Arlington County is asking residents to share their thoughts on a developer’s plan to turn areas of a lot at 1900 S. Eads Street into public parks.
The plan is part of the Crystal City Houses redevelopment project to build four new apartment buildings at S. Eads Street and 18th Street near the existing, 12-story Crystal House apartment buildings. The project is two blocks from Amazon’s planned permanent HQ2.
As part of the proposed 798-unit construction, the developer pledged to provide a 31,000 square feet of space in the center of the buildings as public space, and another, 23,986 square feet of space in the corner of the lot by S. Fern Street and 22nd Street as another privately-owned, public park.
Now the Department of Parks and Recreation is asking residents to share their feedback on this second park proposal via an online feedback form.
“The significant additional open space will also be a crucial addition to the Crystal City community,” the developer wrote in site plans revised earlier this year.
The county says it will stop accepting feedback via the form at midnight next Friday, September 6.
Feedback will used to finalize draft designs scheduled to be shared on September 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. at county government headquarters in Courthouse (2100 Clarendon Blvd), per the county’s website. The Long Range Planning Commission will also review the feedback during their own meeting later that night from 7 -9 p.m.
County staff expects to present the final designs to the Arlington County Board in October.
Rendering of new development at 1820 N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn (Image via Arlington County)
Rendering of new development at 1820 N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn (Image via Arlington County)
Rendering of new development at 1820 N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn (Image via Arlington County)
1820 N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn (Image via Google Maps)
1820 N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn (Image via Google Maps)
The Arlington Temple United Methodist Church, on top of a Sunoco gas station, in Rosslyn (Photo via Snell Properties)
(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) A developer is proposing to demolish the Ames Center office building in Rosslyn, at 1820 N. Fort Myer Drive, and replace it with almost 800 housing units and retail space.
Building owner Snell Properties has long planned to replace the aging office building, which formerly housed the Art Institute of Washington, with the two residential towers. Newly-submitted plans indicate Snell plans to build a 31-story tower with 424 units on the south side of the property and a 30-story tower with 364 units in the north side.
Plans indicate that the south tower will have 411,338 square feet of residential space, and the north tower will feature 382,608 square feet of residential space. Together, the two will offer 8,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level.
Currently, more than half of the Ames Center is vacant, with the remaining leases to expire before construction begins, according to a letter filed by an attorney for the developer.
The Ames Center property, which includes a church built over a gas station — once dubbed “Our Lady of Exxon” — was one of the earliest developments of it kind in Arlington, credited with kickstarting the redevelopment of Rosslyn as a commercial center in the 1960s. It was designed by the noted Czech-American architect Vlastimil Koubek.
This extended 18th Street corridor would bisect the Ames Center property, and Snell is proposing to build a walkable plaza between the two towers to incorporate the path.
Snell and nearby property owner Monday Properties previously clashed over the plan for the 18th Street corridor, with Snell saying Monday’s original plan for the 1812 N. Moore could have moved the corridor northward and disrupted the Ames Center plan. Today, a lawyer representing Snell told ARLnow today (Tuesday) that the firm is happy with the corridor.
In the meantime, Snell’s plans also indicate several “interim” changes to the streetscape surrounding the site, including:
Removing one parking lane and one travel lane from N. Nash Street (between 19th Street to Wilson Blvd) and adding 6-foot-wide bike lanes with 3-foot medians on both sides the street. Additionally, the developer is asking to widen the sidewalks from 12 feet to 16 feet wide.
Removing one travel lane from Fort Myer Drive and replacing it with a 7-foot-wide parking lane, and a 5-foot bike lane.
Removing two travel lanes from N. Fort Myer Drive and replacing them with a parking lane and a bike lane.
Snell also plans to build a four-story parking garage on site, with around 650 spaces for cars — equivalent to 0.81 spaces per residential unit — along with 10 dedicated spaces for retail, and 4 additional spaces. The developer is also planning space for tenants to park 317 bicycles.
