Contrite Over Failed Urban Renewal, Washington D.C. Refreshes a Waterfront.

The Potomac waterfront in the southwest quadrant of the nation’s capital was once a symbol of urban renewal’s high hopes and then of its crushing failure. It is undergoing a significant redevelopment that promises to remake the little-used mile-long stretch along the river’s Washington Channel into a vibrant, mixed-use community.

Ground was broken in March, and, with six construction cranes towering above and excavation equipment operating below, work is well underway to remake the historic wharf, where Union troops landed in 1864 to save the city from the Confederates and generations of fishmongers hawked seafood fresh off the schooners and smaller workboats unloading there.

The Wharf, as it is being called, is the developer PN Hoffman’s “magnificent opportunity to undo the urban renewal legacy of the past and recreate the Southwest Waterfront as a great world-class destination,” according to the project’s website. This would, it has been widely acknowledged, be a notable accomplishment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/realestate/commercial/washington-dc-refreshes-a-waterfront.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-middle-span-region&region=c-column-middle-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-middle-span-region