Delight and alarm are competing reactions to an ambitious redevelopment project on the Fannie Mae property across the street from Sidwell’s Upper School campus. Roadside Development, a local real estate firm, plans to break ground on the project at 3900 Wisconsin Avenue after the Federal National Mortgage Association, also known as Fannie Mae, moves its headquarters downtown late this year. Roadside has won DC government approval to replace the existing office complex with a mix of residential units and retailers anchored by a Wegmans grocery along with a boutique hotel and movie theater. Richard Lake, a principal at Roadside, said the project has the potential to fill the gap between the retailers and restaurants in the Cathedral Commons development to the south and Tenleytown to the north, bringing new conveniences to Sidwell students. Lake said Fannie Mae’s move is an opportunity to make the neighborhood more lively. “There was no activity, no energy other than during luncht...
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