JBG Focusing on Arlington — “As JBG Smith continues to focus its portfolio on the area around Amazon HQ2, the REIT is unloading an asset in the heart of D.C.’s Central Business District… The developer is currently constructing its Central District Retail project and is renovating the 1770 Crystal Drive office building, which Amazon has leased. It is also moving through the planning process to add nearly 1,000 units to its RiverHouse Apartments property and build two new residential towers totaling 750 units at 1900 Crystal Drive.” [Bisnow]
Man Battles Abandoned Scooters — Washingtonian editor Andrew Beaujon is on a mission this summer to get e-scooter companies to pick up abandoned scooters along the Mt. Vernon Trail, near Gravelly Point. [Twitter]
Church Holding Vigil Following Mass Shootings — “Given the terrible events of last week our service this Sunday will be a prayer vigil w/ prayers & ritual to help us find some kind of sense of peace as well as determination to change the culture of our country.” [Twitter]
Vaccine Change for Va. Students — “Ordinarily around this time of year, Arlington school officials are bombarding parents of rising sixth-graders to remember the need for ‘Tdap’ vaccines. Any student turning up the first day of school without one would be sent home. This year, however… as the General Assembly has changed the requirements – now, it is rising seventh-graders who need the vaccines.” [InsideNova]
Future Target store under construction in Ballston
The Waycroft under construction in Ballston in August
(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) Target recently filed building permits for its new Ballston location at 750 N. Glebe Road, but there’s still no word on an exact opening date.
The new 41,000+ square foot Target is part of The Waycroft, a towering mixed-use building at the west end of Ballston. The building was originally approved by the County Board in 2016 and construction is still underway at the project. The building is expected to be completed sometime in the first quarter of 2020, according to an employee at developer Saul Centers, Inc.
The building will also have 491 residential units with apartments ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.
A Silver Diner is also planned to be built at The Waycroft.
According to a spokesperson for Target:
I can confirm Target has plans to open a Ballston, VA store. We’re excited to bring an easy, convenient shopping experience to additional guests in the community with this new Target store. Located at Wilson Boulevard and North Glebe Road in the new development from Saul Centers, Inc, the store will be approximately 41,500 square feet. As we get closer to opening the store, we’ll have more specific details to share — including how the shopping experience will be tailored to serve local guests and the grand opening date.
New Coworking Space Coming to Ballston — “Piedmont Office Realty Trust signed a 29K SF lease with WeWork at its Arlington Tower office building at 901 North Glebe Road in Ballston, the REIT said in its Q2 earnings release Wednesday evening. The coworking giant will take the entire fifth floor and plans to open before the end of the year, Piedmont Director Chris Poppell tells Bisnow.” [Bisnow]
Disaster Declaration May Be Coming Soon — “A disaster designation based on damage assessments in Arlington County would allow homeowners and businesses in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County to apply for low-interest federal loans beginning as soon as next week to help pay for repairs. Fairfax County Emergency Management Coordinator Seamus Mooney expects the designation to be approved within the next two weeks.” [WTOP]
Changes Proposed for Pentagon City Hotel — “The owner of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Crystal City is gearing up for a play to capitalize on the 627-room hotel’s proximity to Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters. Tom Baltimore, CEO of the hotel’s owner, Park Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: PK), told analysts on its second-quarter earnings call Thursday that the hotel is one of several the company is evaluating as possible redevelopment opportunities.” [Washington Business Journal]
Video: Dark Star Park Day — A timelapse video captured the moment on Thursday morning when the shadows lined up at Rosslyn’s Dark Star Park, as happens once a year on Aug. 1. [Twitter]
Arlington Boy Lives Dream in Boston — “There was a special visitor to the WBZ Weather Center on Thursday. Noah Coon from Arlington, Virginia is a big weather fan and stopped by the studio thanks to Dream On 3. Noah has cerebral palsy and was in Boston to visit the Red Sox. Because he’s also a fan of meteorology, he came to visit the WBZ weather team.” [WBZ]
Video: Yorktown vs. W-L — Just published online: “Long-lost footage of the famous Nov. 5, 1970, mud bowl football game between the Yorktown High School Patriots and the Washington-Lee Generals. Yorktown was favored with a 9-0 record but W-L won 12-0 and earned the Potomac District championship. [YouTube]
Concept rendering for Metropolitan Park Amazon HQ2 (Image via ZGF Architects)
Ground floor layout for Metropolitan Park Amazon offices (image via ZGF Architects)
Typical office layout for Metropolitan Park Amazon offices (image via ZGF Architects)
Amazon’s designs for a new headquarters need to do more to become true landmarks for the Pentagon City skyline, say members of an Arlington County planning committee.
At the first Site Plan Review Committee meeting for HQ2 last night (Monday), Amazon and ZGF Architects pitched the new 2.1 million square foot project in Pentagon City. The meeting, held in Shirlington, primarily focused on the design and architecture of the buildings, with other concerns about Amazon’s arrival saved for future meetings.
