This article originally appeared on April 5, 2021, published by Multi-Housing News.
Between The Wharf and Navy Yard, a 453-unit community opened its doors in the midst of a pandemic. Delivering Watermark at Buzzard Point came with challenges—from construction to marketing the project—as the coronavirus caused rents to fall and vacancies to rise across the metro, especially in an area dominated by office and industrial buildings. Still, with more people getting comfortable working from home, the office-to-residential conversion might yet be in its early stages.
The apartments at Watermark range from studios to three-bedroom units—most with water views. Because of the health crisis, residents have limited access to the abundant and diverse community amenities, which include a fitness center, a roof deck, an infinity pool and a theater room. Thanks to its prime location on the Anacostia River, a new amenity is expected to be in use by fall—a floating dock with a kayak launch.
The project, located in one of Washington, D.C.’s Opportunity Zones at 1900 Half St., is LEED Gold certified. To learn more about its sustainable features and find out how it was like to build under COVID-19’s threat, we talked to Nicholas Pantuliano, COO at PTM Partners, the firm which served as co-developer of the property.
