Arlington County Board Approves Mixed-use Building with Grocery Store for Pentagon City
699 homes, affordable housing contribution
Full-service grocery store
Building to achieve LEED Silver certification, 18 % energy savings
ARLINGTON, VA – July 15, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The Arlington County Board today approved phases four and five of the Metropolitan Park project to redevelop an existing warehouse site to a single largest residential and retail high-rise in Pentagon City.
“This is an important milestone for the Metropolitan Park development, because it includes a full-service grocery store that will serve residents of the Pentagon City and Crystal City neighborhoods,” said Arlington County Board Chairman J. Walter Tejada. “We are now half-way to our goal of transforming this industrial part of Pentagon City to a more walkable, transit-oriented area that offers a great mix of homes and places to shop.”
The County Board took three votes on this project. The Board voted unanimously to amend the Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan (PDSP) to increase allowable building height. The Board also voted unanimously to amend the Comprehensive Plan Master Transportation Plan Map to delete a portion of the planned 12th Road South. The Board voted unanimously to approve the site plan, with a single exclusion for the achievement of LEED Silver Certification.
To read the staff report and other related documents, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item # 42 on the Saturday, July 13, 2013 Regular County Board Meeting.
Combining two phases into a single building
The developer, Vornado, is planning to combine the two phases of the project into one 22-story building with 699 residential units, and 40,413 square feet of retail space. Most of the ground floor retail space, some 36,789 square feet, will be occupied by a full-service grocery store. The store will front on the 12th Street South and South Eads Street. Two smaller retail spaces will be located on the northwest and southeast corners of the building.
The plan includes a four-level underground parking garage with 885 spaces, with the first floor of the garage reserved for customers of the grocery store.
Walking distance to two Metro stations
The 2.64 acres site is bounded by 12th Street South, South Eads Street, 13th Street South, and South Elm Street. The site is within walking distance to the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metro stations. The 12th Street South is part of the County’s “Primary Transit” network and will have dedicated lanes for rapid transit services between Pentagon City, Potomac Yards and Columbia Pike.
Community Benefits
The developer has agreed to community benefits related to this project. Those benefits include:
- Approximatly $5 million for affordable housing — Contributed to the County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF), Arlington’s main source of funding for the construction of additional affordable housing units.
- $150,000 public art — Contributed to the County’s public art fund to support public art within the Metropolitan Park development.
- $132,000 Utility Underground Fund –Contributed to undergrounding utilities for the development site.
- LEED Silver Certification — The developer will be incorporating sustainable design elements and technologies, including energy efficient ENERGY STAR qualified appliances. The developer has committed to design and construct the building to save at least 18 percent on energy costs.
- Transportation improvements — There will be new and expanded sidewalks and completion of roadways internal to the Metropolitan Park block. New streetscapes will expand the area in front of the building to accommodate pedestrians, street furniture, trees and outdoor cafe seating.
Community process
The site plan was discussed at six meetings of the Planning Commission’s Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC). At one of the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) meetings, County staff held a joint discussion with the PenPlace development regarding building height and massing within the Pentagon City (PDSP); the Planning Commission held a public hearing; and the Transportation Commission reviewed the proposed development.
Sustainable design
As part of the County’s green building initiative, the building will be designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, and will commit to the 18 percent energy efficiency and energy usage reporting criteria of the recently updated Green Building Density Incentive Policy.
To learn more about this planned project, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item #42 on the Saturday, July 13, 2013 Regular County Board Meeting Agenda to read the staff report.
Background
The Metropolitan Park development is part of the Pentagon City PDSP. The eight-phase, 10-building development of Metropolitan Park is the redevelopment of a 16 acres of warehouses and parking lots to mixed-use developments. Phases one, two (built) and three (under construction) house a combined total of 1,110 residential units and 35,769 square feet of retail. Two of the phases, the Gramercy and the Millennium residential buildings, are built and occupied, and the Acadia is under construction.
In 2002, the County Board approved the first phase of the Metropolitan Park development with recommendations that all future developments on the site be guided by the Metropolitan Park Design Book and Metropolitan Park Design Guidelines. The booklet and guidelines contain specific development urban design standards for the pattern of developments on the Metropolitan Park block. The development is part of the Pentagon City (PDSP), an approved framework for the redevelopment of 116 acres of obsolete industrial uses to high-density, mixed-use developments with an abundance of retail and access to open space.
The development is consistent with the County’s goal of encouraging smart growth and sustainable, walkable development within the metro corridors.
Learn more about Arlington County’s current planning efforts.
Project at a Glance
Project Name
- Phases 4 & 5 of the 8 phases Metropolitan Park
Developer
- Vornado
Architect
Maurice Walters Architect, Inc.
Contacts
Toby Millman, Vornado/Charles E. Smith
- tmillman (at) vno (dot) com
Type of Project
- 22-story, 782,342 square feet building
- 699 residential units
- 40,413 square feet retail space
Parking
- 885 spaces four level underground parking garage
Sustainability
- LEED Silver
Location
1200 Eads Street (bounded by 12th Street South, South Eads Street, 13th Street South, and South Elm Street)
Project Features
- Combination of phases 4 and 5 of Metropolitan Park
- Development of a 22-story residential building with ground-floor retail including a full-service grocery store
Community Benefits
- Approximatly $5 million Affordable Housing
- $150,000 County’s Public Art fund
- $132,000 Utility Underground fund
- Transportation Improvements — frontage and sidewalk improvements along the site’s boundaries adjacent to 12th Street South, South Eads Street, 13th Street South, and South Elm Street
- LEED Silver certification and 18% energy savings
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the “10 miles square” parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation’s Capital. Slightly smaller than 26 square miles, it is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, and one of only a handful with the prized Aaa/AAA/AAA bond rating. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods and quality schools, and has received numerous awards for Smart Growth and transit-oriented development. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world — including the Pentagon — Arlington stands out as one of America’s preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
Media Contacts
Helen Duong
703-228-5027
