Multifamily Development Waterline Gains Ground In Dumfries, Virginia's Potomac Shores

Next year is gearing up to be a pivotal one for Potomac Shores, a 1,920-acre master-planned community in Dumfries, Virginia. 

The community is set to welcome a train station in late 2027, which will provide access to the Virginia Rail Expressway, connecting commuters to Washington, D.C., and Alexandria on the Fredericksburg line. 

Potomac Shores is also expanding its housing footprint with a 622K SF multifamily development called Waterline, constructed by general contractor Coakley & Williams Construction. 

Located one block from the future VRE station, the five-story, transit-oriented development is designed as a wood-frame wrap structure around a multilevel parking garage, delivering a robust amenity program within the broader Potomac Shores master plan.  

CWC's project will feature 365 units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, along with more than 31K SF of amenity space designed to support a modern residential experience. Planned amenities include coworking and social spaces, a fitness center, a pool, and outdoor gathering areas with views of the Potomac River. The project will finish late next year.

Andrew McGeorge, senior managing director of Hines, the multifamily project’s owner and developer, said the development meets the high demand for housing in the region while giving renters fast proximity to employment hubs by train.

“We look for opportunities in emerging submarkets where strong fundamentals and transit connectivity support long-term demand,” he said. “At Waterline, the combination of waterfront access and future rail connectivity creates a compelling residential offering. We’re excited to be able to deliver it.”

When CWC came on board, the firm worked closely with Hines to review the project scope and ensure there were no gaps, while also procuring long-lead materials to maintain the project schedule, said CWC Multifamily Project Executive Dany Ramia. 

CWC met with stakeholders — including Hines, architect Lessard Design and the trade partners — for a weeklong work session focused on reviewing, revising and approving selections for procurement of materials to be ordered. That early alignment process helped streamline decision-making, reduce procurement risk and maintain momentum on schedule-critical materials.

Through its preconstruction and value engineering efforts, working with the owner and design team, CWC identified opportunities to optimize approximately 5% of the overall project costs while maintaining the project’s design intent and operational goals, said Pat McCrary, a senior leader on CWC’s preconstruction team.

“Our preconstruction process helped align the project scope and budget with the developer’s investment objectives from the outset,” he said. 

The team is utilizing pull planning and collaborative scheduling strategies to maintain alignment across trades and support an aggressive project schedule, McCrary said.

Before shovels hit the dirt, the team met with officials from Prince William County, where Waterline is located, to review the project’s expectations and establish clear communication channels. The team established proactive coordination with the county early in the process to align inspection expectations and support a predictable turnover strategy.

The project team is coordinating with the county on a phased turnover approach to support inspections and occupancy milestones, CWC President Gregory Harraka said. 

“Collaborating with the county and making sure our team is aligned on expectations for inspections ensures that the inspection process runs smoothly and we meet the intended schedule,” Harraka said.

Before construction began, CWC leveraged BIM coordination and digital modeling to validate constructability, improve trade coordination and reduce downstream conflicts in the field. Using integrated digital coordination tools, including Procore and OpenSpace, the team was able to compare field progress against coordinated models and strengthen real-time quality-control efforts, Ramia said. 

The project team prioritized early delivery of the precast parking structure to support overall site sequencing and maintain momentum across the broader development. It is currently working to get utilities in the garage.

With the units, McCrary said the team is building several on-site mockup units for Hines and the design team to ensure alignment on design intent, quality expectations and overall look before full production begins. 

“The process of creating sample units allows the team to align early with ownership and the design team, resolve details proactively and establish quality standards that can be replicated throughout the building,” McCrary said.

The team also collaborated closely with the structural engineer to modify courtyard access conditions, improving logistics for large material deliveries and future amenity installations without disrupting ongoing construction activities.

Currently, the building is being framed, with a focus on getting it weather-tight as quickly as possible to allow interior finishes and unit production to progress efficiently.

McGeorge said the collaborative approach between ownership, design and construction teams has been instrumental in maintaining project momentum and aligning execution with the broader vision for Waterline.

Harraka credits the project’s success thus far to the strong partnership between CWC, Hines, the design team and trade partners throughout preconstruction and construction. Most recently, Associated Builders and Contractors named CWC its 2026 Contractor of the Year. 

“Successful projects are built on transparency, alignment and strong partnerships across the entire team,” Harraka said. “Our goal is to bring value early, collaborate closely with ownership and design partners, and execute in a way that supports the long-term vision for developments like Waterline.”

The video below depicts drone footage of the Waterline development:

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and CWC. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.