For the second time in two weeks a carjacking has been reported along Arlington’s Yellow Line corridor.
The latest carjacking happened Wednesday night along the 23rd Street restaurant row, on the 500 block of 23rd Street S. Three men, two armed with guns, stole a Ford Mustang after the victims exited their car, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
One of the suspects hopped in the Mustang and drove off, followed by the other two suspects in an SUV all three arrived in. No injuries were reported.
More from ACPD:
CARJACKING, 2021-02030147, 500 block of 23rd Street S. At approximately 8:50 p.m. on February 3, police were dispatched to the report of a carjacking. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victims had exited their parked vehicle when the three suspects exited a black SUV and approached them. Suspects One and Two brandished firearms and demanded keys to the victims’ vehicle, then instructed the victims to move away from the vehicle. Suspect One entered the victim’s vehicle and fled, while Suspects Two and Three followed in the SUV prior to police arrival. Suspect One is described as a Black male, approximately 5’11”, wearing all black and a black mask. Suspect Two is described as a Black male, approximately 5’8″, wearing all black and a black mask. Suspect Three is described as a Black male, approximately 5’6″, 12-17 years old, with dreadlocks, wearing all black. The victims’ vehicle is described as a 2020 Black Ford Mustang with Georgia temporary license plates. The investigation is ongoing.
The D.C. region is in the midst of a rash of carjackings, including violent, armed carjackings. There were 16 carjackings in Arlington in 2020, after just three were reported in the previous two years, according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
The Helix, part of Amazon’s HQ2 Phase Two development at the PenPlace site (photo courtesy Amazon)
The Helix, part of Amazon’s HQ2 Phase Two development, as seen from the Mount Vernon Trail (courtesy Amazon)
The dog park in Amazon’s proposed PenPlace development (courtesy of Amazon)
The retail on 12th Street S. in Amazon’s proposed PenPlace development (Photo courtesy Amazon)
A pedestrian passageway in Amazon’s proposed PenPlace development (Photo courtesy Amazon)
Amazon has unveiled plans for the PenPlace site in the second phase of its $2.5 billion HQ2 in Pentagon City, including a lush office building shaped like a double helix.
The company will build 2.8 million square feet of office space across three 22-story buildings, an amenity building with a community gathering space and daycare center, and three retail pavilions. The focal point will be The Helix: a 350-foot tall spiraling office building that recreates a climb in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
PenPlace will also have three acres of open space with a dog run and a 250-seat amphitheater, for public use.
Amazon will start filing designs and technical documents with Arlington County Tuesday morning, Amazon spokesperson Adam Sedó said during a call with journalists on Monday.
The tech giant aims to go before the Arlington County Board by the end of 2021, with construction starting in 2022 and ending in 2025, said John Schoettler, Amazon Vice President Global Real Estate and Facilities, during the call. He affirmed that so far, HQ2 remains on-schedule.
PenPlace is bounded by Army Navy Drive, S. Fern Street, 12th Street S. and S. Eads Street. Amazon owns the entire block after it bought a hotel on the site in September. The hotel is currently being torn down.
Schoettler said Arlington County has given Amazon more flexibility for this phase than for the first phase of development on the Metropolitan Park site, which includes two, 22-story concrete office buildings, retail and open space.
“The County Board told us for PenPlace, we really want you to push the envelope,” he said. “It really gave us a clean canvas to try new things.”
The Helix will be the highlight of the site and the tallest building, said Lead Architect Dale Alberda, who works for the international architecture firm NBBJ and helped to design The Spheres within the company’s Seattle headquarters. Throughout PenPlace, he said, the designs keep employees, who will number 25,000 across HQ2, close to nature and the community.
“Amazon has been challenging us to think about how people can connect to nature not just outside when the weather is good, but inside as well, so that it’s available all day, all the time,” Alberda said.
Schoettler said Amazon is also working hard to use sustainable energy. As part of its goal of LEED Platinum certifications — and to meet its pledge to be carbon neutral by 2040 — the buildings will be powered by a solar farm in southern Virginia.
The headquarters will feature one-quarter mile of new protected bike lanes and more than 950 onsite bike spaces as well as below-ground parking for about 2,100 cars and underground loading zones for trucks. There will also be a new bus platform on 12th Street S. near the main entrance to PenPlace.
Hana, a subsidiary of the real estate company CBRE Group, announced on Thursday that it has opened a new location at 2451 Crystal Drive — a stone’s throw away from two of Amazon’s temporary office spaces for HQ2 employees.
