age Further market Ohio; Harbor Point in Boston; from others lt is desirable that research would identify specifics, King's Lynne in Lynn, Massachu- there be no obviou s distinction such as the level of services and setts; ond Diggs Town in Norfolk, among unit t5ipes: on observer price points Virgi n ia shou ld be u nable to tell a subsi- The panel notes that there The panel recommends that dized unit from any other unit are some mid-priced and higher- m ixed-income housing projects Successful examples of th is ap- end residential developments in be pursued close to the new re- proach to mixed-income housing the neighborhood that are begin- tail opportunities to be developed include Crawford Square in Pitts- n i ng to su ffer in creased vaca n cres in Southwest New housing de- burgh and Timberlawn Crescent Some physical improvements velopments must have a quality in Rockville, and heightened marketing efforts as good as or better than that of Demographics in Southwest by owners of these properties competing properties A mix of indicate a cotential market for may be required to prevent dete- rioration in these developments

34 The perception of poor-quality schools in urban neighborhoods is a leading cause of neighbor- hood deterioration and the maior reason for the inability of these communities to attract middle- income families To meet these challenges, public schools in Southwest might consider func- tion ing as year-round community centers to provide ongoing sup- port to students and their par- ents. The schools could become family resource centers, providing child care, health care, career coun- seling, and vocational and reme- dial training The school system may need to solicit the coopera- tion of public and private sector and nonprofit orga nizations to deliver a wider range of educa- tional and community services. Employment and business opportunrties accessible both in physical proximity and skill level to Southwest residents are es- sential to keep the Southwest neighborhood vital and ccmpeti- tive It is recommended that technical, managerial, financial, LrNK SCHOOLS WITH IOe Southeastern University is a and entrepreneurial training sup- TRAINING AND JOB CREATION valuable community asset to be port be given to businesses that recognized and used The univer- can serve downtown office, retail, -qua H igh I ity n eighborhoods sity is playing a key role in devel- and hotel activities by providing and excellent schools go togeth- oping two tob training academies building management and main- er High-quality schools, econom- for youth and adults, the Work- tenance, transportation, del ivery, ic development, and iob training force Readiness Institute and the equipment maintenance, print- are necessary to provide urban Southwest Fam i ly Technology ing, office supply, and food and neighborhood residents with full Center. Southeastern Un iversity beverage services These types of access to employment self- and should be fully accommodated irr businesses can operate on a small sufficiency It is time for bold new community revitalization efforts scale and often require minimal public education initiatives, and It will have future expansion and capital Linkages could be forged panel recommends pri- the that a parking needs to be addressed in to businesses in the area through, ority be placed providing "first-source" on the context of neighborhood re- for instance, cr other good-quality education th rough development hiring agreements for Southwest support for better public schools, including the emerging charter sch oo ls .

35 '"t

residents. Southwest's new Work- o Linkages to national retail CAREFULLY STAGE AND force Readiness Institute and Fam- chains and business franchise PHASE THE DEVELOPMENT ily Technology Center will enable opportun ities residents to start and expand To encourage Southwest's Strategic plans will need to computer-related and other high- lower-income residents to obtain be developed to link the timing tech businesses Additionally, a living-wage employment, the of various public improvements prograrn could be established to panel suggests the expansion of and privately funded projects The aid local residerrts in starting new existing training programs to in- proposals for new develcpment neighborhood retail businesses clude the high-tech, hospitality at Waterside Mall and on the wa- The prcgram might include' services, and management fields. terfront are expected to reinforce o Technical assistance using ex- More residents might also be each other's success. For this rea- ecutives and the involvement trained for the jobs that will re- son, it would be desirable for of the corporate community to sult from the neighborhood revi- these two pro jects to schedule help in founding a Southwest talization efforts Such iobs could their completions to occur as si- busi ness assistance center include , maintenance, multaneously as practical. Care- o Access to debt and equity fi- administrative and clerical work, ful staging of redevelopment proj- nancing child care, and food services. Par- ects can minimize disruptions and o Iob training and iob training ticular emphasis should be placed burdensome relocations, as de- tax credits for employees on youth outreach programs, in- scribed earlier in this report The cluding Adopt-a-School, student panel recommends that a new internships, and part-time em- development corporation be ployment started to provide an orga niza- tional means for coordinating and staging these efforts

36 DESIGN AND PLANNING

The vision for Southwest be- ern quadrant of the city Only Sev- Panel rnernbers Pawl I gins with all that is attractive enth Street actually connects from Osterqaard, and Brwce and desirable in this community the north through to the South- Hoch address design issues presentation and seeks to build upon these as- west waterfront And only one at the final sets. The neighborhood's strate- east/west street-Maine Aven ue/ gic location with regard to the M Street-runs through the study National Mall and federal offices area to the waterfront All other is an invaluable asset, and the streets have been interrupted waterfront setting provides a rare Southwest's isolation is a and delightful amenity South- mixed blessing The strong edge west has an excellent foundation embodied in the interstate high- on which to update its image for way and railroad tracks has helped the turn of the next centurv. to preserve the quiet residential character of the neighborhood is well EXISTING CONDITIONS But Southwest not known beyond its boundaries because it The panel has studied the is difficult to reach, especially on existing physical design elements foot in the neighborhood Following are the panel's observations and WATERSIDE MALL analyses. Waterside Mall, which blocks Fourth Street and prevents it from Waterside Mal1, especially to the STREET PATTERNS continuing through the neighbor- immediate north, are perceived City street patterns are the hood, is situated on one of the to be dark and dangerous, espe- framework that set the stage for largest contiguous blocks in all of cially at night The entrances to development Although the rigor- Washington This formidable su- the mall are hard to see and diffi- ous street network originally laid perblock inhibits both pedestrian cult to negotiate on foot There is out by Pierre LEnfant is consistent and automobile access and sepa- no obvious signage, and pedestri- and intact for most of the city, it rates the surrounding residential an lighting is seen as inadequate has been disrupted in Southwest neighborhoods from one another The interior is equally grim, with by interstate highways, rail lines, Waterside Mall, a federal office empty storefronts, little natural and the planning efforts of the center stranded in the middle of light, dead-end corridors, and es- post-World War II era, leaving a residential waterfront district, calators to nowhere Waterside Southwest cut off from the rest of is an inward-focused compound Mall is misdesigned and alto- the District Today, Fourth, Sev- surrounded by a moat of parking gether isolated from its residen- enth, and South Capitol streets lots, walls, and parks spaces h id- tial surroundings are the only streets that connect den from view The areas around the northwestern to the southwest-

