There isn’t much that’s inspiring about parts of Southwest D.C. Broadly redeveloped by the federal government in the 1950s, the city’s smallest quadrant is a bland mix of federal buildings and an uninspired waterfront. Over the next decade, though, that could all change dramatically.

As large-scale plans for the redevelopment of the waterfront moved forward, the federal government is also proposing creating a 15-block “ecodistrict,” which the National Capital Planning Commission describes as a “a highly sustainable, walkable neighborhood that connects the National Mall and the Southwest waterfront, and becomes a showcase of sustainable urban development and the site for new nationally significant memorials, museums, and events.”

Under the plan, the area, bounded by Independence Avenue to the north and Maine Avenue to the south and found between Fourth and 12th Streets SW, would include a mixed-use community by the Department of Energy’s headquarters, a restored Maryland Avenue, and a new 10th Street and Banneker Park connecting the National Mall to the Southwest Waterfront. When it’s all said and done by 2030, a once “uninviting and isolated” part of town will be turned into a “high-performance environmental showcase.”

The plan, which was formally introduced last week, will be open to a 60-day-long public comment period before being formally approved.

Congress recently approved and President Obama signed legislation that will allow developers to turn the existing Southwest Waterfront into “The Wharf,” 2.5 million square feet of new hotels, office space, retail space, and residences.

Swecodistrict Draft Plan