It's one of DC's biggest development question marks: What becomes of Walter Reed? The city's point persontells us moving dirt may be far away but choosing a development partner is near. (You need to ask a girl to prom before inviting her to break ground.)

Walter Reed Local Redevelopment Authority chiefMartine Combal tells us her group could issue an RFP in mid-May to the five developers short-listed for the project, with selection hopefully coming in the fall. The other big hurdle, Martine says, is for the District to officially acquire the Walter Reed site. Depending on negotiations, she says that should be finished sometime in 2014. And while Martine says it's a bit early to discuss design, she can confirm that the project will encompass 3.1M SF (mostly residential) in a town center concept, with a possiblelarge format retailer. The five developers on the short list: ForestCity Washington, a Hines-Urban Atlantic JV, Roadside Development, Western Development, and a Quadrangle/Capstone/Wilkes partnership.