37 W aterside Mall can be ynade THE SOUTHWEST ntore pedestrian-friendlU ba WATERFRONT reconfiguring the buildings, creating outwardly facing The Southwest waterfront storefronts, and using wide is home to the highly acclaimed sidewalks w,ith la ndscap ed Arena popular areas and outdoor cafes. Stage, the Fish Wharf , the Spifif an d Odqsseq cruise boats, and two residential marinas. On the minus side, tour buses serving the cruise boats and restaurants conflict with oth- er uses and are considered a nui- sance by neighboring residents There is a perceived lack of safe, convenient parking for patrons of these facilities

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3B Lack ot' street connections rnakes access within the corn- munitq confusinq and difficult

The Banneker Monument, lo- cated at the northern end of the nnt\lj l-Hl'----rJ\[EfI*J-l ^= : os waterfront, lacks visibility and identity This monument, cele- brating the life of noted inventor and surveyer Benjamin Banneker, deserves better access and more prominence.

DESIGN RECOMMEN DATIONS

Much can be done to improve upon the urban design of South- west, including both immediate actions and long-range initia- tives. Following are the panel's .oo m s. 6 oz recom endation

THE LEGACY PLAN'S STREET NETWORK

The Legacy Plan, released in 1997 bV the National Capital Planning Commission as a frame- work for the city's long-term growth and development, pro- poses the removal of the l-795 and l-295 interstates and the rail lines, and the reconstruction of EXISTING STREET PATTERNS the historic street network These actions would reconnect South- west to the rest of the District of The many street consolida- The buildings along the Columbia and the Southwest res- tions that were part of the urban Southwest waterfront are unat- idential community to its water- renewal process in Southwest have tractive and overscaled, and some front The panel recommends limited the opportunities for vehic- are vacant and boarded up. Maine that the Legacy Plan's street pat- ular and pedestrian traffic move- Avenue, Water Street, and the terns be implemented for South- ment within the community As a parking lots between these streets west While the removal of the in- result, Southwest is cut off from combine to form a vast, charac- terstate highways and rail lines its most attractive resource-the terless expanse that further iso- may be far off, much work can waterfront. The waterfront's dis- lates the Southwest neighbor- begin immediately to improve connection causes it to be under- hoods from the waterfront and the boulevards and street net- used by residents as well as by blocks the neighborhoods' views work in Southwest the many tourists visiting national of the water monuments tust to the north and west, whc perceive the waterfront as inaccessible.

39 The Legacu Plan proposes THE WATERFRONT to reconnect streets for hetter ACCESS. The panel's vision for the Southwest waterfront is one of a dynamic pedestrian-oriented ac- tivity center that uses the river to its fullest, with facilities for boat- ing, biking, and other outdoor recreation The recommended plan for the waterfront consoli- dates the higher-activity tourist- and visitor-oriented uses at the northern end, with the lower-ac- tivity and residential uses at the southern end At the north would be the active retail and entertain- ment areas, anchored by the ex- isting Fish Wharf and the restau- rants, marinas, relocated cruise ships, and proposed new devel- opment The specific site for the relo- cation of the cruise ship docks would require futher study Given the presence of a Metro tunnel below the water rn that area, plans for any dock or other con- struction would have to meet Metro's approval The Capital Yacht Club would relocate to the south, into the residential water- front district, where the Spirif and Odqsseq cruise ship docks are now located

RETAILIE NTERTAINMENT

Building on the success of the THE LEGACY PLAN Fish Wharf , Water Street can be- come an energized retail street of cafes, brew pubs, restaurants, and Modern adaptations of the To further distinguish the water-related recreational uses white clapboard buildings and waterfront district, a series of including cruise ships and boat- classical details of the 1gth and sculpture markers and other his- ing The panel recommends that early 20th centuries would give torical elements celebrating the the Water Street development be Southwest's waterfront a cha rac- history of Southwest could be in- designed as a series of small-scale ter distinct from those of George- stalled, as described in the section buildings in an architectural style town and Old Town Alexandria of this report entitled nevelop- reflecting the heritage of old South- while evoking the historic charac- ment Strategies for Strengther-i- west Additional building sites ter of Southwest The panel notes ing the Community The panel would be created where parking that the Fish Wharf is a valuable recommends moving the Spirit currently exists, in the strip of neighborhocd amenity and rec- and Odqsseu cruise ships north to land between Maine Avenue and ommends that it remain in place this entertainment district to add Water Street This would better This group of vendors has a spe- to that district's dynamism and use these land parcels while help- cial character not duplicated to attract more visitors to it ing to reestablish community con- elsewhere and serves as a focal nections to the waterfront point and draw for the Southwest waterf ront

