Pentagon City’s Metropolitan Park in Arlington County, Virginia, will soon be transformed as the area prepares to welcome Amazon’s forthcoming HQ2 campus.
The Arlington County Board unanimously voted to approve a park master plan and design guidelines for the 2.47-acre public park on Saturday night.
Metropolitan Park’s renovations are part of Amazon’s community benefits package and will be a $14 million project.
“This innovative design will create a park with amenities for residents, office workers, and visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy for generations to come,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey in a news release.
The project received praise from board members for plans to bring in mature trees to create a lush park atmosphere.
“That’s a commitment not only of the design team, but also of Amazon and we’re just really excited about that,” said Sarah Astheimer of James Corner Field Operations, the project’s landscape architect.
One of the challenges brought up by Astheimer during the meeting was maintaining access to other buildings and preserving street parking in the area when construction begins atop existing subterranean garages.
“We still have a lot to do to develop the technical details, but have certainly done all of the preliminary analysis to make sure those garages can withstand what we are proposing,” she said.
Some of the new amenities at Met Park will include a café terrace, an edible garden and a central green space for community activities.
The Arlington County Board adopted the first phase of Amazon HQ2 development at Metropolitan Park last December.
The park, along with Amazon’s new East Coast headquarters, are slated to open in 2023.
