Washington, DC – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today joined Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) Valerie Santos and the Ward 6 community to begin construction on a new three-acre public park on the site of the historic Washington Canal in Southeast. The Park is slated for completion in Fall 2011.

“Washington Canal Park will serve as a functional and fun space for the Ward 6 community,” said Mayor Fenty. “I am delighted that neighborhood residents will have an innovative and beautiful gathering place that can be enjoyed in any season.”

Formerly used to park school buses, the new Washington Canal Park sits on three blocks of city space adjacent to the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg mixed income community. It will feature a restaurant pavilion, winter ice skating rink, fountains as well as flexible lawn space for community events, farmers markets and outdoor performances.

The Canal Park project also promises to be a national model for sustainability, incorporating a number of green features including: storm water management systems that will reuse onsite and surrounding storm water, geothermal heating and cooling, electric vehicle charging stations and the use of emissions-free maintenance equipment. The restaurant pavilion expects to achieve LEED gold or platinum certification and the park project was chosen as a pilot for the national Sustainable Sites Initiative.

The District worked with the Canal Park Development Association (CPDA), a non-profit created to design, build and maintain the park. The approximately $20 million project is partially funded with a $13.5 million contribution from DMPED. These funds are being leveraged using New Markets Tax Credits provided by Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. CPDA, whose board is comprised of Councilmember Tommy Wells, and representatives from the DC Housing Authority, William C. Smith & Co., JBG, the Washington Navy Yard and the Capital Riverfront Business Improvement District, will utilize a $5 million endowment to maintain the park.
"With the development of great new commercial and residential areas, the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood continues its wonderful transformation," said Deputy Mayor Santos. "Canal Park will provide area residents with yet another enjoyable recreational space that links the community together and provides a bridge to the rich history of the site.”

Neighboring development projects include the Waterfront Station transit-oriented retail and office complex and the massive $1 billion mixed-use redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront.

Media Contacts

• Kate Stanton, (202) 727-2823