Williams Proposes Moving Metro Offices to Anacostia

Metro board member Charles Deegan, who represents Prince George's County, said the cash-strapped agency should leverage its downtown asset: "The bus company doesn't have to be in the high-dollar neck of the woods."

The Anacostia Metro site, which the transit agency unsuccessfully tried to sell last year, spreads over 5.25 acres, officials said. About 3.5 acres are available for development. Williams said the site could support housing and retail, as well as offices for city agencies now renting elsewhere. The complex also would include headquarters for the Anacostia Waterfront Corp., a publicly chartered company created to steer redevelopment along the river.

The D.C. Council passed legislation requiring the corporation to locate east of the river rather than on the more-developed western side. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), a vocal proponent of that legislation, issued a statement yesterday saying he strongly supported Williams's proposal.

"We welcome the growth because of the potential for bringing more positive activity and jobs to our area. . . ," Barry's statement said. "We're just glad our time has come."

Williams called Barry the inspiration for the proposal, which he said was modeled after Barry's effort as mayor to trigger revitalization of the 14th and U Street corridors by locating the Reeves Municipal Center there.

Building at the Metro station would add a hub to the Anacostia neighborhood, which is showing signs of recovery after decades of decline.

Eight blocks north along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, at the foot of the 11th Street bridges, an office and retail complex called the Anacostia Gateway broke ground last month.

King Avenue, which winds through the Anacostia business district, is starting its third year in the Main Streets revitalization program, which uses marketing and strategic planning to enhance existing businesses and attract new ones. The city's first light-rail project is also planned for the neighborhood.

An office complex would mean "more workers and increased customer base" for businesses and storefronts along the blighted street, said Yavocka Young, executive director of the Main Streets project. "Ithink it would be a great opportunity."

Staff writers Steven Ginsberg, Lindsey Layton and Lori A. Montgomery contributed to this report.