Once Uncertain Rosslyn Office Tower Reaches Milestone

Judging by the 1812 N. Moore construction livecams, the historically massive Monday Properties Rosslyn project is about to hit ground level - a significant milestone for any big project, much less The Tallest Office Tower in D.C. Area History - that almost wasn't.

When project backer Lehman Brothers went belly up in the wake of the financial crisis, some wondered if the 580,000-square-foot 35-story property at 1812 N. Moore would run out of funds, raising the specter of a skeletal, half-finished tower marring the Rosslyn skyline (or worse yet, a gaping pit in the middle of downtown).

Those doubts (groundless in retrospect, as Monday says it always had completion funds on hand) were put to rest when Goldman Sachs stepped in last month and bought out Lehman's stake in the 1.2 billion dollar portfolio, and the project has remained on schedule for a late 2013 delivery date.

As of today, below-grade construction is nearing completion, and the project should break above grade in a matter of weeks, if not days. “The crane is scheduled to jump up next month,” said Tim Helmig, Executive VP and Chief Development Officer at Monday. He also noted, with evident pride, that their construction crane when fully extended

to its maximum of 451 feet, will be the tallest in area history.

1812 is only one part of a massive ten building, three million square foot portfolio that altogether comprises over a third of the entire Rosslyn office submarket of Arlington, making Monday/Goldman the Microsoft of florescent-lit Starbucks-and-Dockers NOVA anomie.

Construction on 1812 was started on spec – a risky proposition in a down economy and a soft-ish market. But Monday assures DCMud it's in active negotiations with three clients to collectively lease out the entire tower. Questions about these three mega-tenant's identities were met with amusement but then expected silence. At present, 1812 is LEED Gold certified for Neighborhood Development, and anticipates being LEED Platinum certified for Core and Shell when delivered in 2013, keeping it on track to be the first LEED Platinum certified office building in Virginia, as certified by the USGBC.

Central Place, the competing project from JBG and Beyer Blinder Belle right across N. Moore Street, hasn't broken ground yet, but its developers offer assurances as to its progression. JBG spokesman Charles Maier told DCMud that is JBG is finalizing permits for the project and doesn't anticipate any obstacles to a 2012 start date.

Arlington, VA real estate development news

Arlington Approves Penrose Park Contract

The Arlington County Board today voted to approve a construction contract to build a new public plaza at the recently opened Penrose Square on Arlington's Columbia Pike. The $1.6m contract had been expected, and will eventually lead to two other two other public squares on Columbia Pike as well.

Penrose Square park will include a tree-covered terrace, plaza with water feature, and pair of large stone sculptures, all sustainably designed to recapture and reuse water. The public plaza is expected to cost around $100,000 per year on operational costs, and complete by the fall of 2012. The county will spend $425,000 for the pair of sculptures that will be installed on the site next spring.

Designed by a twelve-member citizen Working Group and landscape architectural firm Oculus. The contract for construction was a sole-source bid.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Buildings Gone on Wilson Boulevard, Construction "By November"

Zom Inc., developer of USAA Real Estate's transit-oriented residential and retail project at 1900/1916 Wilson Boulevard, asserted in July that construction would be underway "this fall;" and today, Graham Hatcher, VP of construction for Zom again stood behind a November start date, adding that general contractors are bidding on the project this week.

Both buildings previously on site - Hollywood Video and an office - have been razed in anticipation of new construction; however, according to Arlington County Inspection Services, two building permits applied for by Zom, in July and September, are trudging through inspection and zoning reviews, with one permit ready to be picked up by the developer, revised and resubmitted, and the other awaiting review by zoning before it will be released back to the development team.

The design, by Torti Gallas and Partners, was approved by the County last year, with only a few minor changes taking place in the schematics since that time, explains Michael Parker, project manager and Torti Gallas architect.

