The Wharf Will Begin Construction in March

• February 11, 2014
• 8 Comments

by Lark Turner

Rendering of The Wharf.

Developers left the ANC 6D meeting on Monday night with a palpable sense of relief: The Wharf is really, truly getting built.

The massive 3.2 million square-foot, $2 billion dollar Southwest Waterfront project will include extensive pedestrian waterfront development, 650 apartments, 225 condos, a 280-room hotel, 140,000 square feet of retail, 220,000 square feet of office space, 135,000 square feet of cultural space and 1,325 underground parking spaces, when all is said and done.

Getting the project off the ground, however, has been a long process. Last night, the developers unveiled the following timeline:

The Wharf’s proposed schedule for Phase 1, courtesy of The Wharf DC. Click to enlarge.

The Wharf DC team plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in late March (it was originally scheduled for January, but delayed due to permitting and other issues). Locals might not notice construction has commenced until June, when the project will “pick up steam pretty rapidly,” said The Wharf DC’s Gary Ball. Construction on the first phase of the project is expected to finish up by late summer 2017.

ANC attendees seemed most concerned about the shuttering of the Channel Inn and its Pier 7 Restaurant, which will be the new headquarters for the The Wharf’s construction and development team. Both Channel Inn and Phillips Seafood on Water Street have been given notice and will have to vacate by sometime in May. (Cantina Marina will continue to do business during construction.) Developers said Phillips has signed a lease elsewhere in the city, and Jenny’s may live on in a smaller space in the Channel Inn.

But more people will likely be affected by traffic changes resulting from the impending closure of Water Street and other closures coming later this year and next. The development team said they’d been in three meetings with DDOT discussing the traffic flow issues in the last week alone.

More coverage of The Wharf below:

• The Design of DC’s Tiny Homes on The Wharf
• ANC Votes Against Current Plans for The Wharf

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/construction_to_start_on_the_wharf_in_march/8112

8 Comments

1. JES said at 8:24 pm on Tuesday February 11, 2014:
   So where's Phillips going? Also, I love the name of the fake restaurant in the rendering, "Draffiato." Meant to conjure images of Graffiato downtown, perhaps?

1. Payton Chung said at 9:04 pm on Tuesday February 11, 2014:
   Phillips signed a lease at the L'Enfant Plaza "underground" mall. Thanks for sharing the detailed timeline, even if things don't go vertical until mid-2015.

1. Hattie McDaniel said at 9:31 pm on Tuesday February 11, 2014:
   How many times has the building with the reddish facade in the top picture been built in the metro area? 20? 25? Please hire some original architects.

1. 202_cyclist said at 10:25 pm on Tuesday February 11, 2014:
   What will happen to King Ribs?

1. Colin said at 12:13 am on Wednesday February 12, 2014:
   Love the cobblestone!

1. Chet Wrinkleschmidt said at 9:33 pm on Wednesday February 12, 2014:
   This is why public imput should be limited: "ANC attendees seemed most concerned about the shuttering of the Channel Inn and its Pier 7 Restaurant, which will be the new headquarters for the The Wharf’s construction and development team." seriously? Those eye sores/dumps? I can feel the food poisoning from a mile away.

1. Skeptic said at 3:15 pm on Sunday February 16, 2014:
   So when did they get financing (and for what)?

1. janet said at 9:20 pm on Friday May 9, 2014:
   today 5-9-2014 i drove down to the warf this morning for some crabs.so i got a chance to get up close and personal,oh and by the way i was born in washington,dc.this morning i took a good look at what is happening to dc.it is really growing and yes it is a big change.i love it !!