WASHINGTON – Changes are coming to the Georgetown Waterfront.

D.C. leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday morning to increase public access, specifically for non-motorized boating activities along the Potomac River, after a decade in the making. The District, Georgetown University and the National Park Service will take part in land swap.

What we know:

D.C. officials say Georgetown will donate a parcel of land on the Potomac River to the National Park Service to be added to the boundary of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This will allow for a continuous path from the Capital Crescent Trail to the Georgetown Waterfront Park.

The National Park will then transfer jurisdiction of two parcels at the base of the Key Bridge to the district, which will then transfer the site to the west of the bridge to Georgetown to create a university boathouse, serving as a hub for the men’s and women’s rowing teams.

“Mayor Bowser has made this a big point. D.C. is a waterfront city and we’ve got wonderful access to the water and recreational opportunities, and this final push to complete the land swap is going to unlock this access to the river at this particular point which is right under the Key Bridge,” said Nina Albert, D.C. Deputy Mayor for planning and economic development.

Dig deeper:

Georgetown will provide year-round public access to the boathouse docks, giving the community access to kayak, paddle board and canoe along the Potomac River.

This increased access will benefit rowers, like D.C. resident Ivin Boddy, who frequents the Potomac River.

“I think it would increase more of our foreign visitors and our domestic visitors coming to town. So, I think it would definitely do some great justice for them,” Boddy said.

Others like D.C. resident Zaidun Jawdat, who frequents the area often, are curious to see what eventually happens.

“We enjoy it completely. We’re happy with it,” said Jawdat.
“I’m not sure just how much is going to change. I guess if they invest in structures and docking wharfs – maybe that changes the character.”

The land transaction is currently being finalized – and residents should expect to see changes within the next few years.

WASHINGTON – A humid and cloudy Tuesday across the D.C. area, with highs in the mid-80s and a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Morning temperatures range from the upper 60s to low 70s, with dense air making outdoor conditions uncomfortable.

Storms and humidity 

What we know:

Spotty showers may develop early, particularly south toward Fredericksburg and southern Maryland, as well as northwest near Hagerstown and parts of West Virginia.

A cold front is expected to move through later in the day, bringing relief from high humidity and reducing the risk of showers and storms.

Temperatures should peak around 84 degrees, with a chance of pop-up storms through the afternoon. Skies will clear overnight, and humidity will drop, leading to drier conditions by Wednesday.

Wildfire smoke returns

Wednesday will be less humid, though Canadian wildfire smoke is expected to return, creating hazy sunshine.

By late this week, clouds will build again as temperatures rise, bringing unsettled weather heading into the weekend.

WorldPride D.C. is now a wrap. The three week festival brought millions of people to the nation’s capital.

Advertisement

On the last day of the festival, WTOP spoke to both D.C.-area residents and people who traveled to the District to be a part of only the second WorldPride in the U.S.

“I’m loving it here!,” said Angel Creek, a first-time WorldPride attendee. The Chicago native was joined by fellow Howard University student Venus Burrell.

Creek said her favorite parts of WorldPride were the outfits, the amount of color and the small businesses who had tents at the festival.

One D.C. business that once again was turning heads at the festival was Jimmy Trendy. Owner Jaime Quintero told WTOP that as a local business owner, he felt a duty to support the community and be there.

“This year has been amazing, because it’s WorldPride,” Quintero said.

The three week festival has been two-and-a-half years in the making thanks to the work from the Capitol Pride Alliance, which produced WorldPride.

Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance, told WTOP that 500 volunteers helped with the three week festival.

“The volunteers, the staff, the board, the whole nine, really trying to pull all this together, and our partners, that’s the only way we were able to do it,” Smith said Saturday.

One of the partners was the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs and its director, Japer Bowles.

Social media influencer Jose Romero, known as @DCHomos, who’s also marketing executive producer for Capital Pride Alliance, said he was impressed with the D.C.-area’s LGBTQ+ community, who lent a helping hand.

“The new volunteers, so many people that haven’t volunteered before, are here, welcoming the world and making this happen,” Romero said.

One of those welcomed was Devin Plant, who traveled with friends to join the celebration in D.C.

“You don’t have anything like this in Maine,” Plant said. “I think we have one singular gay bar in the whole state.

Plant joked that there are so few gay people in his hometown Bangor, that if he opens a dating app, he knows everyone on it.

This was Plant’s first trip to D.C. since he was in middle school.

“This historic event is probably something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Plant said.

Another thing Plant said he won’t forget for a while is the sunburn he received during the parade, joking that there isn’t as much sun in Maine.

One of the most impressive displays during the parade, which had 300 groups marching, was a 1,000-foot Pride Flag — said to be the world’s largest.

D.C.-area resident Allison Moody, who helped carry the giant Pride Flag, said it was stitched by the original creator of the Pride Flag, Gilbert Baker.

So, how big was the parade’s crowd size?

Smith said he had received estimates of 1.5 million attendees observing the parade as it moved along 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The streets are much bigger than the traditional route though D.C.’s Dupont neighborhood.

Last year, the parade used the same route as a test run for this year’s WorldPride — and it seems like this new pride route is permanent.

“There may be some changes to it slightly, but we’ll try to keep it the same route as much as
we can,” Smith said.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.