A 2.4 Million Square Foot Development at DC's Hechinger Mall?

• April 1st 2024

by UrbanTurf Staff

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The plan to redevelop DC's Hechinger Mall appears to be trying to come back from the dead. 

Owner Ashkenazy Acquisition announced last week that it is looking for partners to redevelop the 8.5 acre mall site east of the H Street Corridor at 1518 Benning Road NE (map) into a sprawling mixed-use residential development. 

"The proposed redevelopment plan envisages the creation of 2.4 million square feet of residential units, transforming the mall into a residential hub that meets the growing demand for housing in the area," a press release stated. 

If this plan sounds familiar, that is because it is not the first time that a redevelopment of the mall has been pitched. Seven years ago, nonprofit coalition H Street Main Street (HSMS) along with Great Streets DC and the Department of Small and Local Business Development presented a vision for a revitalized area around and to the east of the Starburst intersection.

Part of that vision included redeveloping the Hechinger Mall into a development with up to 2,100 residential units, over 200,000 square feet of commercial space, up to two acres of public open space and over 1,000 underground parking spaces.There seemed to be a good amount of community and developer support around the redevelopment plan, but it ultimately stalled.

UrbanTurf reached out to Ashkenazy for comment on the new development endeavor, but did not immediately hear back. 

Note: The rendering provided by Ashkenazy Acquisition was generated by artificial intelligence and not indicative of what the eventual development will look like. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/a_24_million_square_foot_development_at_dcs_hechinger_mall/22142.