JBG Smith

Residents could start moving into two nearly complete apartment towers in Crystal City next month

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

Two new apartment buildings in Crystal City are almost ready for residents to move in.

Construction started on the two residential towers at 1900 Crystal Drive in 2021, nearly one year to the day after JBG Smith received approval to redevelop the aging office building previously there.

Now, JBG Smith tells ARLnow it expects residents can starting moving into the buildings — a 3-minute walk from Amazon’s second headquarters — this February. The developer has already begun receiving partial certificates of occupancy for certain floors of one tower, dubbed “The Grace.”

JBG Smith said it expects to wrap up construction by the third quarter of 2024.

The 583,000-square-foot north tower, The Grace, and a 567,500-square-foot south tower, called “Reva,” are each 300 feet tall and, across them, have 808 rental units and about 40,000 square feet of street-level retail. A pedestrian-friendly street bisecting the towers will connect 18th and 20th Streets S. and a not-yet-built park.

The Crystal City Sector Plan envisions this park space as the largest in Crystal City, at about 74,000 square feet. The plan says it “would allow for a wide variety of uses, such as passive recreation, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, cafes, some temporary kiosk retail, and evening outdoor movies” among other uses, says Dept. of Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Jerry Solomon.

JBG Smith granted to the county a public park easement of approximately 45,000 square feet to establish this open space, dubbed “Center Park.” The county received the easement understanding that the rest of the proposed public space would come as part of a future development, Solomon said.

JBG Smith also contributed $300,000 for the park’s master planning, a community engagement process where people will weigh in on programmed elements and other features.

“The current [Capital Improvement Plan] envisions the design of Center Park to begin in FY 2025 with construction to begin some time in FY 2027,” she said in an email. “In July 2024, the County Board will be considering the FY 2025-2034 CIP which may contain changes to the potential timelines and funding for public space development within the Crystal City corridor.”

While residents of The Grace and Reva can start moving in February, it is looking like a summer opening for at least some of the six announced businesses move into the ground floor retail spaces.

Per window dressings and Arlington County permits, 1900 Crystal Drive will be home to new outposts of Tatte Bakery & Cafe, a the ice cream shop Van Leeuwen, D.C.’s Chinese-French fusion restaurant Bar Chinois and Cuban café and bar Colada Shop, a nail salon called nailsaloon, and New York City-based botox spa Peachy.

Nailsaloon recently opened a location in Chevy Chase and aims to move into Crystal City this summer, a spokeswoman said.

Colada Shop is also targeting a summer opening, a company spokeswoman said.

The other businesses did not respond to requests for more information about when they might open.

JBG Smith says it still has some retail space to fill, so additional announcements may be coming.

County inks contract for oversight of Crystal City Metro second entrance project

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

Arlington County has selected a contractor to oversee work to build a new second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station.

Over the weekend, the Arlington County Board approved a nearly $8 million contract, plus a contingency of $197,497, with Gannett Fleming, Inc. to provide construction management and quality assurance services for the project.

Viewed as a way to further revitalize Crystal City and improve access and accessibility to the station’s east end, the second entrance will be located at the northwest corner of 18th Street S. and Crystal Drive.

Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2024 and last about 2.5 years, according to the county. Previously approved state and local funding will pay for the project, which has a total budget of $146.1 million.

A long-standing goal of county transportation planners, the second entrance will include a direct route, accessible to people with disabilities, to connect users who access the station from the east. It is intended to improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists and to the nearby bus and Virginia Railway Express stations.

There will also be additional space inside the station to accommodate long-term passenger demand.

“The Crystal City Metrorail station is among the most heavily used in Arlington County and Northern Virginia,” per a report. “The Crystal City area is experiencing continued growth and will have significant redevelopment in the next few years.”

The station was also one of the five transportation projects associated with Amazon’s second headquarters, including a pedestrian bridge to Reagan National Airport and an at-grade Route 1.

The project will be delivered via a public-private partnership with developer JBG Smith, which owns a significant amount of property in the neighborhood. It approached the county with an unsolicited proposal to undertake the project and, in 2020, the county struck a deal with the developer to prepare 30% complete designs.

This project was included in the current 2023-2032 Capital Improvement Plan at an estimated cost of $94.9 million, based on conceptual planning work, but costs have increased since then, the county says.

The new $146 million budget is based on the 30% complete designs, a redesign of the station entrance and “upward cost pressures industry-wide,” according to the county.

JBG Smith has been working to finalize the station design since August, after the county approved a $117 million contract with JBG Smith and Clark Construction for final design and construction.

