“Norton’s Southwest Waterfront Redevelopment Bill Passed, Groundbreaking Expected in January”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today celebrated House passage of her Southwest Waterfront redevelopment bill (H.R. 2297), which is now headed to the White House for President Obama to sign into law. The bill clarifies the legal status of property at the Southwest Waterfront in order to allow the District to move forward with a major redevelopment project that will include 2.5 million square feet of hotel, office, retail, and residential space, as well as clear the way for increased maritime activity there. Norton expects the issuance of a permit by the fall, and the groundbreaking in January.

“This is a major economic development bill for the District of Columbia,” Norton said. “The bill allows the District to move forward with a 21st-century vision for the Southwest Waterfront, the most valuable underused asset in the District. Restrictions on the District’s own land have long prevented the city from putting the Southwest Waterfront to its best use, driven down property values, and deprived residents and visitors alike of a vibrant waterfront. In the end, the city will have a world-class Southwest Waterfront to match the Southeast Waterfront, now called The Yards, being redeveloped from our prior bill. D.C. residents will have access to jobs and small business opportunities to build a new waterfront as well as to thousands of permanent jobs that will come with the new mixed-use Southwest Waterfront. Our city will get millions of dollars in new tax revenue annually.”