RFPs Sought for West End Development

WASHINGTON, DC-Continuing its push for private-public development in all corners of the District, city officials have put out a RFP for its latest project: the library and fire station in the city’s West End submarket. A small but dense area situated between Georgetown and the CBD, the West End is one of the city’s best addresses, especially for mixed-use and residential build-outs.

Mayor Adrian Fenty acknowledged as much when announcing the bidding, along with Councilmember Jack Evans. “These are some of the most valuable development sites in the District of Columbia.” The city’s expectation, he says in a prepared statement, is a project that will deliver additional housing and neighborhood-serving retail as well as community facilities on the parcels. The Mayor’s office did not return a call to GlobeSt.com in time for publication.

The focus of the project will be the rehab of the two-story library at 24th and L streets and the fire station, located at 23rd and M. Both are over 40 years old. The District also wants to redevelop 23rd and L, where the MPD Special Operations Division is currently located. A winning bid will have planned for the ongoing operations at both the library and fire station during the redevelopment.

The District has several similar projects underway. It is currently, for example, reviewing proposals to redevelop the former Stevens School, a historic building at nearby 21st and L streets. Another example is the Janney Elementary, located near Albemarle and Wisconsin, which the city is rehabbing for $9.8 million with Freelon Group and Forrester Construction. The District also recently selected E Street Development–a group that includes Potomac Investment Properties, City Partners and Adams Investment Group–to build a 500,000-square-foot mixed-use development around a new fire station. In this project, though, the existing fire station is located two blocks away from the $200 million project, at 450 6th St., SW.