A new mixed-use development is coming to Southwest DC’s Buzzard Point, developer Akridge tells Washingtonian exclusively. The project will be the largest yet for the area, and will add a connection between existing waterfront destinations the Yards and the Wharf.
Buzzard Point was until recently dominated by industrial and government uses. In 2020, the first residences began opening there, including condo building Peninsula 88 and luxury apartment buildings Watermark and RiverPoint. But Akridge’s forthcoming project will dwarf those in size. Called “the Stacks” (after the smokestacks of the neighboring Buzzard Point Power Plant), the development will comprise two city blocks, and 2 million square feet. Construction of the first phase is expected to begin in 2022, though Adam Gooch, senior vice president of development for Akridge, says it’s premature to speculate about when it will be completed.
At full build-out, the Stacks will include 2,000 residences, 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, as many as two hotels, up to 250,000 square feet of office space, and a 15,000-square-foot park. It will be built on what is currently an open parking lot. Gooch says a pedestrian path will curve through the heart of the project, helping connect areas to the north to the riverfront. The Anacostia riverwalk trail will also run past the development, offering a direct route for pedestrians and cyclists to both the Yards and the Wharf.
Gooch says the design of the Stacks was inspired by other DC neighborhoods, such as Georgetown, Capitol Hill, and Adams Morgan. “A lot of it has to do with the scale of those neighborhoods and the materials of those neighborhoods,” he says. “You see these brick townhouses—it’s these warm, earthy materials.” At the Stacks, he says Akridge will apply similar materials “in a more modern way.”
Unlike the Wharf, Gooch says the Stacks will be oriented toward residents, rather than visitors. He anticipates the retail will comprise a mix of comfortable cafes and restaurants, and neighborhood services like a dry cleaner and bike shop. Akridge is only about halfway through the design phase, but Gooch says there’s an emphasis on making sure residential units have easy access to open space. He anticipates that coming out of the pandemic, apartment dwellers will continue to value a connection to the outdoors—and at the Stacks, they’ll also get panoramic views of the water.
Here’s a look at renderings of what’s to come.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
