Monday, July 20, 2026
By Robert Devaney and Richard Selden with Hannah Beil, Emma Ibrahim and Francis Rienzo
As America celebrates its 250th birthday and Georgetown its 275th — and Washington, D.C., awaits its next mayor — palpable change is in the air. So much so that we confront it daily along the sidewalks and streets of D.C.’s oldest neighborhood, which rebuilds itself continually.
Almost everywhere you look, a building project is open, almost complete, getting started or stuck in limbo. Reconstruction and repurposing are also ongoing.
“Georgetown is distinctly different. Defending its history while embracing its advancement is our responsibility,” says Philippe Lanier, new CEO of EastBanc, a major CRE player in town. “Successful execution preserves what makes Georgetown stand out as the country’s greatest village.”
Others in the know agree about the key factors.
“Since 1751, Georgetown has been an economic hub that established the nation’s capital. Our history and historic character are part of what makes Georgetown one of the most desirable places to live, work and visit,” says Brittany Sawyer, executive director of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.
“Georgetown’s walkability, combined with its experiential retail environment and historic charm, leads to unparalleled pedestrian activity. This is key to the vitality of our neighborhood,” says Deb Kerson Bilek, CEO of the Georgetown Business Improvement District. “We welcomed over 14 million visitors in 2025, and that’s extremely attractive to prospective tenants. Last year, 57 new businesses opened in Georgetown, which remains the top destination for new-to-market retailers, small business owners and destination restaurants.”
“Georgetown is a true mixed-use urban village, with office, residential, retail, hotels and restaurants. It is also one of the few truly authentic high-street shopping destinations in the country, with lots of unique, international first-to-market brands with flagship stores,” says Alex Walker, principal and co-founder of Miller Walker Retail Real Estate. “
Here, we zero in on the commercial real estate activity, yielding hundreds of new housing units — talk about taking on the housing issue — along with new hotels and retail.
So, what and where are all these developments?
The Miradoro
To begin, let’s look at EastBanc’s Miradoro, which provided the cover image location featuring Philippe Lanier. This unique, seven-unit luxury residence — the first in the U.S. to be designed by award-winning Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura — rises at the eastern entrance to Georgetown at 2715 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Its name, meaning vantage point, hints at the building panoramic views on three sides. With ground-floor retail, the Miradoro should make its debut in the first quarter of 2027.
“Every neighborhood needs a threshold, a moment that tells you you’ve arrived somewhere specific,” explains Philippe Lanier. “Getting that right takes the right team, and architects who understand not just how to design a building, but how a building should behave within a neighborhood.
“We’ve spent decades thinking about Georgetown’s edges — where it begins, how it announces itself, how to serve the community that’s already there. That’s the work that interests us most: not any single address, but Georgetown as a whole, and the design thinking it takes to keep earning that place.”
The Miradoro represents a longtime dream and disciplined effort by EastBanc founder Anthony Lanier, father of Philippe. The Four Seasons Private Residences project, this year’s top CRE winner in all of the nation’s capital, has the same significance for Richard Levy. Both Levy’s and Lanier’s firms hold extensive portfolios of Georgetown properties.
Four Seasons Private Residences
Scheduled for a 2026 debut, Georgetown’s Four Seasons Private Residences at 1051 29th St. NW — behind the Four Seasons Hotel and adjacent to the C&O Canal — have been a long time coming. Richard Levy’s real estate development firm, the Levy Group Limited, purchased the two-acre West Heating Plant site from the General Services Administration at auction for $19.5 million in June of 2013.
Four years later, Levy told The Georgetowner that his goal was to “unlock” the Georgetown waterfront and “reset the market for high-end condo living.” The project’s co-developers are the Georgetown Company and Mohari Hospitality. The original architect is David Adjaye.
The $300-million project, designed by SLCE Architects, is about to deliver 70 light-filled, one-to-four-bedroom residences with interiors by Ingrao Inc. In 2025, Axios reported that “several units have gone for over $3,000 per square foot,” a new record, with an average sale price at that time of $5.4 million.
Along with a dedicated Four Seasons team on call 24/7 “to tailor daily life to your exact needs and preferences,” the building’s amenities include an indoor swimming pool, a high-tech fitness center, a chef’s kitchen, a state-of-the-art wine cellar, a cinema room, a club and game room and a children’s playroom.
Walking and biking paths along the Potomac are easily reached from the project’s one-acre elevated community park and patio — originally the steam heating plant’s coal yard — designed by distinguished landscape architect Laurie Olin.
Office-to-Residence Conversions
Georgetown’s real estate landscape is being reshaped by major office-to-residence conversions, particularly of buildings on and near the waterfront, including the historic Flour Mill on Potomac Street.
Consolidated ownership of 1000 and 1050 Thomas Jefferson St. NW will transform the two buildings into 299 apartments — the biggest multifamily venture in Georgetown in a long time. Rockpoint, LCOR and Potomac Investment Properties are behind the conversion, comprising 349,000 square feet. The project will feature a rooftop pool, lounges and a spa and fitness center.
