Countdown to Opening Day
One of the most dynamic urban development projects in the nation’s capital to date, the Wharf D.C. will fuse conceptual retail and local chefs with experiential hospitality and entertainment, for the nine million residents within an hour’s drive from what will soon be considered Washington’s premiere waterfront destination.
Construction crews broke ground on the $2 billion dollar project in Spring 2014 to begin the process of re-developing over 24 acres of land along a one-mile stretch of the Potomac waterfront in Southwest D.C. With retail, hospitality, business and entertainment partners, along with residential leasing surrounded by green spaces and piers, PLACES took a look at what it takes to build one of the largest urban development projects on the East Coast.
The Wharf will bring 1,000 new permanent service jobs to the District, and generate $40 million annually in taxes.
Construction and Development
Since the 2014 groundbreaking, construction crews removed 30,000 truckloads of dirt from the site. Seven tower cranes are visible from any point of entry and exit near the site, reminding the 64 million annual vehicles on the adjacent 14th Street Bridge of the enormous undertaking and opportunity to re-develop a vital piece of land in southwest.
Residential, Retail and Office
The Wharf is comprised of 3.2 million square feet of residential, hotel, office, restaurant, retail and cultural space. It will feature 1,375 residences at VIO and 525 Water, 675 rooms in three hotels including Carr Hospitality Groups Intercontinental Hotel, Canopy by Hilton and Hyatt House, 335,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and 945,000 square feet of Trophy and Class-A office space. Wharf Hall, a live music and events venue will have the capacity to hold more than 6,000 people.
The Wharf has 10 acres of parks, open spaces and civic areas, 550 boat slips, 4 public piers, a 2,500 capacity below-grade parking garage, 1,750 bicycle parking spaces.
Sustainability
The Wharf is being designed to achieve LEED-Gold ND certification including 14 LEED-certified buildings, more than 5 acres of green building rooftops, 99% retention and recycling of The Wharf’s storm water, and a 250 kilowatt co-generation plant for heating, cooling and electric.
The benefits of cogeneration and solar are equivalent to removing 215 cars from the road, or 2,400 barrels of oil as a result of carbon savings.
The Wharf DC is slated to open on Oct 12, 2017.
