Bidding on West Heating Plant Set to Begin Jan. 18


Got a half million bucks to get on some serious real estate bidding? It is one of the last major pieces of land in Georgetown available for commercial development. The General Services Administration is ready to get rid of the surplus property, directly south of the C&O Canal and just west of Rock Creek. Bid increments are $200,000. It is assumed you have millions more on hand to continue in GSA’s e-Bay auction which begins Jan. 18 and is slated to end Feb. 19.

The broker in change, Jones Lang Lasalle, touts the building as “Georgetown Heating Plant: A Landmark With Monumental Potential.”

Georgetown developers and citizens have been waiting for this move for at least a year. Along with Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, the Citizens Association of Georgetown has asked for part of the site to be green space, connecting with the canal and creek. Developers and commercial real estate owners, such as the group organized by Richard Levy that envisions Four Season condos in the old Art Deco industrial building, have the money and plans drawn and ready to go.

The 29th Street building itself was the site of a June 19, 2012, House hearing that chided GSA’s slowness in disposing of old and unused government property.

(See Georgetowner article:](https://georgetowner.com/articles/2012/jun/25/congressional-hearing-heating-plant-property-makes-its-point/)

Once you win your bid, what’s next? A monumental clean-up — tearing out pipes and the metal features of the interior with a good detox of the entire structure. And while the views from the rooftop are indeed monumental — the Potomac River directly south, to the east peeks of the National Mall and Watergate, to the north the National Cathedral and just west all of Georgetown before you–there is a concern, voiced a months back by the Washington Post: to the austere 1940s facade may we add windows for any future housing units? No one has given a totally affirmative answer to that important question.

How is how GSA describes its prime property at 1051 29th Street, NW: “The 2.08-acre property is located in the historic Georgetown district of Washington, D.C., and contains one building, a 110-foot tall former heating plant and four large fuel oil storage tanks. A large concrete and stone retaining wall surrounds much of the site consisting of 9,335 rentable square feet over six partial interior floors. The building footprint is approximately 100 feet by 200 feet. The plant contains significant amounts of equipment and piping related to the former steam generation activities. Steam generation activities ceased at the facility in 2000; since then the property has been used for office purposes and as the site of the backup fuel supply for the GSA Central Heating Plant. GSA vacated the facility in May 2012.”

For sales information and online auction assistance, contact Tim Sheckler — 202-401-5806 or [Tim.Sheckler@GSA.gov](mailto:Tim.Sheckler@GSA.gov)

For more information –[www.georgetownheatingplant.com](http://www.georgetownheatingplant.com/).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *