WASHINGTON, DC-Construction around Union Station is going to pick up considerably in the years to come, thanks to proposals from Amtrak to upgrade transit capacity at this hub, and the continuation of ambitious plans by Akridge to build out a new community atop the station yard.

Amtrak is proposing a $7-billion upgrade to Union Station that would reposition it as a high-speed rail hub for the region. The plan would include new platforms, trains and tracks that would double the existing transport capacity. Also making its debut Wednesday afternoon is the $1.5-billion three-million-square foot mixed-use development called Burnham Place that would be built atop the rail yards north of Union Station and that is integrated as part of Amtrak's overall Union Station Master Plan.

Burnham Place is still in initial planning stages, with the Union Station North Zone District created only a year ago. That said, the initial development projections for the project call for 1.5 million square feet of office space, more than 1,300 residential units, 500 hotel rooms and 100,000 square feet of retail. There will also be a linear park or "greenway" along the west side of the station—a half-mile long park with a walking path and bike lane that connects the NoMa neighborhood with Union Station and Metro.

Akridge has been pushing this project since 2006, when it purchased 14 acres of air rights over the Union Station rail yard. Last year, the DC Zoning Commission created the Union Station North Zone District, which also encompassed Akridge's proposed three-million-square-foot mixed-use development. The new zoning replaced the site's previous industrial focus, allowing building heights that range from 90 feet to 130 feet, as measured from the H street bridge, which bisects the property.

Architectural firm Shalom Baranes Associates is leading the design of the development as well as overseeing the engineering and construction planning.