A D.C. panel is set to make a pivotal decision this week impacting plans to redevelop the Barry Farm public housing complex, a project more than 13 years in the making that has become a flashpoint in the persistent debate over housing affordability in the District.
Although half of the complex, built in the 1940s, has been demolished, the remaining buildings on the 34-acre Anacostia property could soon be designated as a historic landmark by the city’s Historic Preservation Review Board. That would complicate the plans of a collection of private developers looking to transform Barry Farm into a mixed-use development, an effort that has been stymied for years in the face of court challenges from residents and activists.
The board is set to make a final decision on the matter Thursday, after months of deliberations and delays. The developers, and the applicants seeking the historic designation — activist group Empower D.C. and the Barry Farm Tenants and Allies Association — have tried…
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