June 2007

D.C. Zoning Commission Approves Square 54 Redevelopment

The District of Columbia Zoning Commission unanimously approved (5-0) the Planned Unit Development application submitted by GW and its development partners Boston Properties and Kettler to redevelop Square 54, the former GW Hospital site, as a mixed-use town center with office, residential, and retail uses.
The redeveloped area will provide community amenities, such as a
grocery store, a public courtyard, and pedestrian retail plaza; environmentally friendly design, including more than a half acre of green roof components; and affordable housing. The project aims to create a unique gathering place at the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station for the GW community, neighborhood residents, and visitors to Foggy Bottom and the West End, and will serve as a model of mixed-use, transit-oriented development.

“This project is a significant accomplishment for the University, its development partners, the city, and the neighborhood, which will benefit all stakeholders for decades through efficient, community-serving use of this key site at the ‘front door’ of our campus and the Foggy Bottom and West End communities,” says GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg.

The approval of the Square 54 project follows the approval of the joint D.C. Public Schools/GW School Without Walls PUD last December and the Foggy Bottom Campus Plan: 2006-2025 in March 2007.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu