Neighborhood living near the National Mall?

Planning and real estate experts say the lessons of the Reagan project are likely to inform redevelopment of the Southwest collection of buildings the GSA is calling Federal Triangle South. The 22-acre area is bounded by Independence Avenue to the north, Sixth Street to the east, Maryland Avenue and portions of D Street to the south, and 12th Street to the west.

The National Capital Planning Commission has been pushing for a major overhaul of the complex for years. Its most recent plan is to turn a larger, 110-acre area between 6th and 12th streets into an “ecodistrict” over the next 20 to 25 years that would set the stage for another 1 million square feet of office space, 1.8 million square feet of housing and 1.2 million square feet of cultural attractions, including five sites for new memorials. By upgrading its facilities, NCPC estimates that the federal government could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the area by 51 percent and water use by 70 percent.

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“From our standpoint it’s a great opportunity to transform this area between the National Mall and the Southwest Waterfront,” said Marcel C. Acosta, NCPC executive director.

The federal complex consists of five buildings varying from 48 to 80 years old. The buildings total 3.9 million square feet and house 12,656 employees from the Energy Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the GSA. Even without zoning changes, experts said the area could bear an additional 2.2 million square feet of development.

“It is excellent and unparalleled real estate,” said Dean Cinkala, a partner at the JBG Cos., the Chevy Chase real estate giant that owns L’Enfant Plaza nearby.

The GSA’s acting director, Daniel M. Tangherlini, issued a statement calling the agency’s request for ideas “an example of GSA’s ongoing commitment to not only shrinking the federal government’s real estate portfolio, but also to maximizing the efficiency and value of federal workplaces.”

NCPC’s Acosta was one of a number of planning experts who strongly suggested that the GSA follow recent successes elsewhere in the District — such as Penn Quarter and Columbia Heights — by incorporating a mix of uses on the site. And that means housing.

Condos may never be added atop the Smithsonian institutions that line the National Mall, but new high-end housing is creeping closer and closer.

Penn Quarter, a neighborhood name that was unheard of when the Reagan Center was completed, has become one of the most sought-after places to live in the region. Those living in the Newseum Residences, 135 luxury apartments at 565 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, and the Residences at Market Square, 801 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, probably come closest to living on the Mall.

Similar housing could find its way to Federal Triangle South with the right incentives, said Gerry Widdicombe, director of economic development at the Downtown Business Improvement District. But there are hurdles. Redevelopment of federal land can be a tricky process, governed by complex rules and political rivalries. Some politicians have been urging the GSA to sell off underused land to raise funds. If the GSA is required to get the best price for its real estate, it could lead to more office-focused development.