Bethesda, Maryland-based developer JBG Smith has received final Arlington County approval for two planned residential high-rises in Crystal City, near buildings Amazon is currently leasing as part of its Northern Virginia HQ2 development.
The buildings, at 2000 and 2001 South Bell Street, will include a combined 758 apartments and 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The two buildings will total more than 720,000 square feet.
One high-rise will be 25 stories and include 338 residential units. The second will be 19 stories tall with 420 units. Both will include rooftop amenities and pools, fitness centers, large coworking spaces, community rooms and 24-hour concierge service.
Final entitlements for these two buildings bring JBG Smith to 50% of its near-term development pipeline.
“The development will add to the supply of residential units in the area as Virginia Tech expands its Innovation Campus, and Amazon continues to expand HQ2,” said Bryan Moll, executive vice president of JBG Smith. “We expect these additional apartments and new ground-floor retail options to further establish National Landing as a 24/7 destination.”
JBG Smith is Amazon’s landlord for several existing Crystal City buildings it is now leasing, and will build Amazon’s larger HQ2 addition in Pentagon City in two phases — Metropolitan Park and PenPlace — with 2 million square feet of office as well as retail and park space expected to begin delivering in 2023.
The Arlington County board’s approval for the new Crystal City buildings included a community benefits package under which JBG Smith will make a $3.36 million base contribution to the Arlington County Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
JBG Smith says the buildings will begin construction as soon as early 2022, subject to market conditions. It has already started demolition and other preconstruction work on the vacant building on the site.
