For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 12, 2014

McDuffie Contact: Jon Mandel, (202) 724-8918 or JMandel@dccouncil.us

Councilmember McDuffie holds hearing on the Surplus and Disposition of the McMillan
Sand Filtration Site
Today, Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Chairperson of the Committee on Government
Operations, convened a joint public roundtable with Councilmember Muriel Bowser,
Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Development, to explore the surplus declaration and
disposition approval resolutions of what is now known as the McMillan Sand Filtration Site.
Almost 50 public witnesses attended and testified at the hearing to discuss the proposed plan for
the site.
The redevelopment of the McMillan Sand Filtration site presents an important and long awaited
opportunity to bring a vibrant mixed-use project to the western edge of Ward 5, indicated
McDuffie. The proposed plan for the site has been well deliberated and reviewed in multiple
iterations by all of our community stakeholders, including our impacted Advisory Neighborhood
Commissions, civic associations, and residents. I was pleased to see the continued level of
engagement on this project at todays hearing.
Prior to being elected to the Council in 2012, Councilmember McDuffie served on the McMillan
Advisory Group, and continues to live directly across the street from the McMillan Sand
Filtration Site. Even before I took office, I supported the proposed mixed-use development plan,
which includes quality townhouses and multi-family housing, retail, offices, and public park
space, while promoting the historic preservation of the surrounding area, stated McDuffie. I
am happy to see the proposed plan in its current form take all of the impacted communities
recommendations and concerns under advisement, including a storm water run-off system that
will ensure the site does not contribute to the century-old flooding problem in the greater
Bloomingdale area.
McDuffie, who authored a bill that will require affordable housing set-asides whenever Districtowned land is disposed of for multi-family residential development, also praised the affordable
and workforce housing components of the proposed plan. Our seniors, teachers, first
responders, and employees of the Washington Hospital Center will now have a better, affordable
selection of housing right here in Ward 5, added McDuffie.
The McMillan Sand Filtration Site was operational for slow sand water filtration until 1985,
when it was decommissioned after the Army Corps built a modernized chemical filtration
process plant on the Reservoir side. The site was then designated for surplus and the District
government purchased it from the federal government in 1987 for $9.3 million with the intention

of redevelopment. In 1991, the McMillan Park Historic District was designated a Historic
Landmark and listed on the DC Inventory of Historic Sites.
Currently, the vast majority of the property is vacant and in varying levels of deterioration. It
consists of approximately 1,075,000 square feet of land, of which a portion will be reserved by
the District for a community center, open space, parks and landscaped areas. In accordance with
the law, a public meeting was held in the affected community on June 6, 2013. Furthermore, the
proposed development of the site has been discussed in multiple forums, community meetings
and other forms of engagement settings since the site was designated for surplus.