On K Street, 3333 was purchased by One Street Commercial Properties to become a 30-unit residential complex. The building was formerly occupied by the Legal Services Corporation, with the top story holding a penthouse. The interior will be completely redone, with retail on the bottom floor and condos filling the second to fifth floors.
One Street is also creating luxury apartments at 1048 29th St. NW, with four units of between four and five thousand square feet.
A major conversion underway involves the four-building Flour Mill at 1000 Potomac St. NW, which will become 135 residential units, 8,000 square feet in total. The exterior will be redesigned, with the south building and the interior courtyard getting a new look. Dating to 1847, the complex was converted to offices in 1980.
In similar fashion, Varsity Investment Group will convert office and hotel space at 1101, 1111 and 1115 30th St. NW into hundreds of housing units. (The number of units has not been disclosed.) Varsity previously converted the Georgetown Suites hotel on 29th Street into 80 apartments.
Plans to transform the office and retail building at 2715 M St. NW into 28 new apartments, adding to the eight existing residential units, are also in the works.
New Spots to Check In
After more than a decade without a new hotel, Georgetown is entering a period of rapid growth in its hospitality scene.
When Canal House opened in February of 2025 with 92 guest rooms and two attached townhomes, it had been roughly 12 years since a new hotel opened its doors in Georgetown. Located at 1023 31st St. NW, Canal House is near the C&O Canal, the Georgetown waterfront and M Street dining and shopping.
Opening last month, the citizenM Washington DC Georgetown, a seven-story, 228-room hotel at 3401 Water St. NW, added another Marriott property to the neighborhood. The Georgetown location marks the third citizenM hotel in the D.C. area and the first to open as part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio.
Two more projects on the horizon:
Georgetown University is converting five stories of the Leavey Center into the 146-room Hoya Hotel, with 13,000 square feet of event space. Set to open this fall, managed by Crestline Hotels & Resorts, it replaces the former Leavey Center Hotel, which closed in 2022.
At the former Latham Hotel site at 3000 M St. NW, Thor Equities is developing Bazaar House, marking José Andrés’s first venture into the hotel industry. The 67-room property will feature luxury accommodations, restaurants from Andrés’s restaurant group and a private membership club, bringing one of Washington’s most recognizable culinary names to Georgetown.
Reconstruction or From the Ground Up
Hamilton Collective
The compound of retail, restaurants and businesses at 1232 31st St. NW celebrates a traditionally Georgetown vibe, thanks to the vision of Jessica and Ezra Glass, who have partnered with David and Marc Duber and other investors. The current and soon-to-open tenant list is impressive: Ultraviolet florist, Two Nine sushi, Flor Coffee + Books, Christian Science Reading Room, Beso Besu, RM Wellness, Outerbridge Horsey, Alfie’s, Flora Pizzeria, Georgetown Preschool, Georgetown Pilates, Georgetown Auto Spa, Hamilton Health Club and residential units.
2900 M Project
After years of inactivity, the development of the 2900 block of M Street NW is underway after AGEM Property bought the property from the Meridian Group in May of 2025. The block will welcome global menswear brand Suit Supply, which signed a flagship lease; five to nine premier retail stores; and a restaurant with outdoor dining. (Boston-based AGEM recently acquired 3130 and 3132 M St. NW from two German broadcasting agencies.)
1805 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Anticipating a fall 2027 debut, Fortis Companies is currently in the pre-construction phase of a mixed-use development with retail stores and nine townhouses. Featuring high ceilings, private elevators and garages and rooftop terraces, the homes will surround a central courtyard accessed via a grand entrance on S Street.
Hillside Residences
Altus Realty Partners proposes to transform one of Georgetown’s most prominent development sites — 3601 M St. NW, next to the Exorcist Steps and the Car Barn — into a five-story development with 21 residential units and a penthouse. Fifteen years after initial plans were submitted to the Old Georgetown Board, the project, designed by Handel Architects, would also include two below-ground levels with 47 parking spaces and offer such amenities as a rooftop pool, a yoga studio and a communal wine cellar.
Also of Note …
Georgetown Park Condominiums
Built in 1981, Georgetown Park Condominiums at 1080 Wisconsin Ave. NW comprise five stories with 154 units. Owner Jamestown LP plans to add 166 residential units from the shopping complex space.
Wisconsin & Prospect???
The mixed-use buildings at 1234-1238 Wisconsin Ave. NW have office space and residential units above the ground-floor retail: Swarovski Jewelry, Blank Street Coffee and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. Developed by EastBanc, the landmark property previously boasted a Zara store and, long before that, Billy Martin’s Carriage House and Tramps Discotheque.
Weavers Row???
Across from Cafe Milano and Peacock Cafe, the Weavers Row project at 3220 Prospect St. NW is a new five-story building containing 115 units and a parking garage. It is owned by W.T. Weaver & Sons, which launched its nearby hardware business in 1889.
The Elliott
A Georgetown luxury building, named for local developer Bob Elliott, is located at 3255 Prospect St. NW. The five spacious residences are complemented by a penthouse roof garden and terrace.