By Southwester Staff
Brookfield Properties announced plans last month for Phase II of The Yards in Navy Yard. In a press release dated Feb. 16, the real estate services company unveiled a plan for 3.4 million square feet of development, mixed-income residential offerings, a “main street” stretching between the Navy Yard metro and Diamond Teague park, and more. Brookfield hopes work will begin later this year on the development they intended to become the “premier waterfront neighborhood in DC,” according to the company.
Phase II is being designed by architects including Selldorf, SHoP, Leong Leong, and more, who Toby Millman, Brookfield’s Senior Vice President of Development, called “some of the best architects in the world.” Millman said the second phase will reshape Capitol Riverfront “into a true downtown” by creating a “distinctly 21st-century mixed-use neighborhood.”
The new development will deliver more than 1,260 multi-income residences, 20% of which will be “affordable at 50% area median income (AMI), which all buildings have achieved,” Millman told The Southwester. Working with “local and minority-owned businesses is a priority for our restaurant and retail teams,” Millman added. Brookfield hopes Phase II will excite “the community and visitors alike.”
Yards Place, the “main street” leading from the Navy Yard metro station, “will be curb-less, cobblestone and pedestrian-oriented,” according to the press release. The “shared street” will “provide a safer and more convenient route to the water for bikes and pedestrians,” Millman added in an email to The Southwester. The DC government has plans to extend bike lanes along New Jersey Ave and 1st St. SE into the new development, and Brookfield “will be adding new Capital Bikeshare stations to accommodate expected demand,” Millman said.
The firm chose “biophilic” design elements for Phase II, meeting LEED Gold standards and incorporating solar energy, a plan which Millman said is meant to “meet high standards set by the industry and the District of Columbia.” Mayor Bowser’s initiative to increase renewable energy in DC is one Brookfield is “proud to be a part of,” Millman commented. Phase II is also designed according to “wellness considerations following COVID-19,” the press release said.
The designers and architects Brookfield chose stated, “One of our top goals is to create more public green space for everyone to enjoy at The Yards. Yards Park has only grown more popular in the past year as the community looks to enjoy more open-air spaces, and the designers and architects…are working with that in mind. We are also working to reclaim and revitalize waterfront park space, including a new 40,000 SF park, so more folks can enjoy outdoor recreation at The Yards.” Millman said he hopes “more folks can enjoy outdoor recreation at The Yards.”
Brookfield is a global developer that operates more than 650 properties worldwide. The firm emphasizes sustainability and innovation in its planning, development, and property management. Yards Park was opened by Forest City Realty Trust in 2010, and was bought by Brookfield in 2018.
Millman is “confident the tenants will be there,” he was quoted saying in a February 2021 Washington Business Journal article. People “are absolutely going to be returning to the office,” he said.