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CONSTRUCTION ON BENJAMIN BANNEKER PARK PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE ACCESS PROJECT BEGINS AHEAD OF THE WHARF’S OCTOBER 12 LAUNCH

Friday, September 8, 2017
The developers of The Wharf in partnership with the National Park Service and the District of Columbia government begin construction on a $4 million neighborhood investment that will improve pedestrian connections from the National Mall to The Wharf

District Wharf

Hoffman-Madison Waterfront (HMW), the master developer of the $2.5 billion, world-class mixed use waterfront neighborhood The Wharf, along with the National Park Service (NPS) and the District’s Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), announce a $4 million investment in neighborhood connectivity for DC’s Southwest quadrant.

The investment from the District and HMW will transform Benjamin Banneker Park, an 8-acre site administered by the NPS, located between I-395, Maine Avenue and 9th Street, which commemorates the African American scientist, surveyor and author who assisted in the survey of the original boundaries of the District of Columbia. The new park improvements will include a stairway connecting the National Mall through L’Enfant Plaza (10th Street) to Maine Avenue SW, two new ADA-compliant paths, a new bicycle lane around Banneker Circle, updated landscaping and lighting, and stormwater improvements. Construction begins in September 2017. SWBID will maintain the improvements with NPS once complete.

“The start of these improvements is exciting – it means we will soon have safe pedestrian and bike access to and from the Southwest Waterfront to our National Mall,” said Brian Kenner, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “It has long been one of our goals to connect these two areas of the city and improve the infrastructure to allow visitors to easily access all of the new features of the Southwest Waterfront and the iconic sites of Washington, D.C.”

Through a public-private partnership, which includes a $2 million grant from DMPED and as well as additional resources provided by HMW, and in coordination with NPS, the new neighborhood improvements will address the city’s need for pedestrian and bicycle access between the National Mall area and the Southwest Waterfront.

“The National Park Service is pleased to partner with the District of Columbia and Hoffman-Madison Waterfront to provide a connection to The Wharf through Banneker Park,” said Sean
Kennealy, acting superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. “This project not only provides a safe, functional and aesthetically pleasing walkway between the National Mall and the new waterfront development, but it will also highlight an often overlooked memorial to Benjamin Banneker and his contributions to D.C.’s early history.”

“Since being selected by the city in 2006, we have been looking forward to the day we would be able provide true access to the amazing waterfront here in the nation’s capital,” said Monty Hoffman, Founder and CEO of PN Hoffman. “As we approach the kick-off to The Wharf’s grand opening, we are proud to announce working with our partners NPS and DC to increase waterside and landside connectivity ranging from a regional water taxi system that opens this fall to increased pedestrian and bicycle access through Banneker Park.” PN Hoffman will oversee construction in coordination with NPS.

“When we began working on the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront, connectivity was always top of mind. The Wharf will attract a broad cross section of Washingtonians with its incredible mix of offerings including public piers, parks, docks, water transportation and specially curated retail," said Amer Hammour, Chairman of Madison Marquette. “The Banneker Park Stairway will improve access for visitors and allow pedestrians and bicyclists new pathways (and ramps) from the National Mall area into The Wharf's waterfront neighborhood.”

The new connectivity additions to the Southwest Waterfront are the most recent part of the redevelopment resulting from the public-private partnership with the DMPED and HMW to transform the eastern bank of the Washington Channel into The Wharf neighborhood. The improved Banneker Park infrastructure will be completed by the spring of 2018.

The Wharf
The Wharf, developed by Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, is a $2.5 billion, world-class, mixed-use waterfront development centrally located on the Potomac River, along the historic Washington Channel. Situated along the District of Columbia's Southwest Waterfront and adjacent to the National Mall, The Wharf stretches across almost one mile of waterfront on 24 acres of land and more than 50 acres of water from the Municipal Fish Market to Fort McNair. When complete, it will feature more than three million square feet of residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, and public uses including waterfront parks, promenades, piers and docks.
Led by PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette, the development group is comprised of ER Bacon Development, City Partners, Paramount Development and Triden Development. The first phase of The Wharf opens in October of 2017 and will celebrate with a six-month long series of events and public activities debuting on Thursday, October 12.

More information is available at www.wharfdc.com.

Contact:
Sofia Royce, BrandLinkDC
o. 202.733.5223 c.352.328.1489
[email protected]