Ward 3 Council member Matt Frumin has had his eye on the expansive Intelsat campus for some time.
The 660,000 square foot complex sits on 13 acres. Its most visible entrance is at 4200 Connecticut Avenue. And it has been largely vacant since Whittle School & Studios closed in 2022.
In 2023, Frumin wrote in the DC Line that “it would be a travesty not to seize upon this unique opportunity.”
Whittle had been subleasing the campus. Frumin wanted the District to buy out the leaseholders, 601W Cos. and Berkley Properties. He pitched “numerous exciting potential civic uses,” including an early childhood center, a senior wellness center, expanded UDC programs, performing arts spaces and more.
He wasn’t successful then, but he’s trying again now.
The leasehold on the State Department-owned property is scheduled to be sold at an April 8 foreclosure auction. And Frumin is renewing his pitch to the mayor and fellow council members, telling the Washington Business Journal: “There’s lots of possibilities, and if it could be gotten for a very attractive price, I hope the city will think about it.”
What new studies say about Van Ness’s “southern anchor”
In February, Van Ness Main Street released the results of two studies conducted last year. One looked at retail needs and opportunities on Connecticut Avenue between Van Ness Street and Nebraska Avenue. The other studied the commercial area between Van Ness and Albemarle Streets.
The Intelsat campus is featured prominently in both reports as the Van Ness corridor’s southern “gateway” and “anchor.” Their recommendations include redeveloping the site into a mixed-use destination.
The AndAccess retail study:
The report from AndAccess said the largely empty campus creates a perception of commercial real estate weakness in the area.
In Van Ness, the office vacancy rate is 9% when Intelsat is excluded. Including the campus, vacancies jump to more than 36%, “underscoring the outsized influence of a single property on overall market perception and performance.”
“The 600,000 sq. ft. Intelsat campus and dated, auto-oriented retail frontages weaken corridor appeal,” and is one of the places in the neighborhood that would benefit from “mixed-use infill and modern retail stock,” AndAccess said.
The Urban Land Institute study:
ULI panelists who visited and studied the corridor last year “strongly recommended” demolishing the existing Intelsat campus and building a mixed-use, medium-to-high density community.
“Proposed uses have fallen short for the site, especially as they do not incorporate residential uses onto the property,” their report said. “The site may be an ideal location to incorporate housing that supports the needs of UDC, the DC government, and the Van Ness neighborhood.”
“Redevelopment would also help activate the corridor by establishing a strong anchor at the southern gateway to the corridor. This redevelopment could foster more commercial opportunities and support recreational and cultural uses,” they said.
It could take a great deal of time, money and political capital to navigate such a project, given the private, local and federal stakeholders involved. In addition, the former Intelsat headquarters was designated a historic landmark in 2019.
However, the panelists said, “low-impact artistic and memorial interventions” could draw people in “and establish the site as a place worth spending time in, even before a large-scale redevelopment.”
Forest Hills Connection is an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street.