Gannett Fleming was selected from four contractors that bid this summer to help oversee the design and construction. The county says $8 million, plus contingency, is “fair and reasonable” because it is within 12% of an independent cost estimate for the project of around $7 million.

Van Leeuwen ice cream shop and Tatte café among six new businesses looking to open in Crystal City

By James Jarvis
1/4

Six new businesses, including the popular chains Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Van Leeuwen, are setting up shop in Crystal City.

Promotional signs for the new shops are visible in the ground-floor windows of one of the two 300-foot residential towers at 1900 Crystal City Drive. Approved in 2020 and under construction by 2021, the towers — set to open early next year — will house 811 residential units and nearly 40,000 square feet of retail space.

The complete lineup includes a trio of D.C.-based businesses — Chinese-French fusion restaurant Bar Chinois, Cuban café and bar Colada Shop and a nail salon called nailsaloon — plus New York City-based botox spa Peachy, which recently opened its second location in D.C.

Tatte, Van Leeuwen and Colada Shop have filed permits to operate along the pedestrian walkway behind the north tower — known as The Grace — at 269 19th Court S., according to county permit records.

JBG Smith, the predominant property owner in Crystal City and Pentagon City, declined to comment.

Boston-based bakery Tatte, known for its coffee, sandwiches and pastries, operates 11 locations in the D.C. area, including one at Clarendon Crossing, which opened in 2021.

Van Leeuwen, an ice cream chain headquartered in New York, currently operates three outlets in D.C. and plans to launch a fourth at Union Station. The Arlington outpost would be the brand’s first in Virginia.

Colada Shop operates six locations in the D.C. area and, as part of its Arlington expansion, plans to open a new location in Clarendon.

Hat tip to Matt Miller

New gourmet diner Surreal set to open Friday in Crystal City

By James Jarvis
1/6

(Updated at 11/30/23) After a 2-year wait, the much anticipated restaurant Surreal in Crystal City is “tentatively” scheduled to open this Friday, according to a restaurant spokesperson.

While a firm opening date is not confirmed, the spokesperson told ARLnow everything is ready and they are “just waiting for one final inspection.”

Located at 2121 Crystal Drive, Surreal — described as an ‘elevated diner’ — was announced in 2021 by developer JBG Smith, which is also behind Crystal City Water Park, a 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park close by. (A previous version of this article referred to Surreal as a Latin American restaurant.)

The restaurant — co-founded by acclaimed D.C.-based chef Enrique Limardo — anchors JBG Smith’s plans to create a venue inspired by nature.

“Designed as a landscape itself, the interior blurs the line between the indoors and outdoors to create a unique dining-in-the-park experience,” per a press release.

Limardo and his business partner, Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger, manage several  restaurants in the D.C. region, including Michelin-starred Imperfecto, under the umbrella of their restaurant group, Seven Reasons Group.

Surreal will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. The menu includes a variety of dishes, including a Latin-inspired shakshuka for breakfast and items like swordfish carpaccio, gnocchi and a “twisted foot-long hotdog” for lunch and dinner.

Those in the mood for an adult beverage have several options, such as a piña colada made with two kinds of rum or a negroni topped with a “floral and fruity foam,” the release says.

The park is situated in one of the county’s multiple “sip and stroll” zones, meaning guests can take their drinks on the go and enjoy them in the park.

Photos: What to eat and drink at the newly reopened Crystal City Water Park

By James Jarvis
1/21

Starting today, all 11 food vendors and restaurants within Crystal City Water Park are officially open for business, following a soft opening two weeks ago.

Morning to night, the 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park in Crystal City will serve everything from indulgent duck-fat fried chicken sandwiches to Indian-style crepes filled with lentils and chutney to gelato.

The kiosks include:

Perched atop a water wall at the back of the park, meanwhile, is the cocktail and oyster bar Water Bar.

Operated by Atlanta-based hospitality group STHRN, the restaurant offers light lunch and dinner options, ranging from salads, seafood sandwiches and oysters to ceviche and specialty cocktails.

For something more casual, STHRN operates a New York-style pizzeria that serves beer, wine and cocktails, called Crush Pizza.

The park’s owner, JBG Smith, aimed to provide a comprehensive dining experience from breakfast through dessert, Amy Rice, the company’s senior vice president of retail leasing, tells ARLnow.

“We were really deliberate in wanting to make sure we could create a bit of an 18-hour offering,” she said.

At the park’s grand opening tonight, attendees can sample from nine newly opened restaurant kiosks, a sit-down seafood restaurant and bar or a new pizza place, all while listening to music. A month-long live concert series kicks off next Friday.

