Building Design + Construction’s January 7, 2014 survey profiled nine ambitious U.S. redevelopment plans spanning waterfronts, brownfields, former industrial sites, a racetrack and a water-treatment plant. Together, they show how large mixed-use districts were being planned after the recession. They are historical proposals, not a current ranking: the article’s budgets, schedules and program sizes were 2014-era estimates. A later development-partnership announcement confirms that Washington, D.C.’s The Wharf was completed on October 12, 2022; current status for the other eight projects is not established by the available evidence.
What this 2014 snapshot actually documents
The source article called its list “a sampling of nine major mixed-use projects throughout the country.” Its opening observation was that plans slowed by the recession and lengthy negotiations were beginning to move ahead. That framing matters: the article recorded proposed scopes and reported activity at one point in time, rather than promising that every phase would be built.
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For construction readers, the projects are useful as case studies in site conversion and program complexity. Each combines multiple uses or public-realm commitments, but the starting conditions differ substantially. Some involve contaminated or obsolete infrastructure sites; others reuse industrial buildings, reclaim waterfront land or replace a single-purpose entertainment venue with a complete neighborhood.
- Historical status: Areas, uses, investment figures and delivery forecasts below are attributed to the 2014 report unless a later date is explicitly given.
- Current-status limit: No present-day verification was established for eight projects in the available material.
- Confirmed later milestone: The Wharf’s mile-long neighborhood was announced as complete on October 12, 2022, five years after its initial opening in 2017.
The nine projects at a glance
| Project and location | Starting condition and scale reported in 2014 | Proposed program | 2014 position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverbend District, Harrison, N.J. | 80-acre brownfield across the Passaic River from Newark; part of a broader waterfront effort | Retail, offices, housing, hospitality and parks | Panasonic technology center completed; residential and retail phases planned or under construction |
| Canalside, Buffalo, N.Y. | 21-acre district at the Erie Canal and Buffalo River | Cultural, entertainment, retail, commercial and residential uses | Public-space, infrastructure and private-development work reported as active |
| GreenWater (Block 1), Austin, Texas | Five-block redevelopment of the former Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant | Office, retail, residential, hospitality, assisted living and green space | Block 1 described as the initial phase being planned |
| Hollywood Park Tomorrow, Inglewood, Calif. | 238-acre community on the former Hollywood Park racetrack | Housing, retail, hotel, offices, parks and civic uses | Investment and delivery figures were projections |
| New Domino, Brooklyn, N.Y. | 11-acre East River site of the former Domino sugar refinery | Residential, office, commercial, adaptive reuse, school, recreation and public space | Redevelopment plan reported in the 2014 article |
| Lakeside, Chicago, Ill. | Former U.S. Steel South Works site | Housing, retail, parks, marina, school and sustainability infrastructure | Long build-out projected |
| The Wharf, Washington, D.C. | Southwest Waterfront mixed-use district; mile-long neighborhood | Housing, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, piers, parks and entertainment | Initial opening in 2017; later announcement says completed October 12, 2022 |
| North Carolina Research Campus/Community, Kannapolis, N.C. | Former textile-mill site | Research, medical, commercial, civic and residential uses | Institutional and construction details reported for 2014 |
| Essex Crossing, New York City | Six-acre Lower East Side redevelopment area | Housing, school, community facilities, retail, offices, entertainment, market, parks and museum | Unit mix, investment and build-out dates were article-era plans |
How each redevelopment was conceived
Riverbend District: brownfield remediation paired with a new waterfront center
Riverbend District was presented as an 80-acre brownfield redevelopment in Harrison, New Jersey, across the Passaic River from Newark. The plan was not a single building: it combined retail, offices, housing, hospitality and parks within Harrison’s larger waterfront transformation. That breadth would require site preparation, public-realm construction and vertical development to advance in coordinated phases.
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The 2014 account identified a Panasonic technology center as completed and described residential and retail phases as planned or under construction. For a contractor, the significant pattern is the transition from a known employment anchor to a district intended to support daily life as well as jobs. Brownfield work also makes sequencing especially important: environmental controls and infrastructure capacity have to support later residential, commercial and open-space packages without treating each parcel as an isolated project.
Canalside: reconnecting Buffalo’s canals and riverfront
Canalside covered 21 acres where the Erie Canal meets the Buffalo River. The proposed mix—cultural and entertainment venues alongside retail, commercial and residential space—positioned the waterfront as both a destination and a neighborhood.
The article reported activity in public spaces, infrastructure and private development. That combination illustrates a common waterfront strategy: public investment establishes access, utilities and civic character, while private projects fill in the district around those improvements. Construction planning must account for event-oriented areas, durable waterfront finishes, pedestrian circulation and the interfaces between public agencies and private builders. The 2014 description does not establish which later phases were delivered.
GreenWater: turning a water-treatment plant into a five-block neighborhood
Austin’s GreenWater plan targeted the former Thomas C. Green Water Treatment Plant site and envisioned five blocks of redevelopment. Proposed uses included offices, retail, residences, hospitality, assisted living and green space. Block 1 was described as the initial phase being planned in 2014.
The program creates a demanding mix of building types and operating requirements. Assisted living, hotels, offices and homes each impose different accessibility, life-safety, servicing and mechanical needs, while the public landscape has to connect them. Starting with one block can provide a test of utilities, street geometry and public-space standards before subsequent blocks are committed. No later completion or occupancy status for the plan is established here.