40 Maine Avenue and M Street realignvnent, with new ARENA STAG' roundabout

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PROPOSED STREET REALIGNMENT

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PARKI NG AN D CIRCU LATION businesses, including the Fish To maintain a continuous fa- Wharf and Washington Marina to cade along Water Street, the Despite the apparent abun- the north. The panel recommends panel strongly recommends dance of parking in the area, there that parking issues be addressed that any new parking facilities parking problems patrons are for by the following measute s: in this area take the form of of the businesses along the water- o Make better use of existing structured garages above re- front, in part because of the inef- parking through directional tail space, rather than lots at fective location and configuration signs, better lighting and se- street level However, better of much of the existing parking curity, and improved access use of the existing under- There is concern among local and pedestrian linkage ground garages and surface businesses and residents that o Allow for more on-street park- parking along M Street might concentrating more commercial ing by using angled spaces as eliminate the need for addi- activity at the northern end of the opposed to parallel spaces tional structured parking waterfront will exacerbate these This change could as much as A new parking structure at the parking problems This is less double the number of spaces, foot of the Benjamin Banneker likely if parking for waterfront ac- better using the overdesigned Monument would be desirable tivities could be properly designed roadway cross sections in the to serve the relocated cruise to accommodate residents and vicinity of the waterfront ships Tour buses could be ac- patrons of the existing and new commodated there

45 Delaware Avenue, redesigned as a grand boulevard, Even- tuallq, the street would be re- connected north to the Capitol

The panel proposes the fol- F-dr lowing solutions to Southwest's access and circulation problems, E o Build a new, curving pedestrian walkway and bridge just below the Fourteenth Street Bridge These improvements could con- nect the Southwest waterfront to East Potomac Park and, com- bined with better pedestrian and bicycle links to the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin, could make regional recreation- n al connections possible. Improve pedestrian linkages to LEnfant Plaza with the addition n of a monumental stair beneath the Banneker Monument, sim- ilar to the stairs serving other important monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial Reinstate boat access to the waterfront Urban renewal road realignments made ac- cess difficult for people bring- ffi( ing boats to the Southwest marinas Move the Capital Yacht Club south to consolidate marina ru uses along the southern end of the waterfront, making for a more compatible use with the jn existing Tiber Island, Harbour Square,and surrounding resi- dential neighborhoods Trade the yacht club's location with that of the Spirit and OLUSSIU _ln docks Extend M Street to intersect with Maine Avenue in a round- about at the river's edge, bring- ing both streets to the water- front This improved street pattern would also provide ad- ditional parking and expansion Many of these recommenda- to the National Arboretum space for Arena Stage The tions are consistent with the vision Southwest's waterfront shou id panel recommends that both for the waterfront in the National become an integral part of this Maine Avenue and M Street be Capital Planning Commission's public space with bike paths, wat er landscaped as urban boule- Legacy Plan, which proposes a taxis, and recreational areas vards in the tradition of the continuous I l-mile public water- L'E nfa nt Plan front running from Georgetown

46 NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING This plan would demolish NEW MIXED-INCOME AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICT approximately 37,000 square feet DELAWARE AVENUE of the existing mall However, be- NEIGHBORHOOD Most significant among the cause the current mall is so over- panel's With the aid of federal pub- recommendations is the scaled and poorly configured, the transformation of Waterside Mall demolition would actually result lic housing modernization funds and other tools, Delaware Av- from a federal office center above in an increased amount of rentable the a enue area could be transformed an enclosed shopping mall into space The two upper levels of into a mixed-income neighbor- mixed-use center that would serve the mall, currently used by EPA, hood ln the Legacy Plan, Dela- and be supported by the South- would then be more easily ac- ware Avenue becomes a maior west neighborhood To accom- cessed and used for ancillary ser- plish urban boulevard extending north this, the central section of vices, such as a fitness center, U The new Dela- Waterside Mall would be demol- daycare, medical offices, and to the S Capitol ware would be- ished, allowing for the reconnec- other nonretail, neighborhood- Avenue boulevard part come part of a continuously linked tion of Fourth Street as of serving functions Entrances for grid network of open space that would the original street pattern In the two towers would be recon- provide new for re- this way, the monolithic Water- figured and integrated into the opportunities side Mall building would become new streetscape. development redesign plan two separate structures along both Parking for the town center This suggests for and sides of Fourth Street, which would would be accommodated in an- locations institutions neighborhood parks and for a new become Southwest's main neigh- gled spaces along Fourth Street, street network that would better borhood shopping street Access in several on-site surface lots, and pedestrians, Southwest neighbor- for vehicles, and in the existing Waterside Mall un- unify the However, plan is only Metro riders would be improved derground garages. A new east/ hood this a Any serious planning Fourth Street would bend around west street would connect Makemie concept efforts for these neighborhoods the Metro station, forming an at- Place on the west with the South- participation of tractive, more accessible, circular west Branch Public Library on the will demand the pedestrian plaza. residents, business owners, city east Makemie Square and Public plan If this is followed, Fourth Library Square will be lined with officials, and other stakeholders Street will be lined on both sides townhouses and become residen- with the remaining three-story tial squares. These now-empty building, now two separate struc- and dangerous spaces would be tures, re-clad in a variety of new replaced by traditional streets facades recalling the traditional and squares, easily understood architecture of Southwest Wash- and monitored day and night by proportioned ington Classically residents of the new housing adaptations of traditional mason- Through elimination of the ry commercial buildings would barriers and reconnection of the house neighborhood-serving neighborhoods, Waterside Mall grocery uses, including a store, could become the community drugstore, hardware store, coffee center it was originally envisioned Togeth- shop, and sidewalk cafe to be er, these uses will form a conve- nient neighborhood shopping center and gathering place for the communitv.