For one, the residential entryway was relocated further down Clarendon Boulevard, where it could have 20' high ceilings, combating digs by Country reviewers that the initial entryway location (at the corner of Troy and Clarendon) was "cavelike." Additionally, Juliet balconies were added to 33 residential units along Troy, Clarendon and Wilson Boulevard to "add texture to the building." Lastly, a darker red brick was introduced to frame main elements of the building and residential bays along Wilson, a change that created more of a warehouse feel.

Parker also notes how the design came together after a relatively minor land acquisition, by USAA, of an approximately 20,000-s.f. surface parking lot owned by property neighbor NSTA. With the extra land on the eastern edge of the property, the building design could be reconfigured from an initial "pan-handle scheme" into the "W" formation shown above, allowing for two courtyards (versus one) and an extra dozen or so apartment units.

With 191 apartment units in all, the units range from a 450-s.f. studio to 1400-plus-s.f. 3-bedroom layout. The building is 230,000 s.f. above grade, and will rise 5 stories, as is allowed in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor plan which affects land along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards, although the land was zoned to allowed for 16 stories. There is ample parking on site, 256 spaces will be included below grade (18 more than is required by the County).

As for retail to enliven the Corridor, 17,500 s.f. of street-front retail will be divided into several storefront spaces: one on the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Troy Street, one on the corner of Troy and Clarendon, and three further down Clarendon Boulevard; if any retail space has been claimed, Zom wasn't ready to announce it.

With County approval, owner USAA, who bought the property/project from Zom in 2010, will also be required to create a public park worth $100,000 on a triangle swath of land nearby.

Also located nearby in the Court House district, is the future Tellus, a planned 16-story, 254-unit apartment building, expected to break ground next spring; in order to move forward, developer Erkiletian partnered with Jefferson Apartment Group.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

County Rolls Out Arlington Mill Next Wednesday

Arlington will roll out the pomp next Wednesday for Arlington Mill, a community center on Arlington's Columbia Pike that will soon be followed by an affordable housing project. The county demolished the previous buildings last spring, and will likely start actual construction next month.

The community center portion of the project will cost an estimated $24 to 25 million and include a gym, learning center, public plaza and garage, crafted by architects at Davis Carter Scott. Residences on the north side developed by Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH), and designed by Kishimoto Gordon Dalaya Architecture (KGD) are scheduled to begin construction in 2012 with a targeted completion date of late 2013. No general contractor has been selected yet.

Under Arlington's agreement with APAH, the county will build the garage for both the community center and the residential portion, and APAH will then reimburse the county for its expense. "We are hoping to close and break ground...sometime towards the end of Q2 2012" says David Perrow, Project Manager for Arlington Mill. The affordable housing provider will be waiting in the wings, starting work on housing when the county finishes construction.

Residences will include 121 "tax-credit units" that will be open to individual making 60% or less of area median income. In return for affordable housing, the state of Virginia has granted APAH a $2.13m tax credit per year for 10 years, a credit that can be marketed to a financial partner. "We can sell that on the equity market," says Perrow. Construction of the community center should complete by next summer.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Demolition Permits Falling into Place in Court House District

A demolition permit was granted, yesterday, to property owner USAA Real Estate to demolish one of the two buildings it owns at 1900 and 1916 Wilson Blvd. in the Court House district of Arlington. Obtaining the permit is one step in the right direction for USAA, currently on track with a timeline to deliver 167,000 s.f. of mixed-use residential-and-retail along the 1900 block of the Wilson Blvd. corridor in less than two years.

Though one raze permit is in the hands of The Berg Corporation to demolish the former Hollywood Video at 1900 Wilson Blvd, another permit for 1916 Wilson Blvd. - formerly an office building - still awaits approval (it was filed yesterday), as does one for infrastructure/sewer work (filed July 1st), and demolition on site is not likely imminent. Construction, under general contractor Harkins Builders, is due to officially begin "in the fall," according to a representative, today, at Zom Inc., the development manager on the project.

