REDEVELOPMENT

LOCAL NEWS
THE 3-MINUTE
Waterfront visions
Capitol Riverfront Connect Anacostia Riverwalk trail to Buzzard Point, more mixed-use residential development near river, more than a dozen restaurants expected over next two years. Southwest Waterfront Mixed-income housing, an arts center and several hotels are planned. Widen/lengthen marinas, public space/vistas at Ninth, Seventh and Water streets, redesign area around Fish Market similar to Seattles Pike Place. Alexandria Waterfront Redevelop North & South Robinson Terminals, connect/ enhance existing park space to create riverwalk, create public plaza with retail at base of King Street.

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T H U R S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 1

Waterfronts around region set for big changes INTERVIEW

By Liz Farmer
Examiner Staff Writer

David Treadwell
David Treadwell is executive director of the Central Union Mission, which, at 127 years old, is the oldest social service agency in the city. The agency has been doing Christmas gift drives for years, but has expanded its program this year to keep up with a sharp increase in demand because of a still-limping economy and high poverty rates in the District.
How long has Central Union Mission been giving gifts to children on Christmas? We can trace it back to 1920 we have pictures of Grace Coolidge with the children around 1920. Weve been doing childrens work since 1917. We take 400 children to camp for free for a week in the summer. We do back-to-school, Easter and Christmas drives for children. We also have a long-term shelter program for men, and then we do food. Last year we gave away 400,000 bags of groceries and served 60,000 hot meals. How many gifts [did] you give out this year? About 3,000 1,000 to mission children, 2,000 to other nonprots that dont have the collective system we do. Theres a lot of partnerships. When people think about the homeless, the image that comes to mind is not necessarily a child. Does the District have many homeless children? The fastest-growing portion of the homeless in the District are children and families. Its hard to pinpoint an exact number, but you can easily say theres 1,000 homeless children on the street on any given night. Forty percent of the homeless in the District are children and families. And our concern is not just homeless children, but its also children in poverty. ... A big part of our contribution is taking away the added burden of trying to provide Christmas for kids. What do you personally get out of the Christmas gift drive? Were called by a Christian purpose for all of this, compelled by faith to serve the poor. It is our faith that guides us and directs us to do this. Aubrey Whelan

For the past two decades, major cities nationwide have redeveloped their waterfronts, attracting major new businesses and generating billions in revenue while Washingtons miles of underused waterfront property sat untouched. Heading into 2012, several area waterfronts along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers are poised to join the revitalization movement but some projects face a tougher road than others. In the District, development is coming to areas that have a history of being overlooked by the city. From the ballpark neighborhood in Southeast to the sh market in Southwest, area residents in the coming year will begin to see real signs of a long-promised rebirth of those neglected areas. But farther south in Alexandria, residents are pushing back against a planned development on the historic waterfront because they are worried the project will destroy the port towns character. The biggest changes are coming to the Capitol Riverfront along the Anacostia River, where Washingtonians have griped about slim entertainment offerings to supplement Nationals Park ever since the ballpark opened in 2008. Now, 12 restaurants are slated to open in 2012 and more than 1,000 residences are scheduled to be nished over the next two years, including a high-prole, mixed-use residential property across the street from the ballpark. The former industrial area is expected to take on the look that other cities like Baltimore and Pittsburgh achieved with their ballparks. Retailers are the last into any market and weve been waiting a while, Michael Stevens, executive director of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District, said recently. But I think its about to pop. In Alexandria, though, the sour sentiment toward development from some of Old Towns well-heeled residents has stymied the ambitions of city planners. Andrew Macdonald, co-founder of Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan, said some residents feel Alexandria is too focused on adding revenue generators to the waterfront. We have a Colonial spirit it behooves us to build upon that, he said. Dont [build] things that block people from the river, dont put things that destroy the historical perspective. The city council has scheduled a hearing and vote for January on an advisory report containing recommendations from a citizen work group. However, still left to hash out

T H E WA S H I N G T O N E X A M I N E R

GRAEME JENNINGS/EXAMINER

D.C.s Southwest Waterfront is among the areas poised for redevelopment.

Other waterfronts spur billions in investment

The urban trend of redeveloping formerly industrial waterfront space was en vogue long before D.C. jumped on the bandwagon in the 1990s and targeted land along the Anacostia River for redevelopment. Baltimores revamping of its Inner Harbor, begun in the 1970s, was one of the nations rst modern day waterfront revitalization projects designed to spur growth. Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992 as the rst retro ballpark in the country, capped off what had been a decadelong effort to bring new residents and businesses to the citys formerly industrial waters. Pittsburgh followed in similar suit around the turn of the century with PNC Park and its own industrial waterfront revitalization. Such projects bring new life to long-forgotten sections of cities. Tom Murphy, an Urban Land Institute expert and former mayor of Pittsburgh in the 1990s, said the development brought new businesses to the Rust Belt town like American Eagles new headquarters and formerly worthless sites are now generating revenue for the city. Theres a huge value in it, he said. We have had now in Pittsburgh, on old industrial sites, literally billions of dollars of new investment. Major redevelopment in D.C., however, can become complicated because of the citys unique position as the nations capital. Developers of the Southwest Waterfronts dealings include but are not limited to the National Capital Planning Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Congress and the District zoning board. Theres always been that problem of property ownership, said Murphy. But its a huge untapped potential, I think, for Washington.
Liz Farmer

NEWS IN BRIEF Five-vehicle Metrobus crash kills one

One person was killed in a ve-vehicle crash involving a Metrobus that closed down Rockville Pike in both directions late Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. At least 12 people were injured, and Montgomery County police spokeswoman Ofcer Janelle Smith said one of them died. The crash happened about 4:15 p.m. just north of Cedar Lane, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. A J9 Metrobus apparently swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle in the other direction, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said. Both lanes of Rockville Pike were closed down, with trafc backed up for a mile or more. Kytja Weir

Everybody opposes development because they dont want more trafc. ... And sometimes the issues are not addressable because people just oppose change in general.
Tom Murphy, an expert with the Urban Land Institute, on Alexandrias proposed waterfront development

next year are the most polarizing issues: how much density and development should be allowed; whether to allow hotels; and how to pay for the revitalization. Tom Murphy, an expert with the Urban Land Institute, said Alexandrias proposed development differs from D.C.s plans in that its happening in an area thats already an upscale attraction.

Everybody opposes development because they dont want more trafc, Murphy said. And change is difcult sometimes. ... And sometimes the issues are not addressable because people just oppose change in general. Back in the District, a third planned revitalization on the Southwest Waterfront is making headway after winning zoning approval for the rst stage of development. Once a

thriving port, the Southwest Waterfront fell into decline and became home to poorer residents in the 1900s. Then in the 50s, the Southeast/ Southwest Freeway development isolated the area from the rest of the city. The District years ago designated redevelopment of the waterfront a priority. But the process has gotten bogged down in the bureaucracy associated with obtaining land from the federal government and obtaining approval from local and federal authorities. I could give you a list as long as my arm of all the people were dealing with down here, said Shawn Seaman, a project director for the waterfront. Seaman said project planners should get the go-ahead to break ground late next year.
lfarmer@washingtonexaminer.com