47 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Co n g r essvu o vn an Ele a n o r This section outlines the steps preferably ruithin 24 months Holrnes Norton (abovel and I required to implement the Implementation starts with District ot' Colurnbia Chief proposed revitalization plan for the immediate designation- M a na q erne nt Office r Carnille Southwest The challenges to the by the chief management offi- Cates Barnett (below\ community's stability must be cer (CMO) of the District gov- addressed with a sense of ernment-of a coordinator for urgency EPA is leaving Waterside Southwest neighborhood de- Mall, and many residential struc- velopment. tures and existing businesses, To assume long-term respon- particularly those along the wa- sibility, the District establishes terfront, require reinvestment by tanuary l, 1999, a Southwest Because more than 30 years have N eig hb o rhoo d D ev elop rnent Corp o - passed since the peak of the ratio,t (SNDC) that is credible urban renewal period, a new to the business community, cycle of investment is now re- to the District and federal gov- qu ired ernments, and to neighbor- This new challenge is a time- hood residents ly opportunity to create a neigh- The District and the federal borhood-based model for the governments provide this cor- emergi ng development capacity poration with the necessary fi- of the District of Columbia, work- nancial resources, personnel, ing closely with the federal gov- regulatory tools, and delega- ernment, the private sector, and tions of authority the community This model can These resources are in place demonstrate how new tools and by tanuary 1, 1999 management structures can be Private capital takes the lead in effectively used now to assist a the development of the South- neighborhood in securing its west waterfront A request for legacy and affirming its future proposals should be issued by New lobs, new homes, and new January 1, 1999 recreational opportunities can be Federal agencies, including the generated through the imple- General Services Administration mentation of this plan Toward (GSA), the Environmental Pro- this end, the panel's primary as- tection Agency (EPA), and the sumptions about the implemen- (NPS), tation process are as follows' assist in the implementation o lmplementation of the physical of the plan, including the des- changes outlined in this report ignation of the Fourth Street begins as soon as possible, and waterfront retail districts

4B The panel presented its results to cot44tuunitq rnernbers, po- litical leaders, and the press

o Stability is assured for the Fish Wharf There is no long- term lease policy for the ven- dors at the Fish Wharf, which ;,.*it**'-'+.y+.;*lr;r#'+:rtl:.$-u";:;o;1; '."i,.,'t:;'|..'lV.+f$, :r.t#;i,, I rests on federal land Many of these small businesses have been part of Southwest's wa- terfront for generations, yet they have only month-to- ORGANIZATION AND The panel is therefore rec- month leases Some business IMMEDIATE ACTIONS ommending that the CMC of the owners have expressed inter- District government assume re- est in upgrading the area, but It is crucial that redevelop- sponsibility for implementation without more certainty in their ment begin immediately The by delegating responsibility as long-term tenancy, they are most important lesson learned deemed appropriate and by acti- unable to make the commit- from the military base closure vating the new SNDC as soon as ment required for such invest- process is that momentum is the possible The immediate tasks vendors key overcoming The fuse ment Since these to crisis ore : ( I ) to work with the owner- form the theme element for of this crisis has already been lit ship of Waterside Mall to provide the Southwest waterfront, it is because one tower of Waterside for an equitable allocation of the essential for the success of its Mall is slated to fall vacant by the risks and rewards of redevelop- redevelopment that certai nty end of 1999 The cycle of decline ment; (2) to assemble the finan- and predictability be estab- that this abandonment could trig- cial resources necessary to im- lished for these businesses ger is wholly unnecessary and pre- plement redevelopment; ohd tl t o More middle-income housing ventable in Southwest It is essen- to create a permanent capacity to is needed in Southwest The tial to the future of the community manage the redevelopment To development of the Southeast that reuse of this property, facili- discharge these responsibilities, Federal Center as a mixed-use tated by its physical reconstruc- the panel recommends, as al- private development dominat- tion, take place immediately upon ready indicated, that the CMO ed by middle-income housing, EPA's departure from the first designate a coordinator for with adlacent commercial of- tower This tower should be repop- Southwest neighborhood rede- fice parcels, should begin by ulated by the time EPA vacates velopment. It is recommended January l, 1999 the second tower, with EPAs de- that the coordinator be a senior If these actions are taken, parture slightly delayed if neces- professional experienced in the Southwest's redevelopment will sary Also, during the transition implementation of large, com- be characterized by accou ntabili- the neighborhood should be bol- plex urban development projects ty to the community, an infusion stered by tangible, permanent A recommended time frame of private investment capital, a steps to redevelop the Southwest would allow the coordinator 60 commitment to diversity and eco- waterfront as a source of econom- days to accomplish these tasks: nomic opportunity, and reliance ic strength o Establish an economic agree- upon professional leadership ment with the owners of Wa- terside Mall

49 Panel nteyytbers lohn Alschuler (left) and Andq Barnes with ynall owner Second, the CMO should Charles Bresler (riqhtl provide the professional re- sou rces n ecessa ry to complete the assignment within 60 days The coordinator should have ac- cess to (1 ) experienced develop- ment professionals who are skilled in financing and implementing large, complex urban redevelop- ment projects, and (2) the design professionals i needed to refine the preliminary design concepts presented in this report and to produce reliable cost estimates for implementation