Zom Inc. (Mid-Atlantic region) is now the development manager, but was once the owner, having bought the site in 2006, for $21.5 million; Zom was financially forced to sell, and USAA Real Estate purchased the property in 2010, for $18 million.

The 1.73 acre property will become a transit-oriented, mixed-use development thanks to its location two blocks from the Court House Metro stop. The new Torti Gallas and Partners-designed buildings on site will rise five stories, the majority of use going to multifamily apartments (191 units) with 17,300 s.f. of ground floor retail and 256 parking spots.

A collection of renderings have been filed with the Arlington government. USAA originally planned a Fall 2011 start date; if the project continues to adhere to the proposed timeline, the development, one of three big projects planned for the corridor, will deliver in June of 2013.


Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

A Tree Falls in Arlington

By Beth Herman It wasn't a Midwest-style twister, but a storm still powerful enough to deliver a neighboring tree to the top of an old, one-story enclosed porch addition to a post-war brick Colonial in Arlington. Sited on a busy, residential street, the home overlooks the Donaldson Run Bike Trail in the back, marked by lush vegetation and mature trees that tower over the residence despite the arbors' location on a deep incline. "The client came to us probably eight years ago, before the storm,” said Jane Treacy of Treacy & Eagleburger Architects, noting the porch was neither well insulated nor well heated, restricting the homeowners to limited use. “We did some schematic designs for making it bigger, maybe another story taller, and using the space better, but they didn’t want to do it right away.” Then three years ago, the storm wiped out the addition completely, and the phone rang. Eviscerated down to a supportive slab, the former 12-ft. wide porch was situated over a one-car garage of the same proportions, appearing almost below-grade from the front. It was accessed via a steep driveway in the back which rendered it useless in inclement weather, according to the homeowner. A decision to widen the slab to 17 feet, for a total dimension of 17-by-22 feet, resulted in its transformation to a family room, adding value and usable space to the home (the garage became storage space beneath). But the renovation’s focus was clearly skyward: to a second story. “This was just a little post war two-story box,” Treacy explained, noting there were hundreds built throughout Arlington County in the same time period. “They do make a nice scale in the front, though, and have a comfortable neighborhood feel, so we didn’t want to lose that.” To that end, and with an eye to creating a glass tree house of sorts that would appreciate the verdant view in the back, the architect made a decision to step a second story back about six feet from the new family room beneath, so as not to overpower the front of the house. Views out of this new master bedroom suite were to be directed primarily to the back, with a wall of rust-hued aluminum-clad windows and four clerestory windows –in what the architect calls an eyebrow—creating a light-inspired space. “We considered the eyebrow almost like a dormer,” Treacy said, “though not truly because a dormer is embedded in the roof.” In this home, the plane of the wall continues up and the architect “popped the roof” to accommodate it. On the interior, a flat, stained, slatted Douglas fir ceiling with recessed lighting and sconces also pops exactly where the roof does, to an apex of 11.5 feet, providing height to the moderate 16-by-17-ft. space. “The scale here is what connects you to the trees in a dramatic way,” Treacy affirmed of the project they aptly named "Rear Window." Stainless steel cable rails provide a barrier to enable the master’s French doors to safely remain open, catching a cool breeze from the adjacent forest, and also encircle a deck off the first floor family room. “I guess you could say that their hand was forced by the storm,” Treacy said of the homeowner’s ultimate decision to build the glass tree house. “Now the addition is completely integral to the house.” photos courtesy of Celia Pearson

Penzance Tees Up Clarendon LEED Office Project

D.C. based Penzance has announced it will submit its final plans to Arlington for development of its Clarendon Metro office project, a step that potentially puts the start date less than a year away for the 300,000 s.f. office project.

