Ward 8 wrestles with Poplar Point luxury wellness spa development

A proposed luxury spa at Poplar Point? The question is dividing Ward 8.

Some residents, community leaders, and stakeholders see a multi-million dollar spa as a chance for revitalization in the area. Others are weary of a new effort to displace a predominantly Black, working-class community in D.C.

This past summer, Mayor Muriel Bowser accepted a proposal to bring a health and wellness spa to Poplar Point, a 110-acre plot of land along the eastern side Anacostia River in Ward 8. The land sits directly across from the Nationals Park and Navy Yard neighborhood with a view of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Therme would be designated as the economic anchor for the project as part of the mayor’s larger DC’s Comeback Plan.

Therme DC plans to build a $500 million resort on Poplar Point, a 110-acre plot of land along the Anacostia River.

In a press release, Bowser’s office said the proposed spa aims to offer the following:

• $5 billion in tax revenue over 25 years,
• 5,000 local construction jobs during development, and
• 720 permanent jobs upon completion.

However, Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George has not officially confirmed her support of Therme DC’s development project. Lewis George told The Washington Informer on Nov. 6 that she sees Poplar Point as an opportunity to provide Ward 7 and 8 residents with more affordable housing options, grocery stores, and other amenities.

“I think it’s important for us to be smart and prudent about what we do with Poplar Point,” she told The Washington Informer. “I’m looking forward to seeing what proposals we can bring forward.”

Lewis George’s office declined a request for comment.

Lamont Mitchell, chairman and chief operating officer of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, said the council does not take official positions on projects of this scale and serves as a community forum for residents to share their concerns.

However, he said he personally believes the wellness spa development would greatly benefit Ward 8 community. He has served the ACC for over 30 years and said that he first heard conversations about developing Poplar Point in the early 2000s.

Mitchell said that many residents are concerned about the environmental impact of the wellness spa’s development on the surrounding environment and clearing the current site of any existing contamination.

“There needs to be a robust community benefits agreement,” he said, adding that “there needs to be some synergy between the businesses in the downtown Anacostia corridor and the Therme project.” 

Mitchell said the neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are “the last bastion of hope for affordable housing” in D.C., adding that he understands the community’s trepidation with new developers entering for what feels like the first time.

“Gentrification is real,” he said, but he still has hope for the success of the development.

For others in Ward 8, the spa is not high on the list of community needs in historic Anacostia.

“We’re lacking a lot of things in the community that we should probably get first before this massive thermal, European thermal spa,” said Patrick O’Keefe, the vice president of the Historic Anacostia Block Association, a civic and community organization.

O’Keefe said that the Anacostia neighborhood likes to have options when it comes to how its land is used, but Therme DC’s announcement as the potential anchor tenant for the Poplar Point land was not a choice that the community made.

“We’ve participated in Therme-run meetings and DMPED-run meetings but it never really seemed like the anchor tenant was up for discussion. It was like a foregone conclusion,” O’Keefe said. He added that the city should address concerns about “really questionable reporting on the finances of this organization” with the community directly.

Therme received backlash after The New York Times reported in April 2025 that the firm “exaggerated its track record in securing a deal with Ontario, and government auditors found that the process had been unfair and opaque.”

Jaime Hagelstein, an Anacostia resident of three years, said that in addition to her concerns about Therme’s business practices, she knows that Anacostia has been underserved by the D.C. government. She added that bringing Therme DC into Ward 8 does not support the residents that live there.

“One of the arguments that come from Therme is this idea about jobs. Those jobs are construction jobs, and those are short-term,” Hagelstein said. “And then, the longer term jobs that happen at the Therme spot itself…there’s nothing that says specifically they’re going to be looking for people from our ward.”

Hagelstein said that a number of key elements are missing from the community benefit agreement that Therme has presented: no training opportunities to ensure that Ward 8 residents are hired, no mechanism to ensure reduced rates and fare for Ward 7 and 8 residents, and no clear mechanism for bringing foot traffic to Ward 8 businesses.

Hagelstein also said that the historic Anacostia neighborhood needs to “be prioritized to create the robust neighborhood commercial corridor historic area that it is” in order to realistically determine what amenities are best for the community.

Outgoing Ward 8A Advisory Neighborhood Commission Chair Jamila White remains a vocal critic of the Therme DC development. In a virtual special meeting of the Ward 8A ANC on Oct. 21, White said that she did not appreciate how the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development was handling communications with Ward 8 residents and leaders.

White also said in the meeting that, though an initial community benefits agreement was shared with the 8A ANC, an updated agreement had not been released or discussed with residents based on feedback that the initial agreement received.

White recommended that the incoming cohort of ANC commissioners hire a lawyer to codify measures presented in an updated agreement. White added that she has witnessed promises made to the community roll over from one commission or developer to another because the agreements are not legally binding.

On Oct. 28, the D.C. Council’s Human Services Committee held a public, virtual hearing to hear from the community about two key pieces of legislation aimed at advancing Therme DC’s development of the wellness spa, projected to open in 2031.

The Poplar Point Economic Development Anchor Disposition Act of 2026 would authorize D.C.’s mayor to create a long-term ground lease with Therme DC, granting them access to 15 acres of land in Poplar Point. Therme DC’s annual rent would be $1 for its first 20 years of existence and readjusted thereafter.

The Poplar Point Acquisition and Disposition Approval Act of 2026 would authorize a land swap between the D.C. government, the National Park Service, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Park Police to transfer the Poplar Point land from the federal government to the D.C. government.

Witnesses at the hearing shared over 80 comments, both written and live.