Muriel Bowser has overseen a development boom in her nearly 12-year run as D.C. mayor: the revitalization of massive waterfront sites and new neighborhoods sprouting up out of obsolete federal lands and industrial districts. In her last year, she set the stage for the largest of them all: an NFL-stadium-anchored neighborhood.

Before her tenure ends, she’s making a final push to set up one more project for success. Poplar Point, the District’s last major waterfront development opportunity, would be anchored by a $550M thermal bathing retreat.

But the presumptive new mayor is standing in her way. And some members of the D.C. Council have questions about the proposed use and are pushing back against Bowser's ambitious timeline.

“You're asking the Council to take a limited, now, amount of time to scrutinize a project proposal because it was sent to us late,” At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson told Bisnow. “So I don't necessarily feel any sense of needing to rush.” 

A major hurdle to Bowser's plan comes from presumptive D.C. mayor Janeese Lewis George, who is raising concerns specifically about Therme Group's proposed thermal bathing spa on a site she says should prioritize housing creation. 

Lewis George, who represents Ward 4 on the D.C. Council, heads one of the committees now reviewing two pieces of legislation that would move the project forward. But she told The Washington Sun earlier this month that she would not hold a hearing on them this year and will “wait until next year in some capacity.”

But such a delay could threaten the project. The Bowser administration and Therme, which was selected to build the wellness retreat a year and a half ago, say there’s no time to wait. 

“I always think that when you have a deal with a private partner, particularly at a time of economic uncertainty or volatility, then it's important to secure a commitment from a private partner as quickly as possible, and that is what we are doing,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert. 

Therme Group US Executive Chairman John Alschuler told Bisnow that his company hopes to break ground in three years and finish construction three years after that — around 2033. But time is of the essence, he said, and it’s imperative for the Council to pass the legislation this session, which ends on Jan. 2.

“Delay would create significant risk to the ability of the District to proceed,” he said. 

Road To 110 Acres Of Opportunity

Poplar Point, a 110-acre parkland that sits on the eastern bank of the Anacostia River, has long been envisioned as a future waterfront neighborhood, much like the Navy Yard or The Wharf.

In 2006, Congress passed legislation setting the requirements the District must meet to acquire the land, including environmental assessments and cleanup efforts and moving federal facilities off the site.

Over the past few years, the Bowser administration has accelerated efforts to kick-start the project. In August 2024, it selected HR&A Advisors as its owner's representative to guide the District through securing control and developing the site. At the same time, it put out a request for expressions of interest for a ​​“destination anchor” to take 15 acres of the land.

Therme, an Austrian-based thermal bathing company with plans to scale globally, had been looking for a spot in D.C. since 2023 to plant its first U.S. location. The company was the only respondent to that RFEI, Albert told Bisnow. At the Bowser administration's annual March Madness event in 2025, Bowser announced that the District had selected Therme to anchor Poplar Point.

“They have a vision of being on waterfronts, and they also have a knowledge of Poplar Point,” Albert said, noting that Therme was willing to agree to a site where there are still a lot of unknowns.

Therme’s D.C. effort has garnered support from more than 50 local organizations, many of which are in Ward 8, including the Anacostia Business Improvement District, Skyland Workforce Center, Martha’s Table and GoGo Museum.  

If it comes to fruition, it would be one of the first of 10 that the European company plans to build in the U.S. Another is planned in Dallas.

The rest of the mixed-use development at Poplar Point would span 25 acres. The remaining 70 acres, as mandated in the 2006 legislation, would be reserved for parkland.

Bowser's Final Push

On Sept. 30, the Bowser administration presented the council with two pieces of legislation to move the development forward and urged the body to pass them both during this legislative session. 

One bill is an intermediary step so the federal government can transfer the land to the District. The other would ground-lease 15 acres of the site to Therme. 

Bower’s push to get the Poplar Point development to the next goalpost before she leaves office comes at a fragile moment for the District’s finances. Commercial real estate tax revenues are dropping as office valuations plummet, and in the wake of the Trump administration’s workforce and budget cuts, the city is expected to lose 40,000 jobs in the next three years, according to D.C.’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer.  

The Poplar Point project is included in a legislative package intended to “drive economic growth and continue momentum in diversifying the city’s economy and creating jobs for DC residents,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office. 

