DC Creates Zone for Akridge’s $1B Burnham Place

WASHINGTON, DC-The DC Zoning Commission has created the Union Station North Zone District, which includes Akridge's proposed three-million-square-foot mixed-use development, Burnham Place at Union Station. Akridge owns 14 acres of air rights above the railroad tracks immediately north of Union Station, and plans to develop an office, retail, residential and hotel complex there.

But this is only the first of many milestones that will be necessary to bring this roughly $1-billion project to fruition, Akridge VP of development David Tuchmann tells GlobeSt.com. The project will have to be delivered in phases, for starters, and the timing and scope of these phases have yet to be determined. “We hope that by early next year we will be able to announce more details about the product type for each phase,” Tuchmann says.

The company also must work with Amtrak to coordinate development so the trains can remain operational. The railway is expected to finalize its Master Plan development within months. “At the same time, though, we have to balance that with delivering marketable buildings--we don’t just want to deliver buildings in the middle of a construction site. There have been pedestrian paths, streetscapes and so on,” Tuchmann says. The company is loathe to break down construction costs beyond the expected $1-billion total for the project. “We are still trying to figure out the construction techniques,” he explains.

As for pre-leases, those are just a concept right now, although Tuchmann does say the company has heard from large users who are interested in the unparalleled access Burnham Place will offer both local commuters and regional business travelers. “I think when we get to the point where we can define for the brokerage community specific timelines and product types, we will see a big pop in interest,” he says.

The new zoning lets Akridge move forward with design plans. It replaces the site's previous industrial zoning, allowing building heights that range from 90 feet to 130 feet, as measured from the H street bridge, which bisects the property. The Zoning Commission also established a design review process for the project, requiring it to incorporate a mix of uses, including housing units and ground floor retail space. Akridge’s goal is to begin infrastructure construction in 2014.

Architectural firm Shalom Baranes Associates is leading the design of the development and the oversight of its complex engineering and construction planning.