Hollywood Park Tomorrow: replacing a racetrack with a complete community
Hollywood Park Tomorrow proposed a 238-acre community in Inglewood, California, on the former Hollywood Park racetrack. The plan included housing, retail, a hotel, offices, parks and civic uses. Its size made it a city-building exercise rather than a conventional parcel redevelopment.
Replacing a single-purpose venue with a mixed-use district changes traffic patterns, utility demand and the timing of public facilities. Parks and civic elements need to arrive early enough to give residents a usable neighborhood, while commercial and residential phases must be coordinated with streets and services. The article’s investment and delivery numbers were 2014 projections; they should not be read as final costs, approved budgets or completed quantities.
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New Domino covered an 11-acre Brooklyn site occupied by the former Domino sugar refinery. The proposed plan combined residential, office and commercial buildings with adaptive reuse, a school, recreation and public space.
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The defining construction challenge was the coexistence of new construction and retained industrial character. Adaptive reuse can preserve a landmarked or recognizable structure while new buildings supply housing and employment, but the interfaces require careful surveys, structural assessment, fire separation, accessibility upgrades and construction logistics. A school and recreational areas add publicly oriented facilities to what could otherwise be a private real-estate project. The 2014 article does not verify the later status of individual components.
Lakeside: a long-horizon plan for the South Works site
Lakeside was proposed for Chicago’s former U.S. Steel South Works site. The envisioned community included housing, retail, parks, a marina, a school and sustainability infrastructure. The article projected a long build-out, signaling that the plan depended on extended infrastructure and market sequencing rather than one delivery cycle.
Large former industrial sites often require a framework that can absorb changing demand. A marina, school and parks are not simply amenities added after buildings; they influence grading, utilities, stormwater, access and operating responsibilities. A phased approach can reduce initial risk, but it also demands enforceable standards so early construction does not compromise later public facilities. No current schedule or completed scope is established by the 2014 report.
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The Wharf plan covered Washington, D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront and included housing, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, public piers, parks and entertainment venues. Its mile-long frontage made public access and the relationship between buildings and the water central to the concept.
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The project is the one case in this group with a documented later milestone. A development-partnership announcement states that the mile-long neighborhood was completed on October 12, 2022, five years after its initial opening in 2017. That statement confirms completion of the neighborhood as announced; it does not retroactively validate every 2014 projection or provide a component-by-component cost comparison.
North Carolina Research Campus/Community: an institutional district on a mill site
In Kannapolis, the North Carolina Research Campus/Community was described on a former textile-mill site. Its proposed ecosystem brought together research, medical, commercial, civic and residential uses.
Research and medical facilities create unusually strict requirements for mechanical systems, reliability, specialized interiors and collaboration between institutions. Adding commercial, civic and residential elements broadens the district’s public role but increases coordination across owners and construction standards. The article supplied institutional and construction details as of 2014; it did not establish how the campus or community subsequently developed.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallEssex Crossing: a Lower East Side plan organized around housing and civic uses
Essex Crossing was a six-acre redevelopment plan in New York City’s Lower East Side. It proposed housing, a school, community facilities, retail, offices, entertainment, a market, parks and a museum.
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The mix placed social infrastructure and public life alongside private development. Schools, markets, museums and community facilities require distinct loading, acoustics, public access and operating arrangements, while housing and offices bring different schedules and servicing demands. The article’s unit mix, investment estimate and build-out dates were plans reported in 2014, not verified present-day figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the nine plans reveal about mega-redevelopment practice
Site history determines the first construction problem
These projects began with very different constraints: a brownfield at Riverbend, a water-treatment plant at GreenWater, a racetrack at Hollywood Park, a sugar refinery at New Domino, a steelworks at Lakeside and a textile mill at the North Carolina campus. Waterfront districts such as Canalside and The Wharf added shoreline access and public-space demands. The first work package therefore varies from environmental remediation and demolition to structural stabilization, marine-edge construction or utility replacement.
Mixed use is an infrastructure commitment, not just a marketing label
Every plan paired private uses with some combination of parks, piers, schools, civic facilities, cultural venues or community services. Those elements affect street sections, utility sizing, stormwater design, public safety, maintenance and handover agreements. A district cannot be evaluated only by counting apartments or office area; its public realm and operating model are part of the construction scope.
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Phasing protects capital but creates interface risk
GreenWater’s block-by-block approach, Lakeside’s projected long build-out and the phased descriptions at Riverbend show why mega-projects are delivered over time. Early packages must leave room for later streets, utilities, foundations and public facilities. Contracts and design standards need clear responsibilities for temporary conditions, tie-ins and unfinished parcels so that each phase remains safe and usable.
Historical forecasts require disciplined status checking
When citing these projects today, label the information as a 2014 proposal unless a newer, project-specific source confirms otherwise. Check current municipal planning records, environmental filings, building permits, developer announcements and occupancy or opening notices before stating that a phase exists, a budget was spent or a schedule was met. On the evidence available here, The Wharf’s October 12, 2022 completion announcement is the only later milestone that can be stated confidently; the other eight require independent verification.
Why these case studies still matter to construction teams
The list remains useful because it puts several recurring decisions in one frame: how to convert obsolete land, how to finance public space alongside private buildings, how to protect industrial heritage, and how to maintain flexibility over a decade or more. It also shows why headline acreage is only a starting point. Delivery depends on environmental conditions, infrastructure, approvals, market absorption, institutional partners and the practical ability to operate a mixed-use district after construction ends.
For estimators and project managers, the safest lesson is to separate confirmed scope from aspiration. Treat each 2014 quantity or date as a baseline for historical analysis, not as a current bid assumption. Build today’s decisions from verified surveys, permits, utility information, environmental reports and issued design documents.
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