Offices, Housing, Hotels? Plan B Floated For Remaining Parcels At DC's Reservoir District

• October 21st

by UrbanTurf Staff

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One of the developers of DC's Reservoir District is seeking new uses for roughly 1 million square feet of approved medical space on two undeveloped parcels for the development off North Capitol Street.

In a recent zoning filing, Trammell Crow requested to modify the 2018 approval for plans at two parcels at the former McMillan Sand Filtration Site (map). That approval currently allows only healthcare uses: an 875,000-square-foot building on Parcel 1 and a 173,000-square-foot building on Parcel 3.

The developer says that plan is no longer workable. The anchor healthcare tenant for Parcel 1 terminated its lease in 2022 and no replacement has emerged. Trammell Crow also points to obstacles ranging from surging construction and interest rates to a shift toward smaller, more dispersed medical facilities.

So what would it build instead? Possibly a lot of things. The proposal opens both parcels to a variety of uses including medical, college and university, office, institutional, entertainment, lodging, and residential (just no single-family homes or flats). Parcel 1 gets a two-track design process. If a user wants something close to the approved building, it can tweak the design without going back to the Zoning Commission. For a full redesign, which could even mean multiple buildings, the plans would go through the Historic Preservation Review Board and then a Zoning Administrator referral that gives the Commission 45 days to weigh in. 

Trammell Crow is quick to point out what it’s not asking for: no added height, density, or lot coverage, and the required retail (15,000 square feet on Parcel 1, 3,000 on Parcel 3) stays put. If apartments are built on either parcel, 20% of the residential space would be affordable. After hearing from local ANCs and community organizations, the developer agreed to ban nightclubs, cannabis dispensaries, and liquor stores as potential uses.

The road for Reservoir District has been a long one. After decades of legal fights, Vision McMillan Partners, the joint venture of Trammell Crow, EYA, and Jair Lynch, bought the land for $17.3 million in 2022. The first pieces then opened. The city’s Reservoir Park Recreation Center and Aquatic Center and a 6.2-acre park opened in 2024, and EYA’s 146 for-sale townhomes were unveiled last summer. Jair Lynch’s second phase is still ahead, with roughly 266 more apartments, including 141 affordable senior units, plus perhaps the most anticipated part of the development: a grocery store. 

Trammell Crow's request for a modification will go before the Zoning Commission in the coming months.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/offices_housing_hotels_plan_b_floated_for_remaining_parcels/25119.