The kiosks are home to several minority- and women-owned businesses that were “having a hard time making the jump from a farmers market or food truck into a traditional brick and mortar,” Rice said.

“Typically, if you were a retail-like, fast-casual restaurant, and you wanted to start a new restaurant in a new building, it would probably be upwards of a million-dollar-plus investment to actually get your business up and running in that location,” Rice said. “We removed both of those barriers by creating these turnkey kiosks for these operators.”

Those looking for recommendations can try Water Bar’s “Middle Ground” cocktail, a Mezcal-based drink with tepache, made from fermented pineapple, and grapefruit, lime and peppercorn. At Crush Pizza, the mushroom lemon cream pizza was memorable.

Live music performances from 5-7:30 p.m. will start at the venue next Friday, Oct. 13, and run through Nov. 3. A performance by Virginia native R&B artist Bryan Lee will kick the inaugural concert.

“This series is just the first of many engaging Water Park events that will celebrate our diverse and growing downtown,” Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, president and executive director of the National Landing Business Improvement District, said in a press release.

Revamped, food-centric Crystal City Water Park set to open next week

By James Jarvis
1/5

After nearly three years of waiting, the Crystal City Water Park is slated to reopen next week, JBG Smith announced yesterday.

The newly renovated, privately owned 1.6-acre park will feature nine restaurant kiosks, a cocktail and oyster bar, seating areas, public art installations, new water features — including a water wall — and a live performance stage.

“Water Park is a manifestation of our vision for National Landing as a premier 18-hour community that warmly embraces families, workers, students and visitors of all ages,” Kai Reynolds, chief development officer at JBG Smith, said in a press release.

“In addition to creating an urban oasis where people can relax, linger and enjoy time spent together, we have intentionally curated Water Park to serve as a celebration of the region’s rich and diverse culinary traditions,” he continued.

JBG Smith says it plans to host a grand opening ceremony next Friday, Oct. 6, from 6-10 p.m.

After deferring an initial proposal due to concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety, the Arlington County Board approved plans for the park in March 2021. Construction started in March 2022.

While the park previously had a small food and drink kiosk, the new iteration has nine kiosks for a variety of food vendors, with a focus on “local, minority- and women-owned businesses.”

The vendor lineup features:

  • Brij, D.C. a café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley, supporting single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community and people who are homeless
  • Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a Kosher, plant-based American eatery by the creators of D.C.’s Pow Pow, Margaux Riccio and Shaun Sharkey
  • Cracked Eggery, a D.C. food truck known for inventive egg dishes that now has two brick and mortar locations in Cleveland Park and Shaw
  • Dolci Gelati, a D.C.-based gelato shop offering over 450 seasonal, artisanal flavors, plus coffee and espresso
  • Falafel Inc., a Georgetown-based charitable eatery that offers hummus and falafel dishes
  • PhoWheels, a new Vietnamese-inspired food vendor
  • Tiki Thai, a Reston-based Thai-Polynesian eatery
  • Queen Mother’s, a fried chicken concept created by James Beard Award semi-finalist Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper

In addition to the kiosks, there is be a new cocktail and oyster bar, dubbed “Water Bar,” perched on top of the water wall at the back of the park.

The restaurant, operated by the Atlanta-based hospitality group STHRN, features a raw bar and an extensive cocktail list, according to JBG Smith. STHRN will also be opening an outpost of Crush Pizza, its New York-style pizzeria.

“We are excited to bring the delicious taste of Water Bar to life through unique, tasty cocktails and the deeply immersive flavors of the east coast,” Elizabeth Feichter, a partner at STHRN, said in the release.

(more…)

Amazon is vacating temporary office space, teeing up at least one redevelopment project

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

(Updated at 10:20 a.m.) With half of its planned HQ2 now open in Pentagon City, Amazon is planning to leave most of its leased spaces in Crystal City.

Once the leases expire for temporary Amazon offices at 1800 S. Bell Street and 2100 Crystal Drive, in 2023 and 2024, respectively, JBG Smith intends to “take off-line and entitle [them] for alternate uses,” per a new report.

One of the buildings, 1800 S. Bell Street, could get the redevelopment treatment as early as 2026, the report says. JBG Smith included the property at the tail end of its near-term development pipeline for National Landing, the area composed of Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard. It appears slated to remain for office use.

