Jan. 18, 2005

GW Seeks Input for Future

University to Work with Community and Office of Planning to Help Define Development of GW Within Foggy Bottom

The George Washington University has been working with the District Office of Planning (OP) since spring 2004 to help design a community-based planning process to understand and evaluate the future development of GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus within the context of the surrounding Foggy Bottom/West End area. The goal is to solicit input on GW’s future development in collaboration with key stakeholders — Foggy Bottom/West End residential and business communities, OP, city government officials, development partners, and the University.

GW, in consultation with OP, has retained a planning consultant, Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects (EE&K), to conduct a campus and community study, a key element of the planning process. The study will begin this month and is expected to take six months to complete. EE&K, along with a professional facilitator hired with input from community members, will coordinate and engage the stakeholder involvement and solicit community views and goals.

“GW is committed to working with OP and responsible stakeholders,” said Louis Katz, executive vice president and treasurer. “Specific to the old hospital site, it’s crucial to first study the potential land use in the context of both the University’s campus and the District’s urban development goals.”

Engaging key stakeholders early on and throughout the process is a primary objective. The facilitator will ensure a broad range of community interests and concerns are shared and project information is public and accessible. Significant community involvement is critical to the integrity of the process of studying potential land uses in the context of the broader area surrounding GW and the Foggy Bottom/West End neighborhood — the western part of the “Golden Triangle” commercial area north of Pennsylvania Avenue, the largely federal area south of E Street, the Kennedy Center area, the international financial area to the east, and connections to the Georgetown waterfront to the west.

EE&K, whose recent work includes the Reweaving the City: The Kennedy Center study presented to the National Capital Planning Commission, has background and experience with that part of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

“This kind of visioning by the community and the University can lead to powerful new ideas and help to grow the neighborhood in a way that improves the quality of life for all,” said Matthew Bell, the EE&K principal in charge of the project. “We are pleased to be part of the effort and look forward to an exciting and engaging process with real results.”

GW Selects Partners to Develop Options for Former GW Hospital Site
GW signed a memorandum of understanding with Boston Properties and its residential partner KSI Services, Inc. to study and implement development options for the site of the old GW Hospital at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and 23rd St., NW. As part of the memorandum, Boston Properties and KSI will be actively involved in the community-based planning process for GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Office of Planning.

“GW evaluated solid proposals from four development groups, and the Boston Properties/KSI team emerged from the selection process as the strongest partners,” said Katz. “We believe they are uniquely qualified based on their mixed-use development experience nationwide and their commitment to DC and the West End. Boston Properties and KSI have a long history of and are committed to creating vibrant and economically viable mixed-use urban development projects.”

Boston Properties is uniquely qualified in first-class, mixed-use development projects within urban neighborhoods. Among its most recent projects is the one million square foot expansion of the Prudential Center in Boston, considered one of New England’s most successful retail, residential, and office complexes, integrated effectively into the “Back Bay” area of Boston and its surrounding residential and university communities.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu