D.C.’s congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is trying again to get ownership of the channel along the Southwest waterfront transferred to the District from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Norton’s bill is part of a larger plan to redevelop the Southwest Waterfront, which includes extending the docks and increasing maritime activity there.
Norton introduced the bill this week in Congress, which stalled in the Senate after the House passed it last year.
“We need to get on with the underdeveloped Southwest side,” Norton said, adding, “I will move quickly to avoid further delay of the redevelopment by Congress.”
Transferring the Washington Channel to D.C. would allow the city to lure tourism vessels to the waterway and reap the tax benefits of that business. For example, the waterfront planners are contemplating building a marina that extends to the deeper part of the channel that would allow larger cruise boats to dock there.
“Larger modern docks for increased boating and waterside activity make the highest and best use of an undervalued and underused asset with incredible potential,” Norton said.
The Washington Channel is home to several marinas including Washington Marina, Gangplank Marina (the only liveaboard marina in the District) and Capital Yacht Club.