Penzance plans two office buildings for the site, an 8-story and a 10-story building with shared 4-level below-grade parking deck and 28,000 s.f. of combined ground floor retail space with an expansive sidewalk area to accommodate outdoor seating. Several of the older buildings on the block will be kept intact during construction.

Noritake Associates designed the project that developers say will "reinforce Clarendon’s status as a true live-work-play urban environment." The design is expected to earn a minimum ranking of LEED Silver, but developers say they are working toward a Platinum ranking for the site, scheduled to break ground in spring of 2012. Jones Lang LaSalle will market the property. A general contractor has not yet been selected.

Penzance has developed and operates numerous properties throughout Washington D.C. and Arlington, including 455 Massachusetts Avenue in Mt. Vernon Triangle.
Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Where are Virginia's Green Apartments?

Arlington Virginia, one of the most affluent counties in the U.S, takes a predictably green approach to development. Burnishing its green credentials, Arlington was the first jurisdiction in the country to adopt an incentive system to persuade developers to build sustainable, efficient structures, enacting a green program as early as 1999. Alexandria partnered with Virginia Tech’s Department of Urban Affairs and Planning to design a new collaborative planning process, called Eco-City Alexandria, to foster sustainable building. So far, surprisingly few residential developers have taken up the counties on their offers. Since Arlington's Green Building Incentive Program went into effect in 2000, permitting extra height or density for obtaining LEED certification, just three residential developments in the city of Arlington have earned the USGBC's green ranking, only one of which received additional density. In Alexandria, only one new condo and one apartment achieved a LEED ranking. Arlington's 220 Twentieth in Crystal City is LEED certified, the lowest certification available, while Arlington's Parc Rosslyn, a subsidized housing project built by APAH, earned a Silver designation, one step better. 

Just recently, Lyon Place in Clarendon was awarded LEED status (the leasing office was unable to identify which kind). In Alexandria, Cromley Lofts earned Virginia's first LEED designation with an impressive Gold ranking (the 3rd highest of 4 levels) in 2007, but since then only the Station at Potomac Yards has achieved the USGBC's stamp of approval. The Crescent in Falls Church has also recently earned LEED recognition, and most recently the Macedonian obtained EarthCraft certification. In Washington D.C., by contrast, numerous residences have the distinction, including the Alta, WestEnd25 (Gold), Flats130 (part of LEED-ND, a more nebulous neighborhood designation) at Constitution Square, Capitol Quarter (Silver), Georgia Commons, Gables at Takoma (Silver), Residences at Square 80, and Solea condos (Gold). The USGBC website, though providing an incomplete and inadequate list, puts Arlington's LEED projects at 34 (for all building types), and Washington D.C.'s LEED projects at 141. Developers have long complained that the LEED certification process is rigid and costly, requiring a longer process, more paperwork and greater expense both to build and get certification. Another factor is public demand, which most agree puts very little premium on green construction. But Joan Kelsch, Arlington's Green Building Program Manager, says that shortcomings in the initial program have been addressed, and that a wave of LEED certified buildings is about to hit the market. In 2009, the county tweaked its incentives, raising the incentive for housing developers and lowering incentives on office construction, which were building in green with or without the incentives. "Any large office building getting built is going to be LEED certified, because the market is demanding that now. That's not true of residential buildings." Of residential buildings, Kelsch says "they typically get 6-12 units [in extra density], depending on the size of the building." Kelsch says the lack of LEED certified projects has more to do with timing. "I think the fact that we don't have alot of them finished is not necessarily an indication that the program hasn't been successful, there's just been a lull in construction and there are many in the pipeline. We think its been very successful." Kelsch also notes that 24% of residential units approved between December, 2003 and December, 2008 were intended to be certified as LEED, some of which are under construction or have been built and are seeking certification. Others, like the Tellus, simply haven't been built. But numerous other projects have been designed without green features. Virginia also recognizes the EarthCraft brand of sustainable certification, which several developments have opted for but which Arlington's Green Building Incentive Program does not recognize. According to Kelsch, the county has considered giving bonus density for meeting EarthCraft, which the state now uses to reward subsidized housing projects. Though the trend is for better, greener buildings, neither the county nor the public are yet demanding it. Until one of them does, it seems builders will not always see the advantages of green. Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Standing Tall in Arlington