A NEW DEVELOPMENT ENTITY

Produce a financing plan for re- It would also provide access to To accomplish the tasks set development of Waterside Mall more favorable credit to assist out, the new development entity and the Scuthwest waterfront residential cooperative and must have the powers, regulatory u s ing private capita I as th e condominium owners in fi- tools, and concentrated rescurces driving force, supplemented as nancing necessary improve- to implement the plan The panel necessary by Community De- ments to their properties The recommends the following powers, velopment Block Grant (CDBG) f u nd wou ld a lso help water- responsibilities, tools, operations, funds, tax increment financing front businesses with faqade and governance functions for the (TIF), Intermodal Surface Trans- improvements and other nec- proposed Southwest Neighbor- portation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) essary physical improvements hood Development Corporation funds, transfers of development to therr properties. rights (TDRs), and other rede- Two actions are necessary RESPONSIBILITIES velopment financing tools to support the work of the coordi- Outline the process for the nator The SN DC is responsible for: condemnation of the neces- First, it is important that the ( I ) supporting the redevelopment sary rights-of-way and street CMC establish a So uthwest Neiqh- of Waterside Ma ll; ( 2 ) spurring realignments, including Fourth borhood Redevellpynent Task Force lts the redevelopment of the South- Street, Maine Avenue, and members should include represen- west waterf ront; (3 ) devising Water Street tatrves from the necessary District methods to link the community After consultation with neigh- agencies, including the Office of anchors for better residential and borhood and business leader- Planning, the Department of Hous- regional use , (4) marketing the ship, propose within 60 days ing and Community Development, area as a destination point for the mission, organrzational and the Department of Public new residents, tourists, and busi- structure, and powers of the Works; and representatives of nesses; (5) catalyzing public Southwest Neighborhood De- federal agencies, including the housing revitalization ; (6) stimu- velopment Corporation Office of Management and Bud- lating business development; (71 Produce a plan for a N eighbor- get,the Treasury Department, the developing and managing public hood Assis tance F und Th is f u n d General Services Admin istration, parking; and (B ) ensu ring the would assist current retailers the Department of Transporta- management of common areas in Waterside Mall with reloca- tion the Department of Housing The SNDC also creates and nran- tion assrstance and with ac- and Urban Development, the De- ages the Neighborhood Assrstance cess tc transitional financins partment of Defense, and the Na- Fund, which is described on paqe tional Park Service J7 of this report

50 TOOLS OPERATIONS . Updating the Southwest wa- terfront by building upon its The corporation has the fol- Initiaily, the SN DC can be existing character and points lowing tools available for its use: established as a 501(c)(3) corpo- of destination, such as the ( I ) eminent domain and condem- ration that would become a fully Fish Wh arf and Marina Provid- nation authority; (2) tax increment enfranchised subsidiary of the ing a new waterfront entertain- financing; (3 the ability to issue NCRC As the successor to the ) ment district to renew vitality nontaxable revenue bonds; (4) the Redevelopment Land Agency for o Spearheading multiuse devel- issue industrial develop- Southwest, the SNDC will as- 'tr;:-.,"l ability to i opment of the Southeast Fed- ' ment bonds; (5 a revolving loan sume the responsibility for the ) eral Center for residential and fund; (6) tax abatement powers; administration of all RLA leases other comoatible uses and (7) other forms of credit en- and property in Southwest hancement The first priority of the SNDC will be to assist developers in the GOVERNANCE transformation of Waterside Ma ll POWERS To expedite the decision- into a vibrant retail/communit5r making process and demonstrate The SNDC is envisioned as m eeting space-that is, in esta b- success to local resrdents and the economic development en- lishing a "Main Street" for South- businesses, the panel recom- gine for Southwest The corpora- west residents. mends that membership in the tion would exist for the duration A second priority will be to SNDC be predominantly com- of the bonds it would issue-40 build constructively upon the posed of Southwest residents years This body would have no neighborhood's dynamism by (1) and business owners and District taxing authority but would be ex- continuing and expanding efforts and federal government officiais, empt from federal and nistrict to strengthen local elementary such as the director of the D C taxes and estate, inheritance, and schools, assisting in space identi- Department of Housing and gift taxes fication and site preparation for Community Development and The SNDC would serve as a emerging charter schools, and the cabinet secretary's appointee contemporary bridge to complete linking local, regional, and nation- from one of the following federal the unfinished development ac- al employers with the neighbor- departments: the Department of tivities undertaken by the Rede- hood schools; and tZ ) assisting in the Interior, Department of De- velopment Land Agency under local employment and business fense, Department of Housing the Southwest urban renewal ef- opportunities, coordinati ng exist- and Urban Development, or De- forts of the 1960s lt would also ing business development pro- partment of Transportation In serve as a model of a neighbor- grams, and working with local addition, each of these agencies hood development agency that lenders to expand areas for busi- that are not on the board would could exist as a subsidiary of the ness f ina ncing have a secretary-designated rep- future citywide National Capital Other prioritres will be resentative as a mernber of the Revitalization Corporation ( NCRC longer-term and more compre- ) co rpo rat io n Further, upon the auth onzation hensive, aimed both at strength- The panel also recommends and appropriation of the NCRC, ening Southwest as a destination that several board positions be the SNDC would become the for reglonal visitors and tourists, reserved for business and civic economic development represen- and increasing the residential leaders in order to add a non- tative for Southwest among the population in Southwest Specific govern mentai perspective h igh-priority development areas ke1, obiectives will include, for the NCRC

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PRIORITY I: WATERSIDE MALL sources The likelihood of such Yard, all of which are located near funding will be enhanced by the residential sections of South- The Southwest Neighbor- commitments from local mer- west Whatever approach is used, hood Development Corporation chants to h ire Southwest resi- the goal will be to increase com- will assist the property owner in dents The SNDC would have the mercial activitv at Waterside Mall redevelopment efforts The SNDC's authority to ensure that the new key activities in providing such leases with the redevelopers en- PRIORITY 2: SOUTHWEST assistance will be to assemble courage targeted local hiring ln govern- WATERFRONT federal grants, District additicn, the SN DC can ensure ment funding, foundation assis- that neighborhood residents are The SNDC will be responsi- tance, and tax incentives to help given first priority in the owner- ble for establishing the design transform Waterside Mall into ship and management of the re- guidelines, program requirements, Southwest's town center The tail component of the town cen- and f inancia I incentives neces- goal will be to develop a neigh- ter A significant effort could be sary to redevelop the Southwest borhood-friendly retail pcint that made to establish community waterfront as an economic asset serves the diverse needs of participation in new business de- and recreational resource for Southwest residents and visitors, velopment and ownership. both the District and the neigh- including public housing resi' One alternative for the SNDC borhood In addition, the SNDC dents, middle-income srngles, would be to assist the property must assume responsibility for middle-income families, patrons owner to redevelop one of the the financing elements of the of Arena Stage, students at Waterside Mall towers into incu- core infrastructure lmplementa- Southeastern University, and bator space for startup business- tion of the redevelopment plan nearby off ice workers es, many of which could be con- will be the responsibility of a de- With its mixture of low-, tractors to federal agencies such velopment team designated and middle-income moderate-, as EPA, the FCC the Department th rough a n open , com petitive residents, Southwest may be eli- of Transportation, and the Navy process gible for funds from a number of

