Arlington Co. to begin review of 1st planned Amazon HQ2 construction

Amazon’s construction plans for the first phase of its new HQ2 still need Arlington County’s approval, and that process is just beginning.

The company wants to build two 22-story office buildings in the area of South Eads Street and 15 Street South next to Metropolitan Park in Crystal City, with ground-floor level shops and restaurants and new public open space.

The review process will start at a July 15 meeting of the county’s Long Range Planning Committee. The public is welcome to attend.

It will be the first of several public meetings and hearings on the plan that will be held over the coming months.

“At each meeting there will be a specific agenda to go through many of the elements of the plan, including public spaces, building height and massing, transportation, retail, land use and density — all important factors and features of Arlington’s planning and how we guide growth in our county,” said county Planning Director Bob Duffy.

“We expect this important part of the review process to conclude before the end of 2019, with public hearings at the planning commission and the county board. We could see Amazon breaking ground on the Metropolitan Park phase of their headquarters during 2020,” Duffy said.

Amazon is hoping to have one building finished in 2022, and the other in 2023.

A kickoff meeting was held Wednesday night in Arlington, to provide the public with a detailed preview of the plan that the county will be examining.

Michelle Basch

Michelle Basch is a reporter turned morning anchor at WTOP News.

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