Last June we reported that the Georgetown waterfront, which has never been much of a gem, was finally starting to take shape. Specifically, the Georgetown Waterfront Park, three decades in the making, had finally jumped through the last of its bureaucratic hoops and would soon see a parking lot coverted to green space. But for what was left of 2006, nothing much happened. The parking lot remained.

Late last week we saw that the parking lot is finally gone, having fallen victim to bulldozers that are prepping the area for what will eventually be the 10-acre park. The entire project will be completed in 18 months, and will be divided into two phases. The first phase will see the core of the park completed, while the second phase will add a centerpiece, including a fountain. According to the park’s website, $12 million has been raised to complete the first phase, but another $6 million will be needed to build the second phase.

The next big project in the area is, of course, the Whitehurst Freeway. Long considered an urban eyesore by local landowners, condo-dwellers and Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), the freeway’s fate has yet to be decided. While a number of studies have considered alternatives for the freeway, no final decision has been reached as to whether it will come down or not. The D.C. Council’s Committee on Public Works and the Environment, chaired by Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), recently held a hearing on the matter, where a number of pro- and anti-Whitehurst activists pled their case. A council staffer told us Graham called the hearing to catch up on the issue, and that the District Department of Transportation is in the process of requesting technical proposals for a mandatory Environmental Impact Study for the freeway’s removal. While DDOT and Mayor Adrian Fenty, among others, have expressed openness to getting rid of the Whitehurst, any final decision will ultimately rest with the council, which would allocate the money needed for its removal and replacement. And should that come to pass, members of the council can expect a good fight — the Whitehurst has its defenders, and they’re organized.

What is sure is that the next year will see an improved waterfront. The question remains over whether the Whitehurst will overlook it or not.