JBG SMITH Tops Out 25-Story DC-Area Tower

The development is part of a two-building, 755-unit project.

Developer JBG SMITH has topped out 2000 S. Bell St., a 25-story residential tower in Arlington, Va., slated to comprise 355 apartments. The development is part of a 755-unit, two-building project; the other structure, rising 19 stories, was topped out in August 2023. Balfour Beatty is the general contractor, while KPF and STUDIOS served as project architects. Delivery is scheduled for Spring 2025.

The buildings’ construction started in 2022. Designed to achieve LEED Gold certifications, both towers will include rooftop amenity decks and swimming pools over a two-story garage podium. The communities will also comprise affordable residences.

The towers will have distinct appearances, with the 355-unit 2000 South Bell tower boasting a glass curtainwall façade, while the 420-unit building at 2001 S. Bell St. will have a precast and brick façade. The project is also slated to include nearly 27,000 square feet of retail space.

Located off Highway 1, in the heart of the Crystal City neighborhood, the development site some 4 miles from Washington, D.C., and roughly 6 miles from the city center. The towers are also across from the Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport.

Bullish on Mid-Atlantic developments

In a recent interview, JBG SMITH Executive Vice President & Head of Acquisition Ed Chaglassian told Multi-Housing News that the company intends to further focus on the “National Landing” area where 70 percent of its portfolio is located along with other digital infrastructure investments. The National Landing Business Improvement District is a recently invented concept, comprised of parts of the Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods in Arlington.

The firm plans to further expand in the Mid-Atlantic region and convert most of its local holdings to multifamily, through both acquisitions and developments, Chaglassian added.

In 2023’s first three quarters, developers added 7,101 units to the Washington, D.C., market, accounting for 1.2 percent of stock, slightly lower than the national rate of deliveries, according to a recent Yardi Matrix report. As of September, the development pipeline totaled 33,109 underway units, together with an additional 223,000 residences in the planning and permitting stages.