The opening announcement comes one year after it was first reported that property owner JBG Smith would be partnering with Hana.
With the National Landing spot, Hana makes its debut on the East Coast and establishes its third location in the U.S.
CBRE has established other flexible working spaces in Dallas and Irvine, Calif. Three other locations are expected to open in the first quarter of 2021: New York City, Philadelphia and Berkeley Heights, NJ.
Hana has initially opened one floor totaling more than 39,000 square feet. The floor includes private office suites and conference and events spaces, in addition to a traditional co-working spce.
“JBG Smith has worked with Hana to deliver a flex solution that meets the unique needs of the building and National Landing area by providing plug-and-play workspaces, on-demand meeting rooms and overflow accommodations,” said Hana CEO Andrew Kupiec in a statement.
In a statement, JBG executive David Ritchey said Hana’s approach, and its abundance of amenities, complements the other co-working spots in Crystal City while addressing “the need for flexible, ‘on-demand’ office space solutions in a post-COVID-19 business environment.”
The opening also comes amid the announcement that co-working rival WeWork will be closing its Crystal City location, which is just a block or two away.
Other existing co-working spaces in Crystal City include Accelspace and Eastern Foundry.
The business improvements districts that serve as boosters for the areas are planning to put hundreds of new banners on light poles. The County Board approved the use of such non-commercial signs in the public right-of-way at its meeting last weekend.
The National Landing signs will differentiate the BID’s three distinct neighborhoods — Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard — while highlighting the National Landing branding.
The Ballston BID banners, in the neighborhood’s orange, white and black colors, will include slogans like “Skill Full,” Taste Full,” “Power Full” and “Event Full.”
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) Arlington County has asked JBG Smith to go back to the drawing board after reviewing its plans to upgrade the Crystal City Water Park.
The privately-owned park at 1601 Crystal Drive currently includes water features, trees, and a food stand. It has frequently been used for local events and gatherings.
The project to upgrade it will be deferred two months so that JBG Smith can address pedestrian and cyclist safety concerns raised by Arlington County Board members and community members during the Board’s Tuesday night meeting.
“This is not a fully baked plan yet,” Board member Christian Dorsey said.
The Bethesda-based real estate company is proposing a new performance area, more outdoor seating, preserving and updating the existing water fountain, and incorporating a new water feature in the center of the site. The proposal also includes a number of retail structures: small kiosks, a bar, and a trailhead restroom facility.
Most of the discussion was devoted to two paths — one ADA-accessible — that JBG Smith proposed to build to connect people to the nearby VRE station and the Mount Vernon Trail. A small pathway linked the two connections.
Community members and County Board members said these paths, as proposed, would create conflicts between pedestrians and bicyclists. People would have to cross the Mount Vernon Trail connector to get to the rest of the park and cyclists would be battling a grade change while avoiding pedestrians.
“We thought we were being helpful, but we’re hearing loudly and clearly that this is scaring people, and we should reconsider it,” said Robin Mosle, a consultant on the project.
The Bethesda-based real estate company opted out of a public design process — something that drew the frustration of some Board members, including Takis Karantonis.
“This would be a conversation that we would have had in the Park and Recreation Commission in advance of the meeting,” Karantonis said.
The County Board is now expected to see the project again when it meets in March.
News of a plan to invigorate the park with new retail dates back at least to 2017, when ARLnow reported that the concession stand in the park had closed. A few months later, The Stand opened in its place, hosting many pop-up eateries. In April, D.C. food truck Peruvian Brothers took it over.
King moved to Arlington from Miami shortly after his Larry King Show picked up national syndication from the Arlington-based Mutual Broadcasting System in 1978.
King’s show was produced in the Mutual Broadcasting studio at the top floor of the office building at 251 18th Street S., next to the Crystal City Metro station. Back then, the building’s street address was known as 1755 South Jefferson Davis Highway, the Crystal City Underground shopping plaza had recently opened, and the neighborhood was only beginning to emerge as a major commercial center.
“Mutual radio moved to Crystal City when no one was there and nothing was there — there were four buildings and the Crystal underground,” recalls Tammy Haddad, King’s radio producer in the early 1980s and later the founding Executive Producer of his CNN show.
It was from that studio that the late-night Larry King Show was broadcast across the country until it went off the air in 1994. Initially, it aired from midnight to 5:30 a.m., though the hours shifted over the years. The radio show featured an extended interview followed by live listener call-ins, and eventually aired on more than 500 radio stations nationwide.
