Poplar Point Could Become D.C.’s Next Great Waterfront Neighborhood — And a New Land Deal Could Finally Unlock It
Directly across the Anacostia River from some of Washington’s most dramatic redevelopment sits something surprisingly different: roughly 110 acres of largely undeveloped waterfront land.
This is Poplar Point, one of the last major waterfront development opportunities in Washington, D.C. For nearly two decades, plans to transform the property have been complicated by federal ownership, environmental requirements and the relocation of government facilities. Now, a fresh September 2026 development could move the long-awaited transformation another step forward.
On September 18, 2026, Mayor Muriel Bowser sent legislation to the D.C. Council seeking approval of a finalized land-swap agreement involving the National Park Service, U.S. Navy, District government and Redbrick Development. The agreement identifies Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling as the future home of a new U.S. Park Police headquarters—an important piece of the process required before Poplar Point can be transferred from federal control to the District. (Mayor's Office)
Poplar Point planning imagery and aerial context. Some redevelopment imagery dates from earlier concepts and should be viewed as illustrative rather than the final 2026 design.
🏙️ Imagine an Entire New Waterfront District Across From Navy Yard
The sheer size of Poplar Point is what makes this story remarkable. The property encompasses approximately 110 acres along the eastern shore of the Anacostia River, directly across the water from Nationals Park and the Navy Yard area. It's bounded by the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, Anacostia River, Anacostia Park and development around the Anacostia Metro/I-295 corridor. (NCPC)
Look across the river from Navy Yard today and the contrast is striking.
One side has Nationals Park, apartments, restaurants, offices and the rapidly developed Capitol Riverfront. Across the water, Poplar Point remains dominated by open space, wetlands and government facilities. The long-term planning process is intended to change that—but without developing all 110 acres.
🌳 More Than 70 Acres Would Remain Parkland
One of the most important facts about Poplar Point is that this isn't a plan to cover the entire waterfront with buildings. Federal law requires no fewer than 70 acres to remain dedicated to park purposes, including wetlands. (NCPC)
The preferred concept reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission envisions those 70 acres as approximately 25 acres of waterfront park, 10 acres of community and neighborhood parks and plazas, and 35 acres of nature park—including wetlands and surrounding natural areas. (NCPC)
That means the eventual vision could combine a substantial new urban neighborhood with one of the largest new concentrations of waterfront public space in this part of Washington. Trails, wetlands, parks and waterfront access would become central components of the district rather than leftover spaces between buildings.
🏡 Housing Could Be Part of the New Neighborhood
The remaining land is being planned for development and infrastructure, including a mix of uses. The District's official Poplar Point planning materials specifically identify housing and community amenities as part of the future redevelopment, while the National Capital Planning Commission has discussed residential, retail and office uses around the Anacostia Metro area. (EngageDC)
This older conceptual rendering helps illustrate the scale of neighborhood that planners have historically contemplated at Poplar Point. It is not the final approved master plan, and the architecture shown should not be interpreted as buildings that are now approved for construction. The final number of homes, building heights, retail space and specific development blocks have not yet been established.
That's because the Poplar Point Master Plan is still being developed.
♨️ Then There’s Therme DC — And This Could Be the Game Changer
The most unusual piece of Poplar Point may be its proposed anchor.
In March 2025, the District selected Therme Group to develop Therme DC, a massive health, recreation and wellness destination proposed for approximately 15 acres of Poplar Point. (D.C. Government) And this isn't your typical neighborhood swimming pool.
Concept plans envision an enormous indoor environment containing thermal baths, mineral pools, dozens of saunas and wet rooms, waterslides, relaxation areas, immersive art, restaurants and extensive tropical landscaping. (D.C. Government)
The idea is essentially to create a year-round wellness and recreation destination overlooking the Anacostia River.
🌴 A Tropical Oasis in Washington, D.C.?
This is where the project gets visually wild. Therme's concept imagery looks more like a tropical resort than something you'd expect to find minutes from downtown Washington.
Palm trees.
Indoor pools.
Massive glass-covered spaces.
Restaurants.
Water attractions.
Relaxation areas.
And all of it potentially sitting along the Anacostia waterfront.
