'Temporary attractions' are the latest development tactic

Developers in Washington, DC, aren't ready to begin a 26-acre waterfront project, so they're making do for the moment with music, games, and a "food-truck roundup."

A $1.5 billion mixed-use project is being planned for the Southwest waterfront in the nation's capital, but with the economy sluggish, developers PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette are filling part of the site with "temporary attractions" that they hope will get people excited about what's to come.

They're creating a kind of outdoor playground at Water and Seventh Streets, SW, reports The Washington Post in a Sept. 6 article available here.  Each Friday night there's a "food-truck roundup" featuring cupcakes, tacos, salads, and Indian food. A nearby church presents live music on Thursday evenings. Lawn games and ping pong are played each day. 

Those offerings are "part of an effort to forge a relationship with the community and brand the area as a destination for a distinctive experience," the Post says, noting, "It's hardly the first temporary use of a development site in the District, but it could be the most comprehensive."

With many projects across the nation proceeding slowly, there seems to be a trend toward organizing temporary gathering places. An earlier example of this is the impromptu town center that developer Tom Weigel created last spring near the waterfront of Hercules, California — the subject of an article in the June 2010 New Urban News. When conditions are right, Weigel intends to build a permanent town center on his 6.62 acres in Hercules. Weigel described his temporary attractions as an "appetizer plate" of town center ingredients, using "just stuff that sits on the ground," such as shipping containers and vintage Airstream trailers, rather than buildings set on permanent foundations.