Redevelopment
At decommissioning, decades of industrial use had left the site contaminated with heavy metals and hydrocarbons, including diesel. It was immediately declared a Superfund site. In 1995 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved RF&P's study and cleanup plan, and cleanup was declared completed by 1998.
Various commercial and community interest groups came into conflict over the future of the brownfield land. The City of Alexandria rejected the original mixed use plan in 1992. Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the Washington Redskins, unsuccessfully pushed for the construction of a new football stadium on the site. Seventy of the 400 acres (1.6 km²) of the site were approved for retail use in 1995; the Potomac Yard Center, a 589,856-square-foot (54,799.4 m2) strip mall anchored by big box stores, was completed in 1997. Other sections of Potomac Yard have since been slated for development as residential units, office space, parkland, and retail use. The Potomac Yard Complex by Crescent Resources is already under construction. One and Two Potomac Center was completed in November 2005 and houses several EPA offices. The southernmost portion of the Alexandria section is under construction as of August 2006. It includes two plans, one for Arlington and one for Alexandria. The Alexandria portion of the site is highlighted by a new Town Center. The plan also includes 1,900,000 square feet (180,000 m2) of office space; a 625-room hotel; 135,000 square feet (12,500 m2) of neighborhood retail space; and approximately 1,900 residential units.The plan for the Arlington site includes 2,800,000 square feet (260,000 m2) of office space; a 625-room hotel; 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of neighborhood retail space; and approximately 1000 residential units. The plan also calls for a 25-acre (100,000 m2) park, which will be owned by Arlington County.
Recent efforts to develop a Virginia Railway Express commuter rail station at Potomac Yard have failed due to the high costs of the project and studies showing low demand for the station. As a result, such a project is near the bottom of the priority list of the City of Alexandria and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).
In late 2008, the city of Alexandria founded the Potomac Yard Planning Advisory Group. The members of this group have been tasked to reopen and address the idea of integrating Metro into the yard. In addition, the city and the mayor put together the Metrorail Feasibility Study Group, in order to verify the cost to the citizens and the optimal location of a Metro station.
In the summer of 2009 the Eclipse condominium and Camden Apartment buildings were completed. The Eclipse building includes retail space that houses FedEx Kinko's, Quiznos, Bank of America, Harris Teeter, McGinty's Public House, and other retailers. National Gateway I and II have finalized exterior construction and is expected to have the interior finalized for tenants by Fall of 2009. These two buildings have confirmed retail of an LA Fitness and Wachovia bank. Currently, The main feature of Center park is finalizing construction, which will include a cafe, amphitheater, and a water feature. The northern end includes a Renaissance Hotel, which is finalizing exterior construction. Other projects include an Archstone-Smith (formerly Charles E. Smith) apartment complex and National Gateway 3-6, all of which have not broken ground.
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