Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells joined Mayor Adrian Fenty today to announce a major step in the development of the Reservation 13 – Hill East site. The District released to developers the Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) – a first step to garner proposals for a master developer of the property.

“Today marks a day long in the making. But even with the excitement of today’s milestone, we still have our work cut out to prove to this neighborhood that the city intends to make good on its promise of redeveloping Reservation 13,” commented Tommy Wells.

Plans call for Hill East Waterfront to be transformed into a vibrant, mixed-use urban waterfront community in accordance with the Hill East Master Plan that was worked on and approved by the community over many years. This new waterfront community will connect the surrounding Hill East neighborhood to the Anacostia waterfront via tree-lined public streets, recreational trails, and accessible waterfront parklands.

Wells added, “The call today is to bring in a master developer -- one that will honor and recognize the Reservation 13 Master Plan that the ANC and Hill East community spent years developing. I am looking for a developer that will bring the river back into our lives, creating neighborhoods with residential, retail and green space; building with an eye toward sustainability and the highest of environmental standards.”

Responses from potential developers are due August 1, 2008 and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development reports that they will work with the ANC and neighborhood during the vetting process before a finalist is chosen.

Wells summed up the project, “This is a once-in-a-generation project that will leave its mark for literally hundreds of years to come and transform the way this neighborhood relates to the river.”

For more information about this project, please click on the following links:

- Read the RFEI and other supporting documents

- Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development description of the site and plans:

- Office of Planning description of the site and plans

Local media with write-ups and reviews: 

- Washington Business Journal

- DCmud blog