A $425 million plan to cover the intersection of Interstate 395 and Massachusetts Avenue’s web of paved roads and freeway signs with a hub of offices, retail and residences is nearing reality.
Called “Return to L’Enfant,” the development would pave over the cavern created by I-395 between First and Second streets Northwest, reconnecting the eastbound and westbound F and G streets, as Pierre Charles L’Enfant had designed in Washington’s original master plan.
The development would total 2.1 million square feet, completely submerging the currently open section of freeway. The latest plans call for four 12-story office buildings with ground-floor retail and one residential building. The Jewish Historical Society also would be moved to the complex.
The development is set to go before the city zoning board in December for its first phase of building. The developer has been working with the community and transportation officials for the past year to get the proper allowances for the site and for community approval.
“We like fact that the street grids are being put back and we like the mix of commercial, retail and residential,” said Rob Amos, chairman of the presiding Neighborhood Advisory Commission’s Planning, Zoning, and Environment Committee.
“It’s not just going to be an area that closes down at night — it will be vibrant for us,” he said.
Next month, the Transportation Planning Board is set to vote on adding the project to its long-range master plan for the region.
In August, the D.C. Council passed a measure allowing for the “redevelopment of the center leg freeway,” which included a payment plan for the developer, Louis Dreyfus Property Group. According to the act, the air rights for the coveted space less than one mile from the Capitol are valued at about $60 million.
The project’s estimated cost is $425 milion and is expected to break ground in June, according to the Washington Economic Partnership. The estimated completion date is 2016, and the development could generate more than $1 million a year in property tax revenue, according to a fiscal impact statement.
The idea of building over the freeway has been floated before. In 1988, Mayor Marion Barry championed the idea and turned over development rights to a developer. But legal issues mired the plans, costing the District hundreds of millions in tax dollars.
