Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will speak at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of a 450,000 square-foot development project in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood at 2:00 p.m. at 99 M Street SE. The development of the new parcel resulted from Norton's Southeast Federal Center Public-Private Development Act of 2000, which allowed private sector development of federal land for the first time. Norton wrote the unique legislation, launching a new direction in federal land use, to benefit the District as well as the federal government. This parcel, located north of Nationals Park, will consist of residential, hotel, and retail units and is another major step toward the activation of the Capitol Riverfront area.
"The Capitol Riverfront was perhaps the most valuable brownfield in the United States before our Southeast Federal Center Public-Private Development legislation was enacted in 2000," Norton said. "Today, it has become an entirely new D.C. neighborhood and one of the fastest growing areas in the city. Capitol Riverfront not only created a new section of the city, but has opened the river to the city, compounding its own value. With each new project, we are closer to achieving the full economic renaissance we envisioned when Capitol Riverfront was a wasted asset on the waterfront more than a decade ago. Capitol Riverfront, which has restaurants that seat customers near the river, housing with terrific views, and office space, is already a go-to section of our city. Ballpark Square will fuel the continued development of the Southeast Washington community through new jobs, investment, and tax revenue for the city."