After Delays, Ground Breaks on Waterside Mall Project

By Alejandro Lazo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 2, 2007; Page D08

A long-delayed, multimillion-dollar plan to turn Waterside Mall in Southwest into a pedestrian friendly, mixed-used project broke ground yesterday, with a ceremonial gold-painted wrecking ball taking its first chunks out of the old shopping center.

The project, on Fourth and M streets SW, is intended to revitalize the waterfront area with 1.2 million square feet of office space, 1.2 million square feet of residential space and at least 110,000 square feet of retail space. The project will also reconnect Fourth Street, which used to run through the middle of what is now Waterside Mall.
"We are excited about reconnecting Fourth Street, about new retail, new business opportunities, new residential units," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) said minutes before the wrecking ball dropped.

The $800 million project was put on hold in January 2005, when mortgage financier Fannie Mae pulled out of a plan to move office space there. Development plans were rekindled again in December 2006, when two District government offices agreed to lease 500,000 square feet in two new buildings.

Source: Washington Post. View Article.

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