52 Basic infrastructure called crement financing (TIF) district THE NEIGHBORHOOD for in this plan includes any nec- should be established to en- ASSISTANCE FUND essary parking structures; the re- able the resultant increased alignments of Maine Avenue and property values to help sup- The Neighborhood Assistance Water and M streets; the recon- port public works, park im- Fund would facilitate access to figuration of surface parking; and provements, and if possible capital and credit in Southwest the construction of a new public other, related public and pri- to address three critical needs First, many of the residential de- park at Sixth and M streets along vate development pro j ects the waterfront A series of finan- velopments built during the 1960s process cial toois will be required for and 1970s urban renewal PRIORITY 3: now require substantial building- each element: RESIDENTIAL LIFE o The parking garage, if necessary, system replacements and other important maintenance and re- could be constructed with tax- The SNDC would also have pairs The fund would provide fi- exempt revenue bonds, though the m ission of economically and nancing for such improvements, the construction and operation residentially strengthening the including master metering, on of the garage should be the re- Southwest community by helping more favorable terms than are sponsibilities of the designated to meet the housing needs of the available f rom conventional developer existing population while provid- sources. Reduced interest rates o The street reconfiguration and ing opportunities for new resi- and more extended repayment the Beniamin Banneker Monu- dents The SN DC could increase terms would be provided mental Stairway and pedestri- the amount and enhance the types Second, the fund would pro- an access could be paid for and quality of housing by support- vide assistance to the existing with Intermodal Surface Trans- ing the redevelopment of a portion businesses along the Southwest portation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of the soon-to-be-vacated EPA waterfront Funding would be funds, Community Development towers as new housing for sentor available for any faEade alter- Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and citizens An assisted living facility ations and improvements neces- other federal funding sources, would be an option Other proiects sary to bring a property up to de- to be made available through might include the use of federal srgn standards consistent wrth the District government Re- grants to provide homeownership the character of the proposed wa- construction of the streets opportunities for Southwest's terfront entertainment and retail must be completed before the public housing residents Additional requirements waterfront retail and entertain- It is recommended that the district for working capital also could be ment development is occupied SNDC establish a marketing arm met the fund o The landscaped public park to promote the attributes of life through Finally, the fund would aid created by the realignment of in Southwest: the sense of com- the and future retail ten- Maine Avenue and M Street munity, the racial and economic existing ants of Waterside Mall Such as- could be paid for by ISTEA, diversity, the world-class theater, sistance would be provided to CDBG, and other public funds the waterfront recreation and mitigate the financial difficulties o Construction of the Southwest views, Fort McNair, highway and incurred during the reconstruc- waterfront retail and enter- transit access, and proximity to tion of the mall in its transforma- tainment district would most , the National Mall, tion into a town center. The fund appropriately rely on private and the downtown business dis- could also help in financing capital Public subsidy, if any, trict Marketing could target em- neighborhood participation in should be minimal A tax in- ployers, trade associations, and the mall's redevelopment. congressional staff.

,3 CONCLUSION

The panel found the chal- sou rces representative of the di- WATERFRONT |. lenges posed by the South- verse interests in the Southwest panel west community energizing in community, includrng residents The envisions a revi- therr ambitiousness The oppor- business leaders, political repre- talized Southwest waterfront with tunities for creating a new para- sentatives, alrd local and nation- approximately I 50,000 square feet of new restaurants, specialty digm for u rban neighborhood re- a I rea I estate experts Th e pa n e I development are truly exciting ln believes that the solutions devel- retail, and entertainment-related the ensuing decades since South- oped through this process are of development configured alcng a new pedestrian-oriented Water r,vest's urban renewal, much has historic proportions yet are ground- Street been learned about how cities ed in rea lity and are f inancially work and don't work The panel is feasible confident that the tools and The Southwest community is TRANSPORTATION know-how exist to do it right this to be congratulated for taking ac- time-to make the corrections tion regarding the departure of o More appealing and conve- that will enable a more livable EPA hefore any deterioration could nient street patterns with less and workable neighborhood for begin With such forward-think- land waste and better-used green all members of the community in g leadersh ip, th is com m u n ity space The opportunity exists to recon- wrll certainly achieve its ambi- o More convenient and safer nect the neighborhood with the tious goals parking for areas near the two wider fabric of the city and the re- Following is a summary of retail centers, Arena Stage, gion , lo expand econom ic tlre recommended new initiatives and Southeastern University growth, to capture new markets, for Southwest o New transportation and pedes- and to preserve and enhance the trian links connecting South- quality life west to the monumental ccre high of neighborhocd TOWN CENTER The scope of these chal- of the District of Columbra lenges required the panel to con- Panel members endorse a duct a thorough examination of substantiaily renovated and up- social political, economic, and graded town center, with a com- institutional factors that bear pletely new "Main Street"-orient- upon the existing circumstances ed retail center more than t0 and help determine the possible percent larger than today's retail sclutions Facts and opinions cenler were gathered from an array of

