That empty lot you see there? It might soon look like this:

Or perhaps like this:

In February, two developers submitted proposals to the city for 965 Florida Ave. NW—-a vacant parcel obtained by the city in exchange for the land on Georgia Avenue that Howard University is now developing into the Howard Town Center. One came from MRP Realty and Ellis Development Group, the other from The JBG Companies, Gragg & Associates and Moddie Turay Co. The JBG group has appeared to have a leg up in the process, since city officials have said they’d prefer proposals that incorporate neighboring property, and JBG owns a lot just south of 965 Florida.

Now, courtesy of Jonathan O’Connell, we know what both proposals look like. As expected, JBG’s includes a Harris Teeter supermarket, in addition to space for up to 15 restaurants and shops, 30,000 square feet of office space, a 125-room hotel, 150 condos, 250 apartments, and 200 micro units, with 70 affordable units. Connected with JBG’s land to the south, it re-establishes W Street east of Florida Avenue.

Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the plan:

And a street view:

Meanwhile, the Ellis proposal, while lacking JBG’s plot-consolidation advantage, does not lack in ambition. It envisions a large ground-floor market under a C-shaped residential building, with a grand courtyard:

Which design do you prefer?