Court Ruling Advances Long-Awaited West Heating Plant Project

West Heating Plant Georgetown
A Rendering Of The West Heating Plant Redevelopment In Georgetown

The redevelopment of the West Heating Plant in Georgetown has faced a series of obstacles preventing it from breaking ground, but with a court ruling this week, it has cleared one of the final hurdles.

The D.C. Court of Appeals issued a ruling Thursday siding with the D.C. Mayor's Agent for Historic Preservation's approval of the project and rejecting the objections of the D.C. Preservation League, the Washington Business Journal first reported.

The development, a partnership between The Levy Group, Georgetown Co. and Four Seasons Residences, is planned to include around 70 condos and a public park at the intersection of 29th and K streets NW.

Levy Group CEO Richard Levy tells Bisnow he sees the ruling as a key step in the long process of moving the project forward.

"It’s now over seven years since we purchased it, not counting the years before we purchased it when we were doing research on it, so it’s been a long haul,” Levy said. “It’s nice after all that time to have such a clear and substantiated opinion.”

He said the ruling allows the team to begin some demolition and remediation work in the coming months. It comes after the Zoning Commission in September issued its written approval of the project, public records show.

The final steps before full construction include one last review from the Commission of Fine Arts, which approved an earlier version of the project, and then Levy must obtain financing and building permits.

"We're appreciative of the opinion and cautious because it's been a long haul, and we'll continue to be cautious until we have a building permit," Levy said.

Levy said he is confident in his ability to obtain financing because of the quality of the David Adjaye design, the Four Seasons brand and the Georgetown location.

"There is nothing like it in the Washington market from our perspective," Levy said.

Continue reading this story with a free account

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

Lawmakers Punt On Stripping Approvals From 15 Projects In Data Center Alley

Hines Spends $170.5M On Mixed-Use Portfolio In Dallas' Bishop Arts District

How UK Investment Giant L&G Plans To Grow Its U.S. Multifamily Holdings

Properties Owned By REIT Accused Of Fraud To Be Auctioned Off

Affinius Relinquishes Big Office Building Next To Capital One Arena

Major NYC Multifamily Firm Expands With Tech-Driven Operations

One Thomas Circle, The Elevated Workplace For The Way D.C. Works

Multifamily's Days As Commercial Real Estate's 'Golden Child' Are Over

Riverwards Secures $36M In Construction Financing For Philly Apartment Project

Lioncor Bets Ireland's Residential Reset Can Unlock A New Wave Of Capital

Structural Design Decisions Can Box Owners In. The Right Partner Can Help Them Make More Informed Decisions

How Miami Multifamily Developers Are Approaching Dealmaking Today