JBG SMITH’s Plan for National Landing Redevelopment Takes Off
The firm submitted plans for six projects located within half a mile of Amazon’s new headquarters.
National Landing. Rendering courtesy of JBG SMITH
JBG SMITH has submitted plans to Arlington County, Va., for the redevelopment of approximately 2.6 million square feet across five multifamily buildings and one office property in northern Virginia’s National Landing. The developer expects to start construction after receipt of final entitlements, subject to preleasing and market conditions.
The submissions are part of the developer’s ongoing collaboration with the county and private sector partners to deliver a master plan comprising new housing, retail, office and public spaces to National Landing—the newly defined interconnected and walkable neighborhood that will house Amazon’s HQ2. The rebranded neighborhood is situated across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and adjacent to Reagan National Airport.
Map courtesy of JBG SMITH
The six assets to be redeveloped include 2000 and 2001 S. Bell St. (formerly 2001 Richmond Highway), 223 23rd St., 2300 Crystal Drive and 2525 Crystal Drive, all within half a mile of Amazon’s new headquarters. Combined, these projects comprise more than half of JBG SMITH’s 6.9-million-square-foot future development pipeline in National Landing: 2.2 million square feet of office and 4.7 million square feet of multifamily that will bring online between 4,000 and 5,000 units, all with ground-floor retail. These additional housing units, paired with retail amenities, will help meet anticipated demand for housing in the area as Amazon’s campus is expected to generate 25,000 direct jobs over the next decade.
JBG SMITH’s current submission features a set of community benefits following the county’s Sector Plan, including open space, streetscape upgrades and infrastructure enhancements catering to an 18-hour environment throughout National Landing. Moreover, the package is anticipated to include new public open spaces, improved pedestrian circulation and transportation upgrades, but the final benefits will be reviewed and refined through a collaborative process with Arlington County.
Under construction
The developer—which already owns 6.3 million square feet of existing office space and 2,850 existing multifamily units in the area—has already broken ground on 1770 Crystal Drive and Central District Retail. The latter is a 109,000-square-foot entertainment and shopping destination that will serve as the retail heart of National Landing.
Two residential towers with shops and green spaces at the base located at 1900 Crystal Drive are slated to break ground next year. The retail components of these two projects are anticipated to deliver nearly 150,000 square feet of street-level retail featuring an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a specialty grocer, restaurants, bars and other experiential venues.
JBG SMITH is also the fee developer for Amazon’s new headquarters and the master developer for the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.
