Howard University Secures Initial Approval for 27-Acre Rezoning Near D.C. Campus
The institution wants to build student housing and a $650M hospital expansion, among other plans
By Nick Trombola December 20, 2024 12:56 pm
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Howard University has gained preliminary approval to rezone, and eventually redevelop, a chunk of land it owns adjacent to its Washington, D.C., campus.
The D.C. Zoning Commission this week voted 4-0 to rezone 27 acres the university has under its wing, west of its campus and bounded by Georgia Avenue Northwest. If fully approved early next year, the rezoning will allow the university to redevelop its Wonder Plaza property at 2301 Georgia Avenue NW, according to law firm Holland & Knight, which has advised the university on its rezoning petition.
The university plans to build a mixed-use property on the site, dubbed the Fusion Building, which would include 280 student housing units (containing nearly 600 beds), a student dining hall, a wellness center and retail spaces. Rezoning of the larger property will also allow the university to expand Howard University Hospital and redevelop parcels surrounding it, per Holland & Knight.
The hospital expansion will include a new 252,000-square-foot, $650 million facility adjacent to its current hospital at 2041 Georgia Avenue NW. The university expects to break ground on the project late next year, with an expected completion by 2028.
The rezoning request will next be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission, before a final vote by the D.C. Zoning Commission early next year. Representatives for Howard University and Holland & Knight did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The university is in the midst of fulfilling its Central Campus Master Plan, a multi-phrase improvement and transformation of its campus that began in 2020. Included in the plan is a $785 million investment, announced in 2022, to build three new academic halls, and to renovate existing structures like the Myrtilla Miner Building and the Howard University Middle School for Mathematics and Science. The investment is the largest in the D.C. institution’s history, according to the university.
Howard is also redeveloping a parking lot it owns at 2251 Sherman Avenue NW and 2047 Ninth Street NW with a 525,000-square-foot, 500-unit mixed-use project dubbed East Towers. The development will also include 27,000 square feet of retail space and several dozen units earmarked as affordable housing.
Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.
