The first office building is moving forward at The Yards, the 48-acre megaproject that has already delivered hundreds of apartments and new retailers to the Southeast D.C. waterfront.

The Brookfield development team, joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and other public officials, celebrated the groundbreaking Thursday on the Chemonics International headquarters building at The Yards.

The groundbreaking on the 300K SF office building represents the official start of The Yards' Phase 2. The second phase of the development is planned to include a series of new buildings on the 18-acre site bounded by First Street SE, M Street, New Jersey Avenue and the Anacostia River. It sits directly to the east of Nationals Park.

The development was previously spearheaded by Forest City before Brookfield acquired the REIT in 2018. The first phase of the development began with the opening of the 5-acre Yards Park in 2010.

The Yards has since welcomed five multifamily buildings, including two that opened last year, plus a 225-room Thompson Hotel that opened last month. It has also brought a host of new food and beverage offerings to the neighborhood, including Bluejacket Brewery, District Winery, Osteria Morini, Maialino Mare, Agua 301, Due South and Harris Teeter.

The next phase of the development is planned to include 1,200 residential units, 1.5M SF of office space and 150K SF of retail.

Chemonics, an international development consulting firm, signed on in April to move its headquarters from Downtown D.C. to a build-to-suit office building at The Yards. The firm plans to move over 1,000 employees into the building when it delivers in 2021.

“With long-standing roots in D.C., as well as their ongoing commitment to improving the lives of citizens at home and around the globe, Chemonics International will complement The Yards growing roster of leading, innovative partners as we continue to create a truly 21st century mixed-use neighborhood," said Brookfield Senior Vice President of Development Toby Millman, who joined the firm in March and is leading the development of The Yards.