D.C. wants to build a 15-acre wellness resort on the Anacostia. Some are skeptical.
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A concept image of a D.C. Therme center. Image: Courtesy of Therme/DS+R
A proposal to put a massive wellness resort along the Anacostia River is gaining steam. But will it ever get built?
Why it matters: It's an extravagant idea — thermal pools, saunas, cold plunges and then some, over what could be 600,000 square feet — and one that would juice development on prime real estate.
Zoom in: European company Therme first floated the idea in 2023. Think: a glass-enclosed "urban oasis" with swim-up bars, mineral pools, lush decor. There'd be family-friendly zones and also wellness offerings.
- It'd be placed at Poplar Point, across the river from Nationals Park, next to the new Bridge District community.
- It's one of the last projects Mayor Muriel Bowser is shepherding before leaving office. She unveiled a formal proposal last week: Therme would get an annual lease for the first 20 years at just $1.
- The Bowser admin also struck a tentative agreement to relocate the existing U.S. Park Police facilities on the 110-acre site, the Washington Business Journal reported, freeing up the land.
Context: Therme has four outposts in Germany and Romania and more in Toronto and Dallas.
- The company's project website says it "is expected to create 5,000 construction jobs and over 700 permanent jobs" in D.C. and contribute $1.5 billion in tax revenue over 25 years.
- A 70-acre public park will also be developed on Poplar Point, which is federal land.
Yes, but: Will it get done?
- Not everyone thinks so. Some just question the financial viability of such a large spa. Politically speaking, Bowser's proposal will need approval from the D.C. Council. Lawmakers may not be keen on giving away the riverfront land for $1, even for just the first 20 years.
- The likely next mayor, Janeese Lewis George, will also get a say starting in January.
- Her campaign chairperson Tommy Wells shared his own opinion: "This is a mistake and unneeded. Valuable riverfront land should be used for housing," he posted on X. "Council should oppose it."
The bottom line: There's a long way to go on this project, but if the Romans had the bathhouses, could our capital soon have Therme? It'd certainly save a trip out to the suburbs.