Council committee to hear Poplar Point land swap and Therme spa lease Wednesday

By Marcus Tillery

WASHINGTON — A D.C. Council committee will take public testimony Wednesday on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plan to take control of Poplar Point, the last large undeveloped stretch of the Anacostia waterfront, and lease 15 acres of it to Therme Group for a thermal bathing spa — a proposal that has drawn skepticism from several councilmembers and that the likely next mayor has said she wants to revisit.

The Committee on Human Services, chaired by Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin, meets at 1 p.m. Oct. 28 in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, according to the hearing listing. Three bills are on the agenda: B26-0845, the Poplar Point Acquisition and Disposition Approval Act of 2026; B26-0846, the Poplar Point Economic Development Anchor Disposition Act of 2026; and B26-0834, the Reeves Center Surplus Declaration and Disposition Approval Act of 2026. Chairman Phil Mendelson introduced the Poplar Point bills on the mayor’s behalf on Sept. 30.

What the administration wants

Bowser announced the bills as part of a package of development legislation she says will “drive growth and create opportunity across our city” before her term ends. Her office describes Poplar Point as “the last remaining major waterfront property that is to be transferred” from the National Park Service to the District.

The first bill approves a land swap among the Park Service, the U.S. Navy, the District and Redbrick Development that identifies Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling as the home for a new Park Service police headquarters, according to the mayor’s office. “Passing this legislation unlocks the possibility of Poplar Point becoming a mixed-use development with more than 70 acres of waterfront park space with Therme DC as the anchor tenant,” the release says.

The second bill would lease about 15 acres to Therme for 60 years, with a 20-year extension option, at $1 a year for the first 20 years, Bisnow reported Oct. 18. The bill sets the spa at 400,000 to 600,000 square feet. Therme Group US Executive Chairman John Alschuler told Bisnow that the company would pay for the roughly $550 million project itself and has sought “no tax exemption” and “no subsidy,” and that “delay would create significant risk to the ability of the District to proceed.” The current Council period ends Jan. 2.

Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert told Bisnow that when the District has a deal with a private partner, “particularly at a time of economic uncertainty or volatility,” it is “important to secure a commitment from a private partner as quickly as possible.”

Council doubts

The bills were also referred to the Committee on Facilities, chaired by Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, whom Bisnow described as the presumptive next mayor. Lewis George told The Washington Sun that she would not hold a hearing on the bills this year, according to Bisnow, and said the waterfront site “should be used to leverage the building of more affordable homes and the creation of good jobs. The current proposal does neither.”

At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson told Bisnow she did not feel “any sense of needing to rush,” and questioned whether residents want a spa. Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker said he supports the land transfer but is not convinced Therme needs 15 acres, and that “a bit of deference is important” to the likely incoming mayor. A Frumin spokesperson told Bisnow the Oct. 28 hearing “provides a critical opportunity to hear public testimony and receive further details from the Executive.”

Reeves Center on the same agenda

The committee will also hear the Reeves Center bill. The mayor’s office says the redevelopment of the Frank D. Reeves Center at 14th and U streets NW would bring the NAACP’s national headquarters, a 150-room hotel and 322 residential units, 97 of them affordable, built in two phases.

The Inquisitor is seeking comment from Frumin, Lewis George, Mendelson, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and the Executive Office of the Mayor.