Norton to Discuss Transformation of the Southwest and Southeast Waterfronts, Tonight
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) tonight will discuss her bills that have enabled the redevelopment of the Southwest and Southeast Waterfronts in the District of Columbia at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of PN Hoffman, the lead developer of The Wharf. With the unique revenue limitations imposed on the District by the federal government, much of Norton's economic development work has focused on transferring federal land to the District for redevelopment. Norton's work has brought millions of dollars in new tax revenue to the District government annually, and millions more in revenue are being generated for jobs, housing, retail and leisure, eating and recreation spots.
"Land transfer bills are among the hardest to get passed in Congress, especially for parcels in the District, given the several committees that have jurisdiction over land in D.C.," Norton said. "The Wharf was perhaps the most difficult of my economic development bills, but Monty Hoffman is making this monumental redevelopment look easy. Monty quickly got Phase I built, now being enjoyed by residents, with Phase II well on the way."
Norton introduced two bills that were necessary for The Wharf, which is bringing millions of square feet of mixed-use development to the Southwest Waterfront, to begin. One bill clarified the District's ownership of the Southwest Waterfront and removed use restrictions on the land. The other bill redesignated part of the water designated by the federal government as the Washington Channel for increased boating and waterside activity. Norton worked with two different committees on a parliamentary maneuver to combine the two bills into one bill, which was signed into law (P.L.112–143) in 2012. The developers of the project adopted the name "The Wharf," which is what the Southwest Waterfront was called when Norton's great-grandfather came to Washington in the 1850s as a runaway slave.
Another Norton law, the Southeast Federal Center Public-Private Development Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-407), has enabled the redevelopment of the Southeast Waterfront. The Norton law allowed private-sector development of federal land for the first time. The result is The Yards, which is bringing millions of square feet of mixed-used development to the Southeast Waterfront.