By Beth Herman

Loosely translated from the Greek, Macedonian means "tall one." Though the eponymous 36-unit apartment building in Arlington, Va., 2229 Shirlington Road, may be only four stories high, it clearly stands tall among its residential peers as the first new construction multifamily affordable housing development in the city to achieve EarthCraft certification. EarthCraft is the standard by which the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) evaluates energy efficiency.

With a confluence of ideals reflecting community enhancement and sustainability, nonprofit affordable housing developer AHC Inc. and property owner Macedonia Baptist Church partnered in 2008 to conceive the Macedonian. Opening this month in a historically African-American neighborhood comprised largely of single family detached bungalows and newer town homes, by design the building trumpets the church’s mission, as stated on its website, to help transform people’s lives.

“The county had undertaken a big redevelopment process for this community, developing a new planning tool called the Nauck Village Center Action Plan (in 2004),” said John Welsh, AHC director of its multifamily division. Constructing the nearby 94-unit Shelton in 2007, winner of two AIA/DC awards and one Arlington County Design Award, Welsh and colleagues soon entered into a dialogue with the church about the church-owned parcel that would eventually become the Macedonian.

Offering development expertise and acquiring funding in the form of $3.9 million in VHDA tax-exempt bonds, $2.7 million in tax credit equity, $550,000 in deferred development fees, a county cash flow note of nearly $3.5 million, and TCAP funding of about $2.4 million, AHC teamed with Bonstra Haresign Architects and Bozzuto Construction to create a multi-use structure that also designates 2,000 s.f. of commercial space for shops and the church-affiliated CDC, and acts as an incubator for several area start-up businesses.

Air Share

According to Thomas Wallinga, AHC construction manager and former architect with Bonstra Haresign, while energy efficient lighting and appliances were standard on the path to EarthCraft certification, additional unit sealing to prevent energy leakage was high on the construction agenda, as were low-emissivity double-pane windows and low-flow fixtures.

"But the most unusual thing we did was actually the mechanical system,” Wallinga said, identifying a Mitsubishi variable fluid flow (as opposed to air flow) system: the CITY MULTI R2-series. Used largely in Europe and Asia, up to nine units operate off of one condenser in a two-pipe system, according to Wallinga. In this respect, energy is shared between individually-metered units so that one tenant can use heat and another air conditioning, simultaneously, a common practice in transitional seasons like spring and fall. “It balances things out at a much higher efficiency level than typical heat pumps,” he explained.Per Welsh’s description of the process, the Mitsubishi product works like an old hydronic system but utilizes Puron, an environmentally safe refrigerant. He explained that the system is relatively new in the U.S., has not been used residentially, and there is no existing method to determine a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating.

Virginia Tech is said to be studying the product for testing and rating purposes. In order to meet aesthetic standards as well as sustainable design goals, the team located nine Mitsubishi condensers in the ventilated parking garage, instead of as eyesores on the lawn or the roof, in part to showcase a modular “live roof” system that includes concrete paver patio space for residents. Featuring sedum, large individual trays of plantings sit atop a secured, reflective, watertight roof membrane to reduce storm water runoff. Green carpeting suffuses the patio area to the parapets, with stone edging, so the roof membrane is not visible.

Framing was done in 2x6 construction, with Lycene—a closed-cell spray insulation system—used for optimal energy efficiency. Low-VOC paints and sealants were used, and recycled content is evident in materials that include carpeting, though carpeting was kept to a minimum.