Amazon’s proposal involves the construction of two new office buildings at the corner of 15th Street S. and S. Eads Street — almost the perfect midway point between the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metro stations. The project is part of the first phase for Amazon’s permanent offices opening in Arlington.
Metropolitan Park Phases 6 and 7/8, as the project is dubbed in reports, consists of a pair of buildings with outward-facing retail and restaurants, and the Amazon headquarters portion of the building facing inwards towards a central park.
Brian Earle, the project architect with ZGF Architects, said the focus of the design was integrating the building into the neighborhood.
Design Evolution, Color Revolution
There are no rooftop signs planned for the project, and the exterior design is terracotta masonry and glass — an inoffensive design that will feel familiar to anyone who has seen the new Marymount buildings in Ballston or the Wharf in D.C., Amazon’s architects said.
The project drew the most praise where it stood out, and most of the criticism was focused on where the project seemed unambitious. Earle played up the modernist and art deco influences of other buildings on the block, like The Gramercy and The Bartlett, but to the untrained eye, they seem to have the same tan and dark glass facade.
“These are the tallest buildings in the area,” Planning Commissioner James Lantelme said. “It’s handsome, but I’m wondering if more can be done with the crown. Some buildings don’t have a formal crown but a distinctive top. This is just a continuation of the block going up. Is there anything that can be done to make it a centerpiece of this area?”
Committee members were mainly impressed with the polychrome glass planned for the building, with colors ranging from fuchsia to teal across the buildings.
“I’m always excited for colors,” said Planning Commissioner Nancy Iacomini. “It’s always been beige or grey. Rosslyn is a sea of grey and it’s just as bad as Ballston beige. I’m happy to see the terracotta as grey but a lot of polychrome.”
“People are getting tired of seeing the same beige building,” Lantelme agreed. “I’m hoping this is the start of a different design trend away from the beige. We may have an emergence of a colorful district.”
Retail Tensions
Plans for ground floor retail in the Amazon buildings was also a focus of some excitement — and concern. Brick and mortar retail is suffering, ironically in no small part due to the building’s primary tenant, and committee members expressed concern that the project could have too much ground-floor retail that it wouldn’t be able to fill.
Earle said the idea is to have a 50-50 split between restaurants and community-serving retail, like barber shops and pet stores, on the ground floor.
“One of Amazon’s strategies is they design the in-house food service [to serve] only 25 percent of the lunchtime traffic to encourage employees to go to other restaurants,” said Earle.
Commissioners also couldn’t resist little jabs at the Amazon-versus-retail tension, particularly the middling reception the company’s physical bookstores have gotten so far.
“A Busboys and Poets would be great there,” said Planning Commissioner Jane Siegel, “with their book store.”
The next meeting for the project is planned for September 23 at 7 p.m. in the Parks Operations Building (2700 S. Taylor Street).
Local Brews for Crystal City Oktoberfest — “Oktoberfest is returning [to Crystal City] in 2019 with a new partner, local Arlington brewery New District Brewing. The second annual celebration, which will feature a selection of local beers, live entertainment, and a variety of food trucks and vendors serving traditional German fare, will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2019 from 1-4 p.m. at The Grounds, located at 12th and South Eads Street in Crystal City.” [Press Release]
D.C. Developments Now Touting Proximity to Arlington — The announcement of a large, new mixed-use development in the District touts its 750 market-rate residential rental units, 42,000 square feet of co-working space, and “great access to… emerging areas, including National Landing.” [Twitter]
Catholic Newspaper Reducing Publishing Frequency — The Arlington Catholic Herald will be moving from weekly to biweekly publication, as part of a series of changes that also includes expanding the number of households to which the paper is sent. [Arlington Catholic Herald]
Sewage Leak Along Spout Run — “Residents are advised to avoid a generally inaccessible portion of Spout Run due to a sanitary sewer main break east of the Spout Run Parkway-Lorcom Lane fork. County staff are on site establishing a bypass.” [Twitter]
A new 30,000 square foot Gold’s Gym is coming to Rosslyn next year.
The fitness chain announced this morning that it is planning to open in the redeveloped Rosslyn City Center, next to the Metro station, next fall.
The new gym will features boutique-style classes, group classes and 3D body scanning, plus “health spa-quality shower and towel amenities, healthy concessions and exclusive use of a 1,400 square-foot training terrace overlooking Central Place Plaza with expansive views of the Rosslyn skyline.”
