Setting New Stormwater Standards for Market Terminal

As part of the revitalization of the Union Market District in Washington, D.C., Bohler DC designed one of the city’s first overall stormwater management master plans. The approach gave the developer maximum flexibility to transform a site within the storied industrial neighborhood into a mixed-use residential, office, and retail community called Market Terminal. 

Market Terminal is part of the revitalization of D.C.’s Union Market District, centered around an indoor food and shopping market originally known as Union Terminal Market. Built in 1931, it was once the city’s largest market for fresh meats, fish, dairy, and produce. After decades of decline—serving as warehouses, auto shops, and parking — the site was transformed in 2012 by developer EDENS into the modern Union Market destination it is today. 

Now, the six-building Market Terminal development, led by Kettler, transforms a five-acre Union Market District site into a vibrant mixed-use community, featuring Signal House office space, The Gantry luxury apartments, Margarite apartments, and ground-floor retail. 

Expediting Permitting and Entitlements

When Kettler initially purchased the property, it was zoned industrial. To bring the mixed-use community to life, the project team needed to change the zoning to a Production, Distribution, and Repair Zone (PDR-1). In D.C., this typically involves a time-intensive comprehensive plan revision process. However, Bohler DC recommended a more efficient alternative – the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process. 

Bohler DC managed the PUD process, engaging multiple departments simultaneously to cohesively review project plans on an expedited timeline. Together, the reviewing departments determined the public proffers that Kettler needed to provide. They included new roadways, curbs, and utility connections for every building. 

In the PUD process, public agencies maintain the utilities, but a private development association, which typically comprises the developers involved in establishing a community, is formed to maintain the new streets and other aspects of the community. In this case, the development association includes Kettler, Carmel Partners, Carr Properties, and Grosvenor. 

Establishing an Overall Stormwater Master Plan

To allow Kettler to calculate the site’s stormwater management and green area ratio as an overall master plan (as opposed to being calculated for each individual lot), Bohler first helped to create area and taxation (A&T) lots, which are like condominium lots. With this approach, Kettler could now sell or lease the separate parcels, but the overall site is still considered a single record lot for stormwater management calculation purposes.

When the site is fully built out, stormwater management for the entire site must meet the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) requirements, but it doesn’t matter how. For example, each parcel plays a part in the overall stormwater management plan, but some will exceed the parcel requirements while others will fall short based on the amenity packages, aesthetics, and available space.

Guiding one of the first and most complex overall stormwater management master plans approved by DOEE, Bohler helped the agency develop the rules and standards for this approach. To meet stormwater management requirements for the overall site, Bohler DC’s designs include:

• Permeable pavement, rain gardens, and bioretention tree pits within the streetscape;
• On-site water recycling through a basement cistern in one building; and
• Green roof components on all building roofs.

Together, these methods for handling the site’s stormwater helped reduce the number of stormwater retention credits (SRC) the development association needed to purchase from elsewhere in the city to fully adhere to all DOEE requirements.

Collaborating to Maintain Forward Momentum

Developer EDENS owns a portion of nearly all ground-floor retail space throughout the Union Market District, and strives to create a unique, but cohesive feel throughout the community. As the master developer, Kettler coordinated closely with EDENS to ensure the master plan aligned with their vision. 

In 2018, Carmel Partners became the majority owner of Market Terminal. Carmel Partners developed three of the residential parcels while selling one parcel to Carr Properties for an office building, and Grosvenor for another residential tower. Each of these development partners had its own design team of architects, structural engineers, and other consultants. 

Though the same general contractor was used for most of the parcels, Bohler DC’s coordination efforts helped to streamline construction and avoid potential conflicts between buildings. 

During the site planning and design phase, Bohler DC’s team coordinated all drawings for each of the different development teams to ensure that all stakeholders were working with the latest set of design documents. As the common link between all the external teams, Bohler DC also ensured that all utility and stormwater management designs worked for both individual parcels as well as cohesively with the overall site design.