54 PROPOSED WATERFRONT CONCEPT

HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION New in itiatrves to strengthen lobs, education, and economic o Between 9J and 175 units of o A new, locally based public development new market-rate housing corporation to coordinate and o Livabi lity enhancements: i m- A program to renovate public lead the agenda for South- proved security, new recreatron- housing and provide home- west, helping to concentrate al amenities cultural evenIs ownership opportunities for private sector, local, and na- A new rdentity program and its current residents tional funding resources to related marketing in itiatives achieve breakthrough results fcr the area

55 ABOUT THE PANEL

WAYNE RATKOVICH les Employing major innovations CHARLES S. ACKERMAN PANEL CHAIR in architecture, engineering, and Atlanta, Georgia Los Angeles, California construction techniques, the com- pany is planning to launch an ini- Ackerman is chairman of Ratkovich is the founder and tiative to produce loft-style owner- Ackerman & Company of Atlanta, president of the Ratkovich Com- ship housing for middle-income a diversified rest estate firm spe- pany, a Los Angeles-based real households in urban communities. cializing in development, invest- estate development firm whose Ratkovich is tn his tenth year ment advisory services, commer- work is focused on the urban en- as a ULI trustee and is an emeri- cial brokerage services, and vironment The Ratkovich Com- tus trustee of the National Trust property management. The com- pany has completed a diversified pany for Hrstoric Preservation. He is a has developed more than portfolio of pro jects marked by member of the UCLA Foundation, 70 million square feet of office, creativity and quality Ratkovich past chairman of the Dean's Coun- retail, and residential proiects has sponsored projects ranging cil for the UCLA Graduate School over the last 30 years and has re- from high-tech industrial build- of Architecture and Urban Plan- cerved numerous awards for ar- ings to perform ing a rts centers. ning, and a past board member chitectural and design excellence Eight of his proiects have involved of the Greater Los Angeles Cham- Recently, the firm developed the the restoration of important his- ber of Commerce, the Central City frrst maior new housing project toric structures in Los Angeles, Association of Los Angeles, and in downtown Atlanta. including the Wiltern Theater, the the Downtown Women's Center. Involved in numerous civic Pellesier Building, the Ovratt Build- He is also a recipient of the Medici and educational comm ittees, ing, Chapman Market, the Fine Arts Award for his contribution to the Ackerman serves on the boards Building, and the Alex Theater arts In 1997, Ratkovich was award- of trustees of the Clark Atlanta Current projects include the ed the Parkinson Award by the University, the University of Pike, a 13.J-acre mixed-use de- USC School of Architecture for North Carolina Business School, velopment in Long Beach, and his company's contributions to and the Emory University Muse- Terminal Annex, an lB-acre site the urban environment um of Art and Archeology and is and 500,000-square-foot historic vice president of National ORT In building in downtown Los Ange- 1990, he received a presidential appointment to the Holocaust Memorial Council He is a gradu- ate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Emory University Law School

56 loHN H. ALSCHULER, f R. WILLIAM ANDERSON BARNES BRUCE M. HOCH, AIA, AICP New York, New York San Francisco California West Orange, New lerse5r

Alschuler is the president of Barnes, princrpal and founder Founder and princrpal of DCC Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler, of Barnes & Company of San Fran- Architecture PC of West Orange, Inc., and the partner in charge of cisco, organizes international ioint New Jersey Hoch is responsible its New York office He directs a ventures in Europe, manages real for project management, client broad-ranging consu lting prac- estate investments in the United contact, and conceptualization tice providing a high level of fi- States, and provides advisory/ ser- He also serves as director of de- nancial analysis and real estate vices and expert witness testimo- velopment advisory services for development expertise. He has ny He specializes in large-scale, DCC Corplan Consulting LLC, a advised a wide range of develop- urban mixed-use development leading location and develop- ment clients, including Maguire pro jects ment consulting firm A practic- Thomas Partners, Olympia & York, Serving as CEO of the Staple- ing architect for more than 1J the Oueens West Development ton Development Corporation, an years, Hoch has conducted feasi- Corporation, and the Empire award-winning public benefit cor- bility anaiyses and planning and State Development Corporation poration, Barnes was responsible design efforts for office buildings, He also serves as senior real es- for launching the comprehensive industrial parks, shopping cen- tate adviser to the Guggenheim redevelopment of Denver's former ters, public housing, military in- Fam ily Foundation Stapleton International Airport stallations, and mixed-use facili- In addition, Alschuler has into a new master-planned com- ties His extensive experience in advised a large number of public munity. Previously, Barnes led adaptive reuse has been h igh - agencies and officials, including the asset management and leas- lighted by the ccnversion of four the mayor of New York City, the ing team for Ghiradelli Square in obsolete office buildings in for- governors of New York State and San Francisco and served as ex- mer Soviet countries into new other states across the country, ecutive d irector of th e Pen n sylva - U S embassies and the government of Kuwait nia Avenue Development Corpo- Hoch is an active member of He is advising the governor of ration in Washington, D C, where the American Institute of Archi- Massachusetts on the restructur- he directed the 25-city-block re- tects, the American Planning As- ing and privatization of the na- development of Wash ington's sociation, the American lnstitute tion's second largest mass transit h istoric aven ue Previously, Barnes of Certified Pianners, the Nation- system. ln addition, he has served cofounded and served as presi- al Council of Urban Economic as the president of the Dan iel ls- dent of Broadacre Pacific Compa- Development, the lnternational land Development Corporation, ny, a real estate investment firm Association of Corporate Real Es- which has developed a communi- Barnes serves on the Univer- tate Executives the Nationa I As- ty of 4,000 homes in Charleston, sity of San Francisco Business sociation of Instaliation Develop- South Carolina Prior to joining School Dean's Advisory Council ers, and the National Trust for HR&A, Alschuler served as city the Yale University Real Estate Historic Preservation He holds a manager to the cities of Santa lnvestment Advisory Comm ittee, bachelor's degree in arch itecture Monica, California, and Hartford, and the Area Council Hous- from the New Jersey Institute of Con n ecticut. ing Action Task Force He has lec- Tech nology Alsch u ler teaches in the tured at Harvard Business School graduate program in real estate the University of San Francisco at Columbia Universitv and the Smithsonian Institution Barnes was a White Hcuse fellow and rs a graduate cf Yale and Harvard universities

