Crews break ground on $1B DC mixed-use project

Dive Brief:

Developers broke ground this week on a Washington, DC, project that will transform 66 acres of a historic military medical campus into a $1 billion mixed-use project, according to Commercial Property Executive.
Adaptive reuse of historical buildings will feature heavily into The Parks at Walter Reed. The project will include 2,100 for-sale, for-rent and affordable housing units; up to 250,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store; 185,000 square feet of office space; a hotel and conference center; 30,000 square feet of art and cultural space; two language-immersion charter schools; and 20 acres of open space
The project will also include 116,000 square feet of space for the Howard University Hospital, according to Curbed Washington DC. The entire development has a 10- to 15-year timeline for completion.

Dive Insight:

Adaptive reuse — the process of converting something that's lost its usefulness into something that a new generation can enjoy in a different, more productive way — is at the heart of The Parks at Walter Reed. Such projects are attracting interest as the reuse of materials and entire buildings is a core tenant of sustainable design and construction.

The District has seen a spate of mixed-use development in recent years, including The Wharf, a $2 billion mixed-use project on the Potomac River waterfront that will feature office, retail and residential space, as well as the city's first pier-top office building, Pier 4.

Local Major League Soccer team D.C. United has included residential in the design of its new, $300 million stadium, and the development has spurred preliminary plans for another mixed-use project across the street. When complete, it will feature 485 residential units and more than 70,000 square feet of retail space.

The District's suburbs have also seen their share of development. A 31-acre, $650 million Lantian Development mixed-use project in Rockville, MD, will deliver 100,000 square feet of retail, 200,000 square feet of office space, and more than 1,500 for-rent apartments, with 12.5% designated as affordable. The development will also include a hotel and 300 townhomes.

And in Ashburn, VA, construction is underway on the Gramercy District "smart city" development. When complete, developers say, residents and those who work in the district will be able to use their smart phones and other connected devices to interact with their surroundings. The project's first phase is slated for completion in 2018.