Study area map.
The SW Ecodistrict will be a high-performance environmental showcase. Reservation 13, as shown, will be the new neighborhood’s primary park.
Success will be measured by an increase in neighborhood vitality coupled with a reduction in resources per capita.
A rendering of what 10th Street, SW might look like (looking south towards Banneker Park).
Background and Context
The 2013 SW Ecodistrict Plan is a comprehensive and forward-looking approach to transform a disconnected and aging federal precinct into a highly sustainable workplace, cultural destination, and livable neighborhood. Launched in 2011, NCPC built the initiative on the aspirations of the Legacy Plan and vision of the Monumental Core Framework Plan, as well as executive orders to use federal workspaces more efficiently and to reduce energy, water, and waste use in federal buildings.
- Transform 10th Street, SW and Banneker Park into an inviting civic corridor connecting the National Mall to the waterfront.
- Identify new and improved parks and sites for cultural destinations.
- Re-establish Maryland Avenue as an urban boulevard and expand the rail corridor and L'Enfant Station to increase commuter transit capacity.
- Improve 7.9 million square feet of existing federal office space that accommodates 19,000 additional employees, and create up to 2.9 million square feet of new residential, retail, and office development opportunities.
- Achieve significant energy, water, waste, and stormwater reductions that result in lower federal operating and maintenance expenses and better environmental outcomes.
- Establish partnerships and governance structures to help public and private entities advance the plan over a 20-year timeframe.
Key Information
- Prepared by:
National Capital Planning Commission
District of Columbia Office of Planning
18 member SW Ecodistrict Task Force - Accepted: January, 2013
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Current
Multiple projects are underway in and around the study area, including:
- The temporary Banneker Park connection between it and Maine Street, SW.
- The relocation of the International Spy Museum to 10th Street, SW.
- The sale of the General Service's Cotton Annex Building located on 12th Street, SW.
- Reconstruction of the Virginia Avenue Tunnel.
- The Wharf development on the southwest waterfront.
- The Smithsonian Institution is considering significant redevelopment of buildings and land north of the site.
Additional studies and planning work were conducted including a stormwater infrastructure study, the SW Ecodistrict Addendum (2014) and the District's Maryland Avenue, SW planning work (2015). The SW Business Improvement District, created in October 2015, provides leadership to further the plan's public and private partnerships. The SW Ecodistrict is one of several ecodistricts under development in Washington, DC, creating significant opportunities to share strategies and best practices.
Plan Chapters
Overview
Vision, proposed land use changes, and how environmental and economic success will be measured.
Context
Previous planning efforts for the area and the SW Ecodistrict's relationship to federal priorities.
Neighborhood Framework
Objectives and strategies to revitalize the area organized by three categories: Civic Realm, Land Use, and Mobility.
Environmental Framework
Strategies for reducing energy, water, and waste in the SW Ecodistrict's future redevelopment.
Development Scenario and Focus Areas
Details on land use and energy, water, and waste usage for an aspirational scenario divided into four focus areas.
Successful Partnerships
A framework to coordinate, prioritize, and program future actions and projects to implement the SW Ecodistrict vision.
