DC proposal would convert coal plant to green mixed-use neighborhood

A $450-million plan to transform the site of a 60-year-old coal-fired power plant into a sustainable mixed-use community, called “Potomac River Green,” was unveiled this month by the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF), a Washington, DC-based non-profit.
(http://www.greenbang.com/from-coal-plant-to-green-community-for-450-million_19552.html [2])

Developed after a year of work by a team of architects, urban planners, financial advisers and utility consultants, the proposal includes:

• 89,600 sf of office space; 114,500 sf of retail and restaurants
• 467 multi-family and 96 townhouse units
• Office space with a Clean Energy Enterprise Center to incubate alternative energy and new technology businesses
• An Energy Museum featuring 21st-century technologies
• A 125-room boutique hotel
• A compressed natural gas (CNG) and fast-charge electric car refueling station for government, commercial fleets, and individual vehicles
• Enhanced access to water taxis and mass transit

Crushed brick from the plant would be used in the concrete for paths, streets and gardens. Brick and steel framing from plant would be used in the commercial property. All construction would be LEED-certified.

The Alexandria, VA plant is more than 60 years old, lacks critical emission controls, operates at 20 percent capacity, and is no longer critical for electric reliability.