The quirky program was a hit: King’s following grew so quickly — with millions of listeners staying up into the wee hours — that the open call-in portion of the show would crash the circuits of the entire 703 area code, at least according to King.
When Larry King Live launched in primetime on CNN in 1985, King would drive from the CNN studios in D.C. to Crystal City to host the radio show. Famous for his work ethic, King kept that grueling schedule up for years.
While working out of Crystal City, King lived in the Rosslyn area. For a couple of years he lived in The Virginian apartment building, before moving to the nearby Prospect House condo building, famous for its monumental view of D.C. and the Iwo Jima memorial.
King later briefly moved to McLean before decamping for Los Angeles, according to Patrick Piper, who produced King’s radio show after Haddad. (An Associated Press article from 1991 noted that King was arguing to have one of his divorces heard in Arlington “where he lives and works,” instead of Philadelphia where his estranged wife still maintained a residence.)
Stories from King’s radio days abound.
For one, King was cast as himself in the 1984 comedy classic Ghostbusters.
“The people filming the movie Ghostbusters called and asked me to play myself in the movie,” he wrote in his autobiography. “They shot me, cigarette in hand, behind the mike.”
While the setting depicted in the film was definitely the Crystal City studio, Piper wasn’t sure whether it was actually shot in Arlington or on a soundstage. It did look like one of the secondary studios in the office, he said.
Getting to the studio late at night was not easy for the in-studio guests, Haddad remembers.
“The guests used to have to enter the Crystal underground entrance, which was unmarked, it never said Larry King radio show, it never said Mutual radio… and then they’d have to go to the building and [get] let up,” she said. “So you have to really want to be a guest on Larry King to get there.”
Many celebrities arrived via humble Arlington taxis
“We used to send the guests on Red Top Cabs,” Haddad said. “So we pick up Mel Brooks, Danny Kaye, you know, all these guys.”
One regular on-air guest was then-Congressman Al Gore, who lived five minutes away in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood and would drive himself over to the studio late at night.
“Al Gore and Larry had a special relationship,” Haddad said.
Crystal City might not have been as centrally located as downtown D.C., but King wrote that it helped him stay much more plugged in to national news and media than staying in Miami.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Coworking giant WeWork is planning to shut down its Crystal City location next month, according to an email sent to members this morning.
“I am reaching out to regretfully inform you that the WeWork Crystal City location will be closing,” said the email, which was shared with ARLnow by a member. “This location has stood strong for 5 years, and leaves a historic mark on the legacy of WeWork.”
“We know the last year has been full of surprises and challenges for every person all over the world,” the email continues. “In order to address some of these challenges, it was imperative that we carefully evaluate and right-size our portfolio.”
Fueled by massive private investment, WeWork grew at a torrid pace during the second half of the last decade, but as growth stalled its CEO and cofounder was ousted from the company and its planned IPO was scrapped.
The JBG Smith-owned building that houses WeWork in Crystal City — 2221 S. Clark Street — also contains one of the only two WeLive locations ever opened. An experiment in communal living, WeLive was reported to be on the chopping block last year.
It was not immediately clear whether WeWork plans to close the residential space along with the coworking space — the former occupies most floors of the aging office building, while WeWork is housed in the top two floors. JBG, meanwhile, has been on a redevelopment spree in Crystal City following the arrival of Amazon’s HQ2.
After the initial publication of this article, a WeWork spokeswoman confirmed to ARLnow that WeWork would be closing, but said nothing final has decided about the future of WeLive. WeWork locations in Rosslyn and Ballston are remaining open, she said.
“In streamlining our portfolio towards profitable growth, we have decided to move on from 2221 Clark St. in Arlington,” the spokeswoman said. “With several excellent locations in the immediate area, including 901 N. Glebe and 1201 Wilson, we look forward to providing our members with first-class, flexible space solutions.”
The move-out date for the Crystal City WeWork is Feb. 26, she added.
WeWork is also closing three locations in D.C., according to the Washington Business Journal.
A new Virginia Railway Express station could bring Amtrak service to Crystal City, says a new report.
The expanded and relocated station is set to open in 2024 and Amtrak is currently “exploring” adding regional service to this station.
This according to a National Landing Business Improvement District report released earlier this month, detailing a number of significant transportation projects scheduled for completion over the decade (many of which long have been in the works).
Responding to inquiries from ARLnow, an Amtrak spokesperson wrote in an email that the planning remains underway “so it’s premature to discuss in depth expansion plans.”
The VRE station station will be built on land owned by real estate developer JBG Smith and will be designed to host Amtrak trains as well as Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) trains. (Neighboring Alexandria has an existing Amtrak station.)