The District describes Therme DC as a state-of-the-art health and wellbeing destination intended to serve as an anchor for the broader Poplar Point transformation. (D.C. Government)
💰 Therme DC Alone Could Be a $500 Million Project
The scale is substantial even before considering the rest of Poplar Point. Therme representatives previously told CoStar that the approximately 500,000-square-foot facility could cost around $500 million and take roughly three years to build. The company expects the destination to draw significant visitor traffic if it ultimately moves forward.
The District projects that Therme DC could generate 5,000 local construction jobs and 720 permanent jobs, along with an estimated $1.5 billion in tax revenue over 25 years. Those are government/project projections rather than guaranteed outcomes. (D.C. Government)
The bigger real-estate story is what could happen around the attraction.
A major destination anchor can bring visitors, restaurants, activity and infrastructure to a location—and Poplar Point's planning process also contemplates housing and other mixed-use development around the site.
🌊 The Waterfront Could Become the Star
Even with Therme DC attracting much of the attention, the public waterfront may ultimately define Poplar Point. The preferred planning concept includes approximately 25 acres specifically envisioned as waterfront park, along with additional neighborhood parks, plazas and natural areas. (NCPC)
Imagine being able to walk or bike along an expanded waterfront network with views toward Nationals Park, Navy Yard and the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
The planning vision also calls for stronger connections to surrounding communities, particularly Historic Anacostia and the Anacostia Metro station. (NCPC) That connectivity could be just as important as the buildings themselves.
🌿 Some of the Existing Nature Would Actually Be Expanded
Poplar Point contains wetlands today, and the preferred concept doesn't simply eliminate them. Instead, planning documents contemplate consolidating and expanding wetland habitat, creating wooded buffers and meadows, and potentially bringing the buried Stickfoot Branch stream back to the surface. (NCPC)
Boardwalks and trails could provide public access through portions of the natural environment, while interpretive areas could explain the ecological role of the wetlands.
So the potential transformation isn't simply:
Empty land → buildings.
It's closer to:
Underused federal waterfront → parks + restored nature + housing + recreation + mixed-use development.
🚇 Anacostia Metro Could Become Much More Important
Poplar Point also has something many large waterfront redevelopment sites don't have nearby:
Metrorail.
The Anacostia Metro station sits immediately south of the property.
NCPC's planning guidance specifically supports focusing development around Metrorail access while improving connections between Poplar Point and the surrounding Anacostia community. (NCPC)
If substantial housing and commercial development ultimately occurs near that station, Poplar Point could become another example of the DMV's broader shift toward transit-oriented development.
But because the master plan isn't final, it would be premature to claim exactly how much development will ultimately cluster around Metro.
🌉 The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Changed the Gateway
The western edge of Poplar Point sits beside one of Washington's most dramatic pieces of recent transportation infrastructure: the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
The bridge already creates a striking gateway between the Capitol Riverfront/Navy Yard side of the Anacostia and communities east of the river.
A fully developed Poplar Point would dramatically change what people see as they cross it. Instead of looking toward a mostly undeveloped waterfront, travelers could eventually see a combination of parkland, restored natural areas, mixed-use buildings and Therme DC.
⚾ Look Across the River at What Happened to Navy Yard
Perhaps the easiest way to understand Poplar Point's potential is to look directly across the water. The Capitol Riverfront/Navy Yard area has undergone enormous redevelopment over the past two decades, adding apartments, offices, restaurants, parks and entertainment around Nationals Park and the waterfront.
That doesn't mean Poplar Point will—or should—develop exactly the same way.
Its legal requirement to preserve at least 70 acres for parks means its development pattern will be fundamentally different. But the juxtaposition is powerful.
One side of the river is intensely developed.
The other contains 110 acres with enormous redevelopment potential.
That's what makes Poplar Point such an unusual piece of D.C. real estate.
🤯 Poplar Point Has Been Waiting Nearly 20 Years
Here's the part many Washington residents may not realize. Congress passed the DC Lands Act in 2006, directing the transfer of Poplar Point from the National Park Service to the District. (EngageDC)
That was two decades ago. But the transfer could only happen after several complicated requirements were completed, including preserving at least 70 acres for park purposes, relocating existing National Park Service facilities and preparing the necessary land-use plan. (NCPC) That's why Poplar Point has remained largely undeveloped even while neighborhoods across the Anacostia changed dramatically.
