By Southwester Staff
On March 24 and April 10, over 60 Southwest workers, residents, and community leaders gathered for 4th Street Visioning Workshops to reimagine a more vibrant future that deepens 4th Street’s role as a place for the community to meet, dine, shop, and gather with neighbors. Hosted by the Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID), funded by Friends of Southwest, and supported by Waterfront Village, the workshop created space for neighbors to share their ideas and priorities for the corridor’s long-term development.
4th Street SW has long been the heart of the neighborhood. Even before urban renewal and during the era of Waterside Mall, it was a hub for essential neighborhood activity, serving as the local grocery shop, casual encounters, and everyday gatherings. Today, with the opening of The Westerly, Good Company Donuts, and Theater Alliance on the ground-floor retail spaces, new momentum is building around 4th Street’s vitality as a hub for neighborhood gatherings and cultural activities. That momentum is set to grow even further with the future groundbreaking of Phase I of the Town Center Parks project, which will establish a connected network of green and community spaces from the Southwest Duck Pond to Library Park.
The workshops focused on shaping a shared community vision, especially the stretch from G Street SW to M Street SW. Participants engaged in three interactive stations: reflecting on current uses of 4th Street, drawing inspiration from other regional corridors, and discussing what role 4th Street should play compared to nearby destinations like the Wharf and Navy Yard.
“All of these stations made me reflect on when and why I leave Southwest for other services,” one participant shared. The workshops’ goal is to brainstorm ways for 4th Street and other Southwest submarkets to meet more of the everyday needs of residents collectively.
4th Street has the unique potential to bridge many of Southwest’s distinct communities—from the Wharf and the federal enclave to Greenleaf and Buzzard Point. It’s a natural central point, and reimagining how ground-floor retail can activate the street is essential to ensuring that 4th Street continues its trajectory to become a lively, neighborhood-serving corridor.
Residents who participated in the workshops emphasized the importance of creating a strong community identity and a more pedestrian-oriented experience along 4th Street. “I would like a sense of place for 4th Street. I would like more walk-in, street-level opportunities,” one resident shared. This community feedback points to a desire for a more vibrant, walkable corridor that can support community gatherings and commercial activities.
Using information learned from the sessions, SWBID is partnering with Georgetown University’s Business School to conduct a retail diagnostic study. This study analyzes the commercial DNA of 4th Street, from the operational challenges of small retailers to exploring what new identities the corridor should take on.
As neighborhood stakeholders came together to reimagine 4th Street, community voices remained at the center. The SWBID hopes to apply insights from these workshops to inform a range of partners—from real estate brokers and city agencies working on DC’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan, which will guide future land use and zoning decisions across the District. The workshops are one of many steps to ensure that future planning and investments are grounded in the lived experiences of those who call Southwest home.