57 R. McDUFFIE (MAC) NICHOLS PAUL OSTERGAARD, AIA Washrngton D C Pittsburgh, Pennsyl'ran ia Ostergaard is a principal with Nrchols is the senior program States Puerto Rico, and the U S manager for special prolects fcr Virgin Islands, as well as serving UDA Architects in Pittsburgh His the National Trust for Hrstoric as visiting technical adviser for numerous urban design projects Preservation's National Main revitalization groups in New Delhi, have included downtown strategic Street Center He develops new Madras, Cochin, Bombay, Pune, plans for the cities of Roanoke, in itiatrves and demonstration and Calcutta India for the Unit- Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and proiects featuring the economic ed States Information Agency He Pittsburgh He has devised urban advantages of the Main Street is a faculty member for the Main neighborhood plans for Charlotte, a pproa ch to com m ercia I d istrict Street Certification Institute in Ncrfolk, Baltimore, Philadelphia, revitalization H is current pro- professiona I downtown manage- and St Louis and urban design guidelines jects inciude a strategic partner- ment, has served as a visiting lec- for the towns of St ship with the lnternational Fran- turer at George Washington Uni- Ouentin and St Mard in France, chise Association, as well as versity on tourism and economic for Maui Resort Village in Hawaii, and for riverfronts com m u n ity-in itiated develop- Cevelopment, and has been a the of the cities ment of ccm mercial rea I estate featured speaker at economic re- of Pittsburgh and Portsmouth, He provides ongoing techn ical vita lization, downtown develop- Virgin ia Ostergaard developed assistance to the Maryland Main ment, and historic preservation the design guidelines for the resi- Street program, the Baltimore conferences across the country dential buildings in Disney's neo- new neighborhcod Main Street activi- N ichols was coauthor of Marketing traditional town of Celebra- tion in Orlando, Florida ties, and the LISC Main Street an ln4age for Main Street. lnitiative He also rs a consultant Before joining the National A winner of several awards, to the Srngapore Chinatown The- Trust, Nichols was director of the Ostergaard is a visiting critic and mat jc Zone Uptown Sumter Association in a former instructor in architecture Since icining the Main Street Sumter South Carolina Nichols at Carnegie Mellon University He Centersstaff in 1985 Nicholshas is a graduate of the University of is a member of the American In- provided techn ical assistance to Alabama, where he received de- stitute of Architects, the Ameri- lrundreds of revitalization pro- grees in political science and his- can Society of Architectural His- grams throughout the United tory, as well as a graduate degree torians, and the American Society in marketing and business ad- of Architectural Perspectivists m in istration Ostergaard is a registered archi- tect and a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon U n iversity School of Ar- chitecture and the Harvard Grad- uate School of Design

'B DEBORAH L. YOUNGER Cclu m bu s Oh icr E. AICP STEVEN SPICKARD, Younger is administrator of Sa n Fra n Ca I if o rn ia cisco the neigh borhood developnrent Spickard is senior vice presi- division of the city of Columbus She rs responsible for directing LAWRENCE H. PARKS derit of Econom rcs Research As- (ERA) tn San Francrsco the development plannrng eval- Satt Francisco Cal iforn r.r sociates l--le advrses pclicymakers on the uation, and implementation of progranns and activities including Parks is the sentor vrce pres- \.r\,de'r,e.lr v \_ l\rvr lr-lmenl r r\- | r L ;ndL,4 l r\J oneratiOn\rv\- l Of neighborhood revi talizatrcn, cen - ident ancj director of legisiative col^rl rnercr a I entertar n ment cc)m - anci regulator.v policy for the Feti- plexes museurns, conventiorr tral-city commercral strip rede- erai Flome Loan Bank oi San Fran- centers and other attractions veioprnent affordable houstng delivery and rehabilitatron ser- cisco Pricr tsr Join ing the FFILB- Current projects inciude feasibili- SF, Parks was an assistant to thc' t)'assessrnents for a 3 nriilion- vices, impiementation of capital projects, SeCretafi, and directoi' oi strategic square-foot rn ixed-use conn plex improvement and social resronal srcwth anci finance for an entertainment center rn lr,lani- services delivery systems Younger the Department oi Commerce la an urban museurn/expenence is responsible for formulating and the city s housing He was the secretary of ccm- attractron for the Cratef u I Dead coordrnating in itiatives and policres and over- merce's chief policy adviser on .r nd sir proposed developments regionai growtii economic devel- along the riverfront in Portland sees loan programs designed to u private rn opment mrnonty business and Spickard is also rvorkrng strnr late rnvestment decl i n i ng neighborhoods f inance issues He led the Clinton on a study for an educational vis- Previously, she was program acirn i nistration's Cal iforn ia eco- itor altractron rn San Francisco manager for Columbus's econom- nom ic reccriefv effort, establ isl-r - tirai vv,ou ld involve a Marine ic development division, direct- r rrg n u rnerous publ rcz'private part- L-L'a rn ing Center at Fort Mas()n ing econorn ic pro- nerships inclLrding LA Trade;rnd crn the San Francisco Ba5, developrnent Bay Trade Recent pro jects include the gra m s rnanaged asset and wcrking loan programs, in- Before worl

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