The Southwest D.C. Neighborhood Guide

D.C.’s smallest quadrant has been making an outsized impact on the city’s commercial real estate market.

Courtesy of Southwest BID
The Recreation Pier At The Wharf

Since so much of its land area is dedicated to military bases, parks and memorials, Southwest D.C. has only about half a square mile of developable area. But within that little arc between the Potomac River and the National Mall are Buzzard Point and The Wharf, two of the fastest-growing districts in the Washington metropolitan area.

Buzzard Point, once an industrial backwater, is seeing a burst of interest thanks to the opening of Audi Field, the new home of D.C. United, Washington’s Major League Soccer club. The area benefits from its proximity to Nationals Park and developers, who have owned much of the land on Buzzard Point for years, finally seem ready to build.

Meanwhile, to the north, The Wharf is setting records. The waterfront development has secured Washington’s largest-ever construction loan for its second phase, which is set to deliver 1.15M SF, including apartments, hotel rooms, condominiums, public piers, parks and recreational areas.

With some of the Smithsonian’s most popular museums on its north edge and the Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials to its west, Southwest D.C. has always drawn in tourists. The next decade will determine how the area is able to redefine itself not simply as a showroom, but as a thriving residential and office neighborhood.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register

Join us at Bisnow’s Southwest D.C. Surge to speak with the developers, tenants and local officials powering the Southwest’s transformation. Register here.

Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Washington, D.C. Newsletters
Related Stories

Suburban D.C. County Weighs Microhousing As Affordability Salve

Salesforce Plans Innovation Hub Downtown: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Master Plan Is Underway For Southwest D.C., Chief Federal Planner Says

BXP Execs See Better Returns In Building Offices Than Buying Them

The Las Vegas-Style Sphere Just Outside D.C. Is A Go

The 'Zombie' Building Mirage: How Owners Who Can't Transact Are Stirring The Market

Coffee Shop Signs Lease At Downtown Trophy: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Oliver Carr Jr.'s Firm Sells Alexandria Project To His Son's Company

Bill Barr's Law Firm Expands Footprint In Move To Pennsylvania Avenue

Amazon Ditches Ashburn Data Center Plan, Shifts To Mixed-Use Vision

Bowser Wants To Lock In A $550M Spa Before She Leaves. D.C. Council Members Are Pushing Back

Downtown Conversion Lands Construction Loan: The D.C. Deal Sheet