Approval from HUD, Clears Path to Negotiate Land Transfer of Walter Reed

Photo by PoPville flickr user Madame Meow

From the Mayor’s office:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins today announced that the Local Redevelopment Authority’s (LRA) Homeless Assistance Submission and Reuse Plan for the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center site was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on January 24, 2014. HUD’s approval clears the path for the LRA to negotiate an Economic Development Conveyance with the U.S. Army to transfer the property, and enables the Army to complete the Environmental Assessment required under the National Environmental Policy Act in anticipation of the transfer and redevelopment of the site. The LRA first submitted the documentation to HUD in July 2012.

“We are now one step closer to executing the vision for this site that has been formulated by the community over many years,” said Mayor Gray. “The redevelopment of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center will provide vital new housing accommodations for our veterans and seniors and shopping opportunities for our neighbors to reduce retail leakage in the area. It will also create jobs and provide many more amenities for residents, making this one of the premier destinations in the District of Columbia.”

In November 2013, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) announced the selection of Hines-Urban Atlantic-Triden Joint Venture as the master developer for the site. HUD approval represents another milestone in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, moving the District closer toward site transfer from the U.S. Army.

For over 100 years, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus housed the main U.S. Army General Hospital that served wounded soldiers and veterans. During the 20th century, the medical facility transformed as the city grew around it and new functions were brought to the campus, which became a necessary destination for high-profile visitors.

The LRA portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus is composed of 66.57 acres situated on the eastern half and southernmost area of the 110.1-acre enclosed campus located in Northwest Washington. The site is bounded by Fern Street and Alaska Avenue NW to the north, 16th Street NW to the west, Aspen Street NW to the south and Georgia Avenue NW to the east. The balance of the campus – 43.53 acres – is planned to be conveyed to the U.S. Department of State and was not a subject of the District’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking a master developer for the site.”