Once it opens, the new Gold’s Gym will replace the existing subterranean Gold’s at 1830 N. Nash Street, which is located below an office complex that itself is slated to eventually be redeveloped.
More from a press release:
American Real Estate Partners (AREP), an institutional fund manager and operating partner focused on office and mixed-use repositioning and development, announced today Gold’s Gym, the world’s trusted fitness authority, will open a new location at AREP’s Rosslyn City Center.
Expected to open in third quarter of 2020, the new location will provide Rosslyn City Center tenants and the neighborhood’s growing resident and business community with access to the full Gold’s Gym fitness experience and programming. This includes a suite of boutique-style GOLD’SSTUDIO® classes – GOLD’SFIT®, GOLD’SBURN™ and GOLD’S CYCLE™ – along with a diverse schedule of group exercise classes, 3D body scanning, GOLD’SAMP™ digital personal training and an expert team of certified Gold’s Gym personal trainers. Additionally, Gold’s Gym will offer health spa-quality shower and towel amenities, healthy concessions and exclusive use of a 1,400 square-foot training terrace overlooking Central Place Plaza with expansive views of the Rosslyn skyline.
“The renovation of Rosslyn City Center is fully underway and will complete the core of Rosslyn’s renaissance, bringing the best restaurants and fitness amenities to serve all of the new residents and tenants relocating to Rosslyn,” said Doug Fleit, CEO of AREP. “Rosslyn City Center is a destination that will continue to attract the best employee talent for offices around Metro.”
In June, AREP announced the $35 million renovation of Rosslyn City Center with state-of-the-art exterior, lobby and common spaces. Along with the addition of Gold’s Gym, the redevelopment also includes new retail destinations that will match Rosslyn’s transformation into a vibrant urban center, including a Chase bank and a 20,000 square foot food hall with 12 locally-curated food stalls and two lounges operated by Austin, Texas-based Oz Rey.
“Healthy, local food and a commitment to wellness are key priorities for today’s workforce, especially for the millennial population that makes up more than 40 percent of workers in Rosslyn today,” said Paul Schulman, Principal and Chief Operating Officer, AREP. “With millennials contributing to an estimated $4.2 trillion global wellness market, bringing in award-winning industry leaders like Gold’s Gym and Oz Rey food halls to manage world-class facilities with high foot traffic at Rosslyn City Center provides greater opportunities for our tenants, retailers and the community at large.”
Retail, along with hospitality amenities, are signature components of AREP’s placemaking strategy at Rosslyn City Center — and across its portfolio — to develop properties that leverage innovative design and elevated amenities to create destinations that have a sense of place and activate tenant and community engagement.
Developer May Build Second Metro Entrance — “A plan submitted by developer JBG Smith to Arlington County could see the company put in charge of building the second Crystal City Metro station entrance, a long-sought-after project that would increase access to the station. If approved, the new entrance would be built along Crystal Drive near 18th Street.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Glebe Road Crash Yesterday Morning — “Police say the crash was caused by a driver attempting to merge onto southbound Glebe from 16th Street S. striking another vehicle heading southbound. No significant injuries were reported.” [Twitter]
Company Opens New HQ in Ballston — “Armor Express, a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance protective solutions for the Domestic and Federal Law Enforcement markets, Department of Defense and First Responders, today announced the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Arlington, VA.” [Globe Newswire]
Video: Olli on Fort Myer — New videos show the Olli autonomous shuttle driving around Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. [Twitter]
New Funding for 9/11 Victim Fund — “U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded the passage of a bill to continue providing financial support to those who suffered physical harm or families of those who were killed as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks or ensuing debris removal efforts.” [Press Release, NBC News]
Nearby: Boy Dies at McLean Construction Site — A boy died after a ditch collapsed at a large excavation site in McLean, near the Arlington border and Jamestown Elementary. The boy was reportedly working to build a sewage line at a new residential development. [Tysons Reporter, NBC 4]
Renderings of new housing development planned for the RiverHouse property in Pentagon City (Image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Renderings of new housing development planned for the RiverHouse property in Pentagon City (Image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Renderings of new housing development planned for the RiverHouse property in Pentagon City (Image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Renderings of new housing development planned for the RiverHouse property in Pentagon City (Image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Map of the RiverHouse site (Map via Google Maps)
Developer JBG Smith says it has submitted new plans for a major redevelopment of its RiverHouse apartment property in Pentagon City, four blocks from Amazon’s new HQ2.
