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Buzzard Point Rises by Michael Stevens
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ike much of the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood, Buzzard Point is undergoing a substantial transformation from a former industrial backyard of DC to a growing mixed-use subarea of this riverfront community. Buzzard Point is yet another chapter in the “proof of concept” that residents want to live on or be proximate to the water if given the opportunity. Imagine 10 years from now driving across the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge towards Capitol Riverfront and seeing a new neighborhood to your left on the banks of the Anacostia. The bridge is actually bracketed by new buildings as the old Florida Rock concrete plant site to the right has been completed with an office building and either a new hotel or residential building. You will see the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail along the river’s edge pass under the bridge and connect the SE portion of Capi-
tol Riverfront to its SW companion – Buzzard Point. You will also be greeted by the Memorial Oval, a 4+ acre open space that offers active lawn space suitable for concerts, movies, and other activations, and will one day be home to a new national memorial or monument. The oval offers much needed “green relief ” and stunning views of the US Capitol for residents on both sides of South Capitol Street, and a premier business address for new offices that can front on the oval. Potomac Avenue, SW offers the best access into the Buzzard Point neighborhood and your view is immediately captured by Audi Field, home to the DC United soccer team. The stadium has also become the hub for a variety of programming and community activities for the surrounding neighborhood. Potomac Avenue is lined with residential and hotel buildings that offer ground level neighborhood support retail.
Watermark apartments which delivered in 2020. Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Riverfront BID
South of Potomac Avenue has become a high density, mixed use neighborhood as was envisioned in the Capitol Overlay Zoning District and the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) Framework Plan. The DC Office of Planning also developed the Buzzard Point Urban Design Framework Plan that envisioned and planned for a new riverfront neighborhood. While residential is the dominant land use with approximately 6,000 units having been built, there are also hotels and office uses, with more restaurants, retail and a grocery store planned to serve Buzzard Point residents and the neighborhoods immediately to the north. It is a compact and walkable neighborhood that ties into the walking/biking paths of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail network.
A panoramic view of Buzzard Point at complete build-out. Rendering courtesy of Capitol Riverfront BID
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