A floor for more

“We wanted something that looks better and is more durable in terms of tenant changeovers,” Wallinga said, citing the use of Amtico flooring. A vinyl product that is “heavy duty” but aesthetically imitates fine wood, the 4x36-ft. strips resemble a warm cherry floor, the results achieved by photographing wood and transferring to the vinyl printing process for a plank look. While bedrooms are carpeted, kitchens, living rooms and hallways utilize Amtico, with any damage easily rectified and expense mitigated by replacing just a single strip, when necessary.

“The building is also smoke-free—you can’t even smoke on the balconies” which is what the church wanted in its pursuit of a healthier environment, Welsh explained. “And by cutting the use of carpeting by 50 or 70 percent, we’re cutting down on allergens for a better breathing environment, not to mention decreasing maintenance costs and landfill impact by having to rip it out when someone moves out.

Five designated ADA units have requisite roll-under kitchen and bathroom cabinets and roll-in showers, with audio-visual adaptation if a tenant is hearing or visually-impaired, but all other units are partially adaptable if necessary. Noting 529 people had made inquiry about the building, Welsh said 64 applications had been received to date and about a dozen residents have moved in.

"The Macedonian looks like market-rate apartments,” Wallinga said. “There’s nothing to distinguish this type of affordable housing from anything you’d see in a condo or market-rate building.”

photographs courtesy of Anice Hoachlander and Thomas Wallinga

The Tellus: Arlington's First LEED Gold Project Delayed Further

Arlington's most sustainably designed apartment building will spend at least another year in planning mode, say its developers. Erkiletian's plans for the Tellus, a 254-unit apartment building in Clarendon, designed to achieve LEED Gold certification back in 2008, is still likely a year away from construction.

The apartments that will replace an outmoded apartment building at 2009 14th Street were approved by the county in early 2009, with an expected late 2009 start date. "The economy had a little bit to do with it" says development manager Bill Denton of the delay. Erkiletian is now hoping for an early 2012 construction start. The Tellus will replace one of Arlington's least attractive office buildings, and would be the first residence to earn LEED Gold certification in the county, if built according to the original plans. Erkiletian originally planned for environmentally-friendly facilities such as storm water retention, on-site irrigation, drought-resistant native plants on a green roof plaza, low-flow plumbing fixtures, bicycle and smart car options, power derived from a green sourced grid as well as on-site solar, a sustainable power source that has yet to achieve commercial viability and is rarely used on multi-family buildings.

Lessard Group designed the building to achieve the 2nd highest LEED ranking, but Denton says specifics are still in flux. Regarding use of solar panels, Denton says "we hope to, it will be part of the consulting document, trying to reach LEED Gold," but that such options are still being weighed.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

Buchanan Gardens Groundbreaking Tonight

Developers will launch the redo of Buchanan Gardens tonight at 5pm. The sprawling affordable housing complex built in 1949 will undergo $32m in renovations at the hands of low-income housing provider Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). The buildings will be gutted and renovated over the course of the next eighteen months.

Financed through loans and grants by the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the Arlington Housing Investment Fund, and with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and grants from private foundations, the housing will be available to those making 60% of AMI or less.

Wiencek+Associates and Hamel Builders will transfigure the 111-unit building into a more modern, greener version of itself, with new energy efficiencies and water saving features. Construction is expected to complete in December of 2012. APAH purchased Buchanan Gardens in December of 2009.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Arlington's Affordable Housing: Macedonia Near Completion

Bonstra Haresign Architects and Nauck Development Partners (NDP) have nearly completed construction of Macedonia, the affordable housing building for the Macedonia Baptist Church in Arlington. NDP is a partnership between the Church, the Bonder and Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation (BAJCDC) and AHC Inc.

"We've tried hard to create a building that does not look like affordable housing," said David Baker, senior architect at Bonstra Haresign.

Construction for the four-story building of 36 one-and two-bedroom units began in 2009 and will be available for move-in by the end of this month for residents making less than 60% of the area's median income. 40,000 s.f. of space