The Capitol Riverfront is a
business improvement district (BID) located just south of the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
between
Capitol Hill and the
Anacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
It was created by the
District of Columbia City Council and approved by Mayor Fenty in August 2007. The BID is a
mixed-use
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...
neighborhood. It was a former industrial area transformed into a business center, urban neighborhood, entertainment district, and waterfront destination. The project involves adding over 9,000 new apartments, condominiums, lofts, modern office towers, 1,200 hotel rooms, one million square feet of retail amenities, two grocery stores, new restaurants, shops, and cafes. Over 33,900,000 square feet (3,150,000 m2) of office, residential, hotel, and retail space, as well as four new parks, were planned over 10–15 years. The new riverfront
Yards Park opened in fall 2010.
The BID is governed by a board of directors composed of twenty property and business owners and seven non-voting community stakeholders.
The BID's FY2009 budget was approximately $1.5 million and was funded by an assessment that applied to commercial property (including land and parking lots), residences of ten or more units, and hotels.
Transportation
The Capitol Riverfront is served by the
Navy Yard – Ballpark and
Capitol South stations on the
Washington Metro system. The neighborhood is also served by
I-395 and
I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville
* Interstate ...
and by a circulator bus route to
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, and it is a 10-minute taxi ride to
Reagan National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...
.
A riverwalk provides a path for people to walk, run, or bike on along the banks of the Anacostia River. The trail exists to the eleventh street bridge and behind the
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and Weapon, ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy.
The Yard currently serv ...
. Upon completion of
Yards park in 2010, the Navy opened the riverwalk trail behind the Navy Yard to the public.
History
Key points in the history of the Capitol Riverfront include:
* The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative was adopted by Mayor
Anthony A. Williams and the District Council in 2003 to advance the river's clean-up and identify opportunities to increase access to the river and target new areas for development.
* The consolidation of
Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters operations at the Navy Yard campus.
* Location of the
U.S. Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
headquarters opened in 2007.
* The location of
Nationals Park
Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major profe ...
(opened 2008), the home of the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
baseball team.
Historically, the Anacostia River, along the banks of the Capitol Riverfront, was once a deep water channel, burgeoning with natural resources and home to the Nacotchtank Indians. In 1791, L'Enfant designed the plan for Washington D.C. and, recognizing the assets of the Anacostia River, located the city's new commercial center and wharves there. In 1799, the Washington Navy Yard was established in the area. It was the nation's largest naval shipbuilding facility for several decades. Today, the Washington Navy Yard is the Navy's longest continuously operated Federal facility.
The Navy Yard was a bustling nautical center during the nineteenth century and played an integral role in the area's development. The lively wharf was a hub for jobs, serving ships with lumber and raw materials for the growing city. It also played a key role in defending the city from the British invasion in 1812. Surrounding the wharves was an extensive commercial district, light industrial businesses, and one of the city's most significant neighborhood communities. As the city and nation evolved, the Navy Yard changed from shipbuilding to producing finished ship products and weapons ammunition. By the mid-1940s, the Navy Yard and the expanded Annex area reached peak production with 26,000 employees in 132 buildings on of land.
However, during the last century of the city's growth, the river had deteriorated. The pollution of the river diminished its value as an asset to the city. After WWII, the Navy Yard consolidated its operations to a smaller campus, which slowed the economic and neighborhood activity of the area. Around this same time, the elevated portion of the
Southeast-Southwest Freeway was completed, creating a physical barrier for access to the River. The combination of these and several other factors led to the river and the riverfront neighborhoods becoming neglected.
References
External links
Capitol Riverfront BIDJDLand - Capitol Riverfront neighborhood blog
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Neighborhoods in Southeast (Washington, D.C.)
Anacostia River
Business improvement districts in the United States
2007 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Washington Navy Yard