The developer announced today (Monday) that it submitted a site plan application to Arlington County to build about 1,000 new housing units along S. Joyce Street. The units will be in two, six-story apartment buildings, as well as traditional townhouses and maisonettes, per the press release, and about 260 of the units will be available for purchase.
The six-story buildings will have mix of units, including studios and three-bedroom units, for a combined total of 750 units. These two buildings will be constructed on the parkings lots in the northern end of the site and will feature central courtyards, and 30,000 square feet of “community-oriented street-level retail, including a potential daycare center and medical office, at the base of the two new buildings.”
The townhouses will be built on “underutilized” surface parking lots in the southern end of the site, facing the Aurora Highlands neighborhood and its single-family homes, JBG said
The extensive, 36-acre RiverHouse property is on a long lot bordered by Army Navy Drive, S. Joyce Street, 16th Street S., S. Arlington Ridge Road, and S. Lynn Street, at the edge of what’s being called “National Landing” — the recently-created term for the Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard neighborhoods.
Currently, RiverHouse has three apartment towers built in the 1950s and 1960s, with a combined 1,670 apartment units. JBG Smith intends to keep the three towers, per the press release, and will instead construct the new buildings around the existing towers.
JBG Smith Executive Vice President Andy Van Horn said in a statement that the developer aimed to design a plan that “respects and complements the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhoods while creating a more cohesive sense of community.”
“We also focused on providing a wide range of rental and for-sale housing opportunities that meet the differing needs of Arlington’s diverse and growing residential population,” he said. “It is our goal to deliver additional housing units concurrent with Amazon’s occupancy of its new headquarters to help meet anticipated new housing demand and mitigate upward pressure on rents in National Landing.”
Vornado — which was later acquired by JBG Smith — had planned to redevelop RiverHouse with more than 1,000 rental apartments in three, mid-rise towers. The new submission, which JBG Smith says is “consistent with the Crystal City/Pentagon City Sector Plan which calls for 7,500 additional housing units by 2040,” supersedes the previous, pre-HQ2 plan.
A 2018 rendering of a redeveloped Harris Teeter, seen from along N. Glebe Road.
A 2018 rendering of the corner of a proposed Harris Teeter redevelopment in Ballston, seen from N. Glebe Road.
A 2018 rendering of a park on the corner of a redevelopment of the Ballston Harris Teeter
Residents of Arlington will have a number of chances to weigh in on the next steps for the Ballston Harris Teeter redevelopment.
The Arlington County Board unanimously approved scheduling a public hearing related to developer Southeastern’s request to rebuild the grocery store as a ground-floor retail space with five stories of apartments up top — as well as build a second, eight-story apartment building next to it and a half-acre public park.
The upcoming hearing by the county’s Planning Commission is one of several planned to review the project.
A meeting of the Site Plan Review Committee next week will allow residents to learn more about Southeastern’s request to rezone a portion of the land slated for the site as well as view updated renderings. It will be held this upcoming Monday, July 22, from 7-9:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, July 23, the public can attend an open house from 5-6:30 p.m. to ask more questions, particularly about the project’s proposed public spaces, and view the latest project renderings.
Both meetings will be held at county government headquarters, at 2100 Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse.
The @HarrisTeeter at 600 N Glebe Rd. is being redeveloped to become a mixed-use project with new flagship-level Harris Teeter, retail space, apartment units and public space. See the design concepts at an open house on July 23: https://t.co/snllhiizVzpic.twitter.com/F8BpdwMLrV
Southeastern wants to up-zone the land near N. Thomas Street, which is is currently zoned for “Low-Medium” residential buildings, which would otherwise put a damper on the developer’s plans to build 732 units and include retail space in the buildings.
County Board members approved the request to advertise the public meeting during their meeting this past weekend.
increasing the number of housing units from 700 to 732
seeking a LEED Silver certification for green energy
reducing the number of parking spaces to 1 per unit, excluding the store parking lot
“The proposed development will provide a new, top of the line Harris Teeter grocery store with upgraded features and offerings,” an April letter from the developer noted. “It will also provide additional, much needed housing close to the Ballston Metro station and the Ballston Quarter project.”
Five years ago, the County Board approved changes to increase density on the site, taking into account the neighborhood’s development along Wilson Blvd.
At the time, Board members said they hoped N. Glebe Road could become an “urban boulevard.”