And having Therme as the anchor could boost property and sales tax revenues that in turn could help build out the rest of the planned development.

“The strategy for developing out these mixed-use areas and especially new property has to include a revenue generator, and in order to pay for the infrastructure,” Albert said. 

The Poplar Point and Therme bills need to go through two different committees: Facilities and Human Services. Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, who chairs the Human Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing on both bills for Oct. 28.

A spokesperson for Frumin told Bisnow in an email that he will review the details and hear community feedback before making a decision on the bills.

“As the committee process unfolds, his priority remains ensuring rigorous Council oversight, transparency, and robust public engagement,” the spokesperson wrote. “The upcoming October 28 hearing provides a critical opportunity to hear public testimony and receive further details from the Executive.”

Lewis George, who chairs the Facilities Committee and who said she will not be holding a hearing on the bills this year,  told the Sun that she has concerns about the Poplar Point project.

“This is prime waterfront real estate that should be used to leverage the building of more affordable homes and the creation of good jobs,” she told the Sun. “The current proposal does neither. We must make this a better deal for District residents.” 

Lewis George declined to answer further questions from Bisnow, with both her council and campaign staffers saying she had nothing to add on the topic. 

Alschuler, who spoke with Bisnow before the Sun’s article was published, said he “fervently hoped” the bill would not be pushed to the next session. 

“We'll encounter that circumstance when we get to it, which I hope we don’t,” he said. 

Council Concerns 

The two bills are the first chance for D.C. council members to weigh in on the plan for Poplar Point, and some seem hesitant.

Bisnow reached out to all the council members on the Facilities and Human Services committees, as well as Chairman Phil Mendelson, who introduced the bills on behalf of the mayor. 

Henderson and Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker said they are both in support of transferring the land from the federal government to the District, but they have concerns about Therme.

Henderson said that although she believes Poplar Point needs an anchor and sees the District’s imminent need for investment, she isn’t convinced that the spa is the best option.

“Right now, I'm not hearing any residents clamoring for a spa. Give me a climb zone, give me my indoor playground. Where's The St. James of D.C.?” she said, referring to a health and wellness facility that includes saunas and fitness facilities in Bethesda and Springfield. The Springfield location has a waterpark. 

Parker hasn’t ruled out Therme as an anchor for the site but isn’t convinced it needs the 15 acres that the legislation dictates. He said he wants to learn more, but he’s mostly focused on ensuring the site is put to use for affordable housing.

He also said he thinks it’s important to pay attention to what Lewis George’s vision will be for the site. 

“The likely incoming mayor won with a pretty decisive vote, and while she's ramping up to stand up her government, I think a bit of deference is important here and is due,” he said. “She has espoused the vision for how she wants to expand housing across the District. Here is a site where she sees the opportunity to do that.”

In an emailed statement, Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder said he recognizes the potential of major development projects on jobs, investment, revenue and economic opportunities for D.C. residents. 

“At the same time, projects of this magnitude require careful consideration, transparency, and meaningful community engagement,” he said. “We must ensure that the anticipated economic benefits are supported by credible data, that public resources are used responsibly, and that potential impacts on surrounding communities are fully evaluated.” 

Mendelson, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who sits on the Facilities Committee, and At-Large Councilmember Robert White, who sits on the Human Services Committee, did not respond to interview requests.

Details Of The Deal

If the legislation is approved, Therme would enter into a 60-year ground lease, with a 20-year extension option, with the District for the 15 acres. But the first 20 years would be nearly free — at $1 per year. The bill outlines that the spa would be between 400K SF and 600K SF.

Alschuler said the company would pay for the spa project itself — $550M for the park and $850M total for site work — and is confident that it has the sponsor equity and will be able to supplement that with limited partners and debt. 

In 2025, New York-based Georgetown Co. bought a 25% equity stake in Therme and serves as its exclusive development partner for its 10 planned U.S. resorts. 

Other than the ground lease, the District has not yet offered incentives for Therme. But Alschuler said the project isn’t dependent on money from the District to proceed. 

“We have sought no tax exemption. We have sought no subsidy,” he said. “One hundred percent of the risk is on Therme. One hundred percent of the cost will be borne by Therme.”