The $50 million two-track station will be built on Crystal Drive between 12th Street S. and Airport Access Road, about a quarter mile from the current one-track station. That existing station was built about 40 years ago and has been called a “operational bottleneck.”
Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, executive director and president of the National Landing BID, says bringing an Amtrak station to Crystal City would “shrink the region” and would enable a “direct one-seat ride between our region by commuter rail.” Some day those heading to New York City might be able to just head to Crystal City to get on a train, rather than trek into D.C. and battle crowds at Union Station.
Gabriel does note that Amtrak has yet to decide about adding a station there.
Along with a new VRE station, a new two-track railway bridge across the Potomac is also being planned. It will replace the 116-year-old Long Bridge and is estimated to be completed by 2030. Gabriel says the existing bridge is also a “bottleneck.”
Other projects highlighted in the report include the $650 million Project Journey at Reagan National Airport set to be completed this year, the continued construction of the new Potomac Yard Metro station, adding a new entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, replacing Route 1 with a “unifying, urban boulevard,” and a pedestrian walkway over the George Washington Memorial Parkway connecting Crystal City to the airport.
According to Gabriel, the airport bridge would create a five-minute walk from the train station to the airport, as opposed to a walk that’s currently long and somewhat dangerous.
All of these projects together, including the possible presence of Amtrak, could transform the neighborhoods collectively known as National Landing, said Gabriel.
“Investments of this scale are really positioning us to be the most connected downtown in the country,” she said.
There’s far more to this neighborhood than meets the eye… both literally and figuratively. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about Amazon’s new home in Northern Virginia.
In this week’s Neighborhood Spotlight, please join us as we give you a full breakdown of Crystal City!
No matter where you live in Arlington, there’s something unique to fall in love with. What do you love about your community? Let us know down in the comments below, so we can highlight them in a future Neighborhood Spotlight.
And, as always, if you have any questions about Arlington real estate, please contact the Keri Shull Team, the No. 1 top-selling real estate team in the Washington, D.C. area.
Crystal City is an urban village on the eastern edge of Arlington, adjacent to the nearby city of Alexandria. Like all of Arlington’s urban neighborhoods, Crystal City is a popular and thriving area, with a large base of employers and tons to do for leisure.
The most unique thing on offer in Crystal City is Crystal City Shops, a large mall located in an underground city. The underground tunnels at Crystal City feature nearly 200 shops, restaurants and entertainment spots. They also connect directly to many hotels, offices and even condominiums in the neighborhood.
This means that you can enjoy a bite to eat, plenty of shopping or even some avant garde theatre — all without having to ever step above ground!
Getting Above It All
In some of Arlington’s Urban Villages, there are a diverse selection of houses for sale, including both detached homes and apartment-style condominiums.
In Crystal City, however, the high-rise remains king.
Crystal City is home to some of the most popular Arlington condo communities, as well as a vast collection of apartments for rent in other high-rise buildings.
When combined with the impending arrival of Amazon’s HQ2 project to National Landing, this means there has never been a better time to invest in Crystal City real estate.
Popular Condos in the Area
There are a lot of excellent condominium communities in Crystal City — here are just a few of our favorites:
Eclipse: Consisting of 476 units spread between two buildings, the Eclipse offers amazing convenience to residents. Not only can owners easily access the D.C. Metro system via the complimentary shuttle, but the complex also features an on-site supermarket and cafe.
Crystal Gateway: Along with Waterford House, Crystal City offers a boutique layout to their condominiums. Residents get access to luxurious features such as a heated pool and 24/7 concierge, while also enjoying one of the best views in Crystal City. Finally, convenient access to the underground tunnels of Crystal City means that owners at Crystal Gateway don’t even have to worry about the weather when making their commute or running errands.
Crystal City has seen a massive surge in popularity over the past few years, and for good reason! The neighborhood features:
Great walkability and transit convenience
High-value employers like the DoD and Amazon’s HQ2 project
A unique underground city with plenty of dining and retail opportunities
Simple commutes to D.C., Alexandria and other parts of Arlington
Because of this, homes are moving very fast in Crystal City right now. If you don’t approach your home search the right way, the chances of finding — and winning — the right home are microscopic.
If you look for a home alone, you might have serious trouble finding the right home now — but there is help out there! At the Keri Shull Team, we have hundreds of off-market properties that you cannot find online or anywhere else… and we want to give you priority access to these homes before they even go on the market!
When selling a house in Arlington, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are taking the proper precautions to protect your investment. The best way to do that is to speak with a top-tier real estate agent and create a completely customized home selling strategy.