JBG Smith’s development pipeline in National Landing (via JBG Smith)

Amazon has always planned to consolidate its office space and move employees to its permanent HQ2, the first phase of which — Metropolitan Park — opened in June. There is still no word from the company on when the stalled second phase, Pen Place, could begin, though the delay may only be a year or so.

The tech company’s departure from two of its three leased offices will pile on more vacancies in JBG Smith’s portfolio, according to the real estate company’s report.

By the end of 2024, the company anticipates 1.2 million square feet of office space in National Landing will be vacated. Amazon currently occupies about half that square footage.

Amazon plans to continue to occupy 1770 Crystal Drive, located near the Alamo Cinema Drafthouse, the taqueria Tacombi and the proposed second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street S.

Excluding Amazon, JBG Smith says its current retention rate between now and the end of 2024 is about 50%, versus an annual average of about 70%. To bring the rate up, the company will focus on filling more up-to-date buildings going forward.

“Our efforts to re-lease certain spaces will be targeted toward buildings with long-term viability,” wrote Matthew Kelly in the report. “We expect to repurpose older, obsolete, and vacant buildings for redevelopment, conversion to multifamily, or another specialty use, ultimately reducing our competitive inventory in National Landing.”

JBG Smith declined to elaborate on what other specialty uses it envisions as well as properties it plans to either retain for tenants or develop.

Its report, however, outlines when each of its commercial holdings in Crystal City was built and when it was last renovated.

Of the four built in the late 1960s, three have not been updated since the mid-2000s. Another 10 were built in the 1980s and were renovated over the course of 15 years starting in 2006.

The report also provides a timeline for forthcoming redevelopment plans. It says Crystal City is slated to get new apartments in the following places:

A new office building is slated to come to 101 12th Street S. and either offices or apartments could come to 2525 Crystal Drive. JBG Smith has studied both at the site and the report currently lists its estimated residential redevelopment potential.

A map of JBG Smith’s commercial holdings in the area, as well as its pipeline of commercial and residential development opportunities, is below. Click on the window in the top left corner to see a description of the map, the different colors, and individual addresses.

Ice cream shop coming to Crystal City, but flavor unknown

By Matt Blitz
Ground floor retail construction at 1900 Crystal Drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Update at 2:10 p.m.) A new ice cream shop is coming to Crystal City, and it might be trendy New York-based chain Van Leeuwen.

A ice cream shop is going into 1900 Crystal Drive, according to a permit applied for earlier this month. It’s expected to be on the ground floor in one of the two residential buildings going up at the site.

The address is 269 19th Court S., per the permit, so it may be located in some sort of alleyway.

After this article initially published, a tipster reached out to note that in a June presentation to the Crystal City Civic Association about the forthcoming construction, a logo for Van Leeuwen was on one of the slides. The company recently opened several D.C. locations, including in Georgetown.

It is not immediately clear which ice cream shop will be going in there, if not Van Leeuwen. ARLnow reached out to developer JBG Smith, which owns the buildings, but the developer declined to comment, per a spokesperson.

Arlington has a number of ice cream shops, several of which are in the midst of or recently have opened new locations. That includes Jeni’s in Shirlington, Mimi’s in Pentagon City, and Toby’s in Westover.

Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream is opening its second location in the Mosaic District in August or September, and has leases signed for locations in Annandale, Falls Church, Chevy Chase, and Rockville. Owner Rollin Amore tells ARLnow that the forthcoming Crystal City shop is not his.

Toby’s, meanwhile, is set to open a shop in nearby Pentagon City, likely taking them out of the running.

Construction on the residential towers where the new ice cream shop will likely be located began in March 2021. Work could be completed as soon as next year.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt

Surreal restaurant hoping for fall opening in Crystal City but details remain sparse

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Surreal is aiming for a fall opening in Crystal City, but much still remains unknown about the restaurant, situated in a park-like setting.

Surreal, from the award-winning D.C.-based chef Enrique Limardo, is set to move into a newly-constructed space in the JBG Smith-owned courtyard of 2121 Crystal Drive. The restaurant is part of the developer’s “Dining in the Park” project and will utilize both indoor and outdoor areas while being “set among more than an acre of greenery.”

Photos taken by ARLnow last week show that construction is moving along and apparently nearing completion.

A JBG Smith spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow that the plan is for the restaurant to open in the fall, a slight push from an earlier late summer goal.

It was back in October 2021 when Surreal was first announced to much fanfare. However, in the two years since, few details have emerged about the exact concept, the menu, and the decor.

When asking for more information, the spokesperson wrote in an email that “there is nothing new to share at this time” despite the restaurant being only a few months away from opening.