🚨 September's Land Deal Could Remove a Major Roadblock
This is what makes the story timely again. On September 18, 2026, Mayor Bowser advanced legislation for a finalized land-swap agreement involving the National Park Service, U.S. Navy, District and Redbrick Development. (Mayor's Office)
The agreement identifies Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling as the future location for a new National Park Service Police headquarters. Why does that matter? Because relocating federal facilities from Poplar Point is one of the requirements standing between today's property and its eventual transfer to D.C.
The mayor's office says Council approval of the agreement would help unlock the possibility of Poplar Point becoming a mixed-use district with more than 70 acres of waterfront park space and Therme DC as an anchor. (Mayor's Office) That's a meaningful milestone—but it's not the finish line.
🗺️ What Could the Final Poplar Point Look Like?
The revised preferred concept reviewed by NCPC provides a framework rather than final architectural plans.
Broadly, the emerging vision combines:
🌳 70 acres of parks and natural areas
🌊 Approximately 25 acres of waterfront park
🌿 Wetlands and ecological restoration
🏡 Housing
🏙️ Mixed-use development
🍽️ Community amenities
🚇 Connections toward Anacostia Metro
♨️ Therme DC on approximately 15 acres
🚶 Trails, boardwalks and waterfront connections
The remaining roughly 40 acres under the preferred concept would be associated with development and infrastructure, including roadways. (NCPC) The final mix, density, architecture and exact development program remain under review.
🏠 What Could This Mean for Nearby Real Estate?
Poplar Point could substantially change the physical environment around this portion of the Anacostia waterfront, but it's too early to claim it will automatically increase surrounding property values.
What can be said is that the plan contemplates significant new parks, recreation, housing, visitor activity, infrastructure and neighborhood amenities.
Those changes could influence how buyers, renters, businesses and developers perceive nearby neighborhoods.
At the same time, development at this scale raises legitimate questions involving traffic, affordability, neighborhood connections, environmental impacts and whether nearby residents will share in the benefits of the redevelopment. Those issues will continue to be addressed through the public planning and environmental-review process.
⚠️ Poplar Point Is NOT About to Start Construction
This is the most important caveat when sharing the story.
There is not yet a final approved Poplar Point development ready to break ground.
The District and National Park Service are continuing the environmental and master-planning process. According to the official project page, the Draft Environmental Assessment will be released for public comment, after which the District will continue advancing the Poplar Point Master Plan. (EngageDC)
The master plan will eventually establish more detailed building uses, parks, open-space programming and roadway/street design. Therme DC has been selected as the proposed anchor, but its development remains tied to the broader planning, environmental and land-transfer process. (D.C. Government)
So when using the beautiful renderings online, label them:
CONCEPTUAL RENDERING — PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
That avoids giving viewers the impression that the buildings shown have already been approved.
🌆 Could This Become D.C.'s Next Great Waterfront Destination?
Imagine this part of Washington years from now.
You cross the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.
To one side is Nationals Park and the dense Capitol Riverfront skyline.
On the other is a transformed Poplar Point.
A massive public waterfront park.
Restored wetlands and trails.
New homes and neighborhood amenities.
Restaurants and gathering spaces.
People walking from Anacostia Metro toward the river.
And a huge indoor tropical wellness destination overlooking the Anacostia.
That's still a vision—not today's reality.
But after nearly 20 years of working toward the land transfer, the September 18 agreement gives the Poplar Point story a meaningful new milestone. (Mayor's Office)
And if the remaining pieces ultimately come together, 110 acres directly across from Navy Yard could become one of the most consequential waterfront transformations left in Washington, D.C.
What would YOU want to see built at Poplar Point—more housing, restaurants and entertainment, or as much waterfront parkland as possible?
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Renderings and master-plan imagery are conceptual. Poplar Point remains in the planning, environmental-review and land-transfer process. Final buildings, housing counts, architecture, amenities, phasing and construction schedules may change.
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