So what are you waiting for? Schedule a time for a free, no-pressure Consultation with one of our Real Estate Needs Analysts.
A rendering of the proposed design concept for the new park at the “Teardrop Parcel” on S. Eads Street (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the design concept called “Canal Walk,” one proposal for the “Teardrop Parcel” on S. Eads Street (Image via Arlington County)
A rendering of the design concept called “Central Hub,” one proposal for the “Teardrop Parcel” on S. Eads Street (Image via Arlington County)
An aerial view of the Teardrop Parcel, which is being turned into a park. (via Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation)
Various views of the Teardrop Parcel, which is being turned into a park. (Image via Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation)
Architects have developed three different visions for the new park at S. Eads Street and Army Navy Drive, an open space and proposed park in Crystal City.
Through Friday, Arlington County is once more accepting feedback on the space, which borders Pentagon City and is also known as the “Teardrop Parcel.” A third online engagement period will occur in February.
“We’ve received an incredible number of questionnaires from the community, about 160 in fact,” said Mark Gionet, the Principal at LSG Landscape Architecture, during a presentation in December.
The new park is located by the Verizon telecommunications facility site (400 11th Street S.) and the construction site for a new, 19-story residential building. It’s adjacent to the recently-builtAltaire apartments and across the street from the second phase of Amazon’s permanent HQ2. The park project, with a $2.6 million budget, is funded by set-asides from the Altaire and the new residential building.
Most respondents to an earlier feedback round said they live nearby and use the park to pass through the area. They would like a place “where they can feel connected to nature,” Gionet said.
Many respondents said they would like pop-up programming, benches and attractive design features. Popular name ideas include Pentagon Park, Teardrop Park, Canal Park and National Landing Park.
“There is an overwhelming preference that this park site remain a natural refuge in character,” Gionet said, adding that respondents support preserving the mature cottonwood tree on the site.
He proposed three ideas. The first, which he called “The Meander,” is an “immersive walking experience” with a curving paved path bordered by greenery and habitats for pollinators.
The second, called “Canal Walk,” traces the historic route of the old S. Eads Street and “grounds the new park in its historical context,” he said. The park would have amenities for working out and socializing.
His third concept, “Central Hub,” focuses on passive green spaces and dog amenities, including a dog run.
After the third online engagement period, the project is expected to be reviewed by County commissions in March and go before the County Board for approval in April.
As development activity in Crystal City and Pentagon City continues, VDOT and Arlington County are looking for ways to improve the pedestrian and transit experience along Route 1, also known as Richmond Highway. The study directly responds to the increased demand for transportation resulting from the construction of Amazon’s HQ2.
VDOT’s study will examine the feasibility of an at-grade boulevard, with the current overpasses removed, comparing it to the current elevated route and the changes prescribed in the Crystal City Sector Plan, according to a presentation from December.
The group suggests going underground for at least the 18th Street S. and 23rd Street S. intersections, creating patterns similar to those in Washington, D.C., where through-traffic is below-grade and local traffic uses at-grade streets — like Connecticut Avenue NW through Dupont Circle.
For a more extensive below-grade roadway, the group suggests trenched express routes from 23rd Street S. to 15th Street S., flanked by at-grade roads. The underground portion would eventually transition into the 12th Street overpass.
“This concept would solve side-street traffic issues, create far-safer pedestrian crossings, create a brand-new open space in what is now wasteland, and open up myriad redevelopment opportunities,” the group said in its response. An even more extensive “big dig” is also proposed, though the group acknowledges is may be “infeasible.”
Dropping Route 1 to grade and creating more signalized intersections would make pedestrians and cyclists less safe unless significant measures are put in, Liveability 22202 predicted. They suggested lower speeds, bike tunnels, signalized right turns and pedestrian-led crossings.
The group also envisions an at-grade boulevard as a “linear park” with retail, wide sidewalks and an abundance of trees.
If VDOT keeps Route 1 elevated, Livability urged VDOT to consider something like a viaduct. Such a bridge would allow the space below to be activated with open spaces or retail.
In a letter, the presidents of the three civic association said “a study of Route 1 in this area is long overdue,” but until VDOT conducts a broad stakeholder review of multiple alternatives, “we endorse the Crystal City Sector Plan as the best alternative.”
The 2010 sector plan keeps the grade separations at 12th, 15th and 18th streets, reconfigures the 15th Street intersection and takes traffic below-grade at 26th Street S., under a newly-created National Circle, as pictured below.
