Image via Envision McMIllan.

The controversial McMillan Infrastructure Project is now looking for a general contractor so it can begin construction by the end of the year.

Over the loud objections of some neighbors, Vision McMillan Partners is planning to turn the McMillan Sand Filtration Site—a 25-acre piece of land situated in Northwest—into a multi-use development that’ll include 146 townhouses, more than 500 apartments, retail, a Harris Teeter, a park, and a community center. In sum, the project will cost around $720 million. While some of the historic structures are integrated into the new design, including all 20 silos, others will be demolished.

“Following a robust community engagement and entitlement process, VMP is excited to take the next step in making the reimagining of McMillan a reality,” a release from VMP says.

The plan is to select a contractor by September 1; the deadline for applicants is April 1. Envision McMillan hopes to complete the first buildings in 2018.

According to Washington Business Journal:

The District, as McMillan’s owner, has set aside $70 million for horizontal construction. The city’s 2016 budget requires that revenue from the sale of each pad site, roughly $27 million in total, be reinvested in the public portions of the project.

It feels like only yesterday protesters were throwing a secret party underneath McMillan to protest its development. A crowdfunding effort to raise money for a legal defense to save the park has netted $14,000.

Envision McMillan Animation from Interface Multimedia on Vimeo.