It came courtesy of Mayor Vince Gray. His impassioned speech during the groundbreaking of this massive project to revitalize the Southwest Waterfront included an admission of how much money the District has invested in the $2 billion project to this point ($198 million) and a plea that the construction and permanent jobs created by this project go to D.C. residents. Then at the climax of his speech Gray said, "Can you imagine people swimming in the Potomac River? That day will come, ladies and gentlemen!"
Riiiiiight. And the Streetcar will be running two months ago.
Nobody is arguing that The Wharf won't be a huge game changer for Southwest D.C. Deputy Mayor Victor Hoskins claimed that The Wharf will make Waterfront a bigger destination than both Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Oxon Hill's National Harbor. Developers Monty Hoffman and David Brainerd translated their vision of a complete community where people can live, eat at quality restaurants and go to jazz concerts. All of that may have seemed unbelievable in a neighborhood primarily known for its public housing projects in the 1970s. But people actually being able to swim in the Potomac? If you say so, Mayor Gray. In the meantime, we have photos from today's groundbreaking and a few renderings of the project in the gallery above.
· All Coverage of The Wharf [CDC]
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