Trammell Crow Taps CBRE for 1 MSF Campus in DC

The site of the McMillan Center for Health & Research in Washington, D.C., has gone unused for decades. Image courtesy of CBRE

Trammell Crow Co. has appointed CBRE as exclusive leasing agent for The McMillan Center for Health & Research, a nearly 1 million-square-foot health, wellness and research campus in Washington, D.C.

The CBRE team of Vice Chairman Chris Bodnar, Senior Vice President John DiCamillo, First Vice President Laura Nealon and Vice President Brett Schweitzer, in partnership with TCC Managing Director Eric Fischer and Senior Associate Sam Mitrani, will lead leasing at the property.

Upon completion, The McMillan Center will encompass three buildings. The first two towers, which share a 2,000-car garage, are set to host pediatrics and child health care, together with adult care, research facilities and laboratory; the third tower will provide space for clinical research and medical practices. The property is proposed for LEED Gold certification.

The campus is taking shape at the southwest corner of Avenue Northwest and North Capitol Street Northwest, 3 miles from the Capitol and less than 1 mile from Howard University and the Catholic University. The research campus will be next to four other medical centers which include Children’s National Hospital, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center and the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center.

Decades-long project in the making

The McMillan Center for Health & Research is part of the 2.1 million-square-foot Reservoir District, a mixed-use project. The $720 million redevelopment had gone through several stages and had been halted for years until it received a green light. The site was a historic landmark which used to filter water. In 1987, the city government acquired the land which went unused since then. Plans for the redevelopment were on the horizon beginning with 2007, when Vision McMillan Partners—a partnership between Trammell Crow, EYA and Jair Lynch—became the developer. Starting with 2015, the redevelopment saw several setbacks.

In 2021, the D.C. Court of Appeals gave way for the developers to proceed with the project and the demolition process began. Construction later commenced in October 2022. The District, which is taking shape on a 25-acre site, is set to include 146 townhomes, more than 500 apartments, a community center, a retail component, a 6.2-acre park, and the health and life science campus.

Trammell Crow’s recent life science projects

Trammell Crow kicked off 2023 with another mixed-use campus, a 1 million-square-foot redevelopment project in Boston that will include life science, office, retail space and 200 affordable housing units built in partnership with The Community Builders.

Another project in D.C is Congress Heights, a 240,000-square-foot mixed-use development slated for completion in 2026. Standard Real Estate Investments partnered with Trammell Crow, which will oversee the leasing and development of the office and retail components.

Lastly, in a joint venture with CBRE Investment Management, the company broke ground in July on a 234,000-square-foot life science development in Redwood City, Calif., expected for completion during the fourth quarter of 2024.

Trammell Crow also inked leases at its life science facilities in the last few months. Biomedical research institute Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago signed a 25,698-square-foot lease at 1375 W. Fulton, which is part of the Fulton Labs Campus. More recently, Portal Innovations signed a 33,136-square-foot lease at Science Square Labs in Atlanta, which coincided with the property’s topping off ceremony.