Recent Washington Post and ABC-7 coverage noting GPSA’s concern about the lack of certainty regarding transition and relocation plans for liveaboards at the Gangplank Marina seem to have been noted by the Southwest Waterfront development project planners. At last night’s public unveiling of the SW Waterfreont Master Plan for Development, GPSA slipholders turned out in large numbers at the beautiful new Arena Stage theater to hear directly from the development team about the future of the SW waterfront. Of special note for GPSA members last night was Master Developer Monty Hoffman’s answer to a question regarding plans for liveaboards at the Gangplank Marina.
In direct response to questions from audience members about the future of the vibrant community at the Gangplank Marina, Monty Hoffman said the following:
1) The current number of liveaboards at Gangplank Marina will not decrease during or after the master plan is implemented. In fact, the number could potentially increase. Also there is a new Gangplank Marina in the master plan with the same number of slips as Gangplank currently offers.
2) Monty Hoffman is dedicated to keeping liveaboard boaters in the SW during the transition.
3) The new development will not only be for mega-yachts. The marinas will be diverse, just like the District.
Many of us also spoke with Robert Sloop from Moffatt & Nichol. Mr. Sloop is a Senior Coastal/Waterfront Project Manager, and will be tasked with creating transition plans for Gangplank Marina. Initial plans seem to have been crafted, although we have not yet seen anything in writing. We will plan to engage Mr. Sloop in the near future as the developers contact GPSA regarding more specific transition plans.
There is considerable excitement about the possibilities the proposed future development holds. The new waterfront promises to be a place of vibrant commercial, retail and residential activity. The developers envision creating a ‘world class marina’ that will attract Washington DC residents and visitors to the water as a major destination. Thank you to everyone who came out to the meeting last night, and also thanks to those who helped to get the word out regarding our concerns. The website for the development project is likely to have more answers to community members’ questions as well as more detailed plans in the near future.