A few blocks away, meanwhile Crystal City’s revamped Water Park is also planning its opening. It will feature nine 300-square-foot restaurant kiosks, including local favorites like Queen Mother’s, Falafel Inc, and Tiki Thai.

Along with the restaurants, there will also be a live performance stage, public art installations, a building with public restrooms and bike facilities, and a “modernized fountain water wall” that empties into an “immersion fountain.” On top of the water wall will be an open-air raw and cocktail bar called “Water Bar.” A New York-style pizza place will also be located in the park.

A JBG Smith spokesperson told ARLnow is anticipating an August “soft opening” for the Water Park, with a grand opening set for shortly after Labor Day.

Proposed residential development would bring changes to southern Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 7 p.m.) A new apartment building may be coming to a southern portion of Crystal City, and changing some infrastructure in the process.

Developer JBG Smith announced today a plan for a 370-unit apartment building on “Block W” in Crystal City. The site is bounded by Crystal Drive, a National Airport access road, and railroad tracks, and is currently home to a gravel parking lot, an off-ramp from the access road and a small, JBG-owned workout park.

The plans appear to replace to the park and the off-ramp, with a seven-story building fronting Crystal Drive, in line with the circa-2010 Crystal City Sector Plan. According to JBG, the development plan preserves 35,000 square feet of privately-owned open space, including the adjacent sand volleyball courts, and includes some street-level retail space.

Crystal City sand volleyball courts, next to proposed development site (via Google Maps)

“The Sector Plan envisions, as part of the development of Block W, the current airport access road off-ramp be removed to make way for the new developments,” notes JBG’s recent filing with the county. “Furthermore, the Sector Plan envisions Crystal Drive to be a retail-oriented mixed-use arterial street which includes a bike lane on Crystal Drive in Block W.”

The developer — the predominant property owner in the Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods, also known collectively as National Landing — says the proposed development will transform an underutilized, vehicular-oriented area into new apartments and pedestrian-oriented ground floor retail… further connecting the neighborhood. ”

A press representative for the company confirmed the plans to keep the volleyball courts as one part of the 35,000 square feet of open space.

“JBG SMITH has sited the building to preserve the Crystal City Volleyball Courts and looks forward to engaging with the community on any improvements to this open space,” wrote the spokeswoman. She added that “eliminating the off-ramp will allow JBG SMITH to add over 400 feet of new sidewalk and streetscape, expanding the Crystal Drive pedestrian network to the south.”

JBG has several residential developments in the works in Crystal City.

This month, Arlington County is expected to advance a review of the company’s plans to add more apartment buildings to the River House site.

Plans to build two towers on the site of an 11-story office building and the former Jaleo restaurant, meanwhile, are still under review, according to Arlington County’s website. The Americana Hotel is currently being demolished to make way for one apartment tower while construction continues on two pairs of residential towers: one at 1900 Crystal Drive and another at 2001 and 2000 S. Bell Street, with construction expected to wrap up in 2024 and 2025, respectively. 

The press release about the new apartment redevelopment is below.

(more…)

Demolition comes for the Americana Hotel in Crystal City

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

It’s time to bid farewell to The Americana Hotel in Crystal City.

The long-time budget hotel along Richmond Highway is being demolished to make way for residential redevelopment across the street from Amazon’s nearly-open second headquarters and a short distance from the Crystal City Metro station.

A spokeswoman for JBG Smith confirmed the demolition to ARLnow this morning (Tuesday).

“Demolition and site work are currently underway, with the earliest possible construction start slated for 2024,” the spokeswoman said, adding that that is all she is able to say at this time.

The Americana Hotel closed in 2020 and JBG Smith quickly purchased it for a new apartment project, consisting of 639 new units, 3,885 square feet of ground floor retail and a distinct architectural feature akin to a partially covered walkway, which was nicknamed the “tabletop.”

Renderings of the proposed apartments to replace the Americana Hotel, with the ‘tabletop’ feature in view (via Arlington County)

The developer’s plans were approved by the Planning Commission and the Arlington County Board in April.

The Americana’s demolition is part of a trend in Arlington County of redeveloping aging motels and hotels.

The iconic Highlander Motel in Virginia Square, a frequent haunt for a motorcycle club, was turned into a CVS. The Days Inn motel in Lyon Village is set to become apartments, which the county is trying to ensure pays homage to the site’s history with a midcentury modern design.

The Key Bridge Marriott, meanwhile, has stood vacant — and is now condemned — after development plans were delayed, likely due to financial issues for the group that owns the site.

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