Pentagram by Francis Chung
The dramatic changes coming to the neighborhood surrounding Fort Lesley J. McNair came into sharper focus March 28, as representatives from District of Columbia government, Major League Soccer club D.C. United and development firm Akridge briefed Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and National Defense University personnel on major development projects in Southwest Washington, D.C. that will directly impact the installation.
A 90-minute meeting held at NDU’s Lincoln Hall addressed the urban-renewal process that will, according to D.C. Office of Planning Deputy Director for Planning, Engagement and Design Tanya Stern, transform Fort McNair’s Buzzard Point from a “primarily industrial area” into a “medium to high-density mixed-use neighborhood.” The development will feature new residential, retail and commercial spaces; hotels; a network of public parks and Audi Field, the new D.C. United stadium which broke ground across 2nd St. from Fort McNair Feb. 27.
In total, approximately 9 to 10 million square feet of development are in the approval stage, under construction, or recently completed in Southwest D.C., according to Patricia Zingsheim, D.C. Office of Planning Associate Director of Revitalization and Design.
This will include up to 6,000 residential units, 60,000 square feet of retail space, 3,200,000 square feet of office space, and 1,000 hotel rooms in the immediate Buzzard Point area.
The meeting marked a renewed effort at communication and cooperation between Fort McNair’s various constituencies, city officials, developers and D.C. United as the long-envisioned reshaping of Buzzard Point starts to become reality.
“Buzzard Point has been developed,” JBM-HH chief master planner Peter Heerans said. “We really have to reach over the fence to see how we can incorporate … what happens inside of the gates with what happens outside of the gates.”
As evidenced during the meeting, the increased traffic brought on by the construction and future operation of the new developments is by far the issue of greatest concern to Fort McNair personnel.
“Where we’re really looking for some help is what can we expect in terms of impact of traffic flow on 2nd St. in particular,” said Col. Thomas Weikert, NDU staff director.
D.C. Office of Planning and District Department of Transportation officials sought to downplay worries about traffic bottlenecking in the area around Fort McNair, but acknowledged that a number of streets will be reoriented, with most changes taking effect around the summer 2018 opening of Audi Field.
2nd St. south of Q St. will be converted to two-way traffic with bike lanes and new sidewalks outside of Fort McNair’s eastern perimeter. The possibility of installing traffic lights at that intersection to facilitate ingress and egress from the installation’s 2nd St. gate was also broached.
First St. will be closed to vehicular traffic on D.C. United game days due to expected pedestrian volume. Team officials said most games will take place on Saturday evenings, and will be scheduled to avoid coinciding with baseball games at nearby Nationals Park.
Other streets around the stadium site will also undergo as yet unspecified reorientations, said Ketan Gada of the D.C. Office of Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
In addition, an entirely new Frederick Douglass Bridge – with traffic ovals on each end – will be constructed to replace the 67-year-old structure that carries South Capital St. across the Anacostia River.
The possible expansion of circulator bus routes between Buzzard Point and the Waterfront and Navy Yard Metro stations was also discussed, as was the potential for waterborne transportation along the waterfront.
As for the 20,000-capacity soccer facility that is the centerpiece of Buzzard Point’s redevelopment, D.C. United’s Vice President for Stadium Development Troy Scott and Turner Construction’s Tom Sawyer gave an update on the progress of Audi Field.
Drilling for the stadium’s deep foundations commenced this month. Pending expected approval of the requisite permit, steel superstructure erection will begin in May. The playing field will be installed beginning March 2018. Audi Field is slated to open for its first event June 2018.
Controversially, the stadium will be built with zero on-site parking spaces. Planners have repeatedly noted that they will encourage patrons to access the facility via public transportation, bicycles, and/or pedestrian routes.
Scott noted that stadium planners expect Potomac Ave. to be the main thoroughfare for pedestrians, as the Navy Yard Metro stop and most of the existing parking lots in the area are to the northeast in the vicinity of Nationals Park.
Potomac Ave. will also, along with First St., be the main passageway for concrete trucks and other vehicles that will service the stadium site during construction. In response to questions from the audience, Scott and Sawyer argued that using 2nd St. only as a secondary route and limiting construction traffic to three or four concrete trucks per hour should help minimize impact on Fort McNair.
The team also touted the amenities Audi Field would bring in terms of ground-level retail and restaurant developments that would “activate” the streets around the stadium. They highlighted the new parks and plazas around the facility that could serve the Fort McNair community, as well as possible events such as outdoor movie nights held around screens that will be installed on-site.
Sawyer briefly addressed the concerns about the environmental and public-health impact of stadium construction and operation which were a major point of contention during zoning hearings and community meetings, but he was not pressed on these issues by Fort McNair representatives.
Finally, representatives from Akridge expounded upon developments being planned for Buzzard Point’s southern tip, including residential/retail/office complexes at 100 V St. and the Old Coast Guard building. The latter will be renamed Riverpoint, and will feature a ground-level market similar to D.C.’s popular Eastern Market.
They expressed interest in learning more about Fort McNair’s master planning and possible forms of collaboration between the installation and Buzzard Point developers, such as temporary housing for students in new residential units, or usage of the stadium by Fort McNair or NDU on non-game days.
A number of parties involved in the March 28 meeting planned to reconvene for further dialogue during the Fort McNair Area Development Planning workshop April 4-7.