Fannie Mae sale plans open up Van Ness possibilities

Fannie Mae’s decision to sell its iconic Wisconsin Avenue headquarters presents a problem for the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Washington Post and other news organizations that cover Fannie Mae. After all, what photo will they use to illustrate their stories about the mortgage agency?

All kidding aside, this decision does open up more possibilities for the area around the Van Ness Metro station. Besides the mockingly-nicknamed “Versailles West” at 3900 Wisconsin Avenue, Fannie intends to sell two more properties: 3939 Wisconsin and 4250 Connecticut Avenue.

The building at 4250 Connecticut sits on top of the Van Ness station. Its loading docks face Windom Place, and contribute to a dead zone on this dead-end block.

ANC 3F Commissioner Sally Gresham was the first to alert us to Fannie Mae’s plan to sell its properties, consolidate its headquarters workers, and move closer to downtown. This could be good news for the Van Ness Vision Committee, which has been working with Fannie Mae and other stakeholders in creating a new look and purpose for the intersection of Windom and Connecticut Avenue. It definitely opens up the possibility of a new developer sweeping in to update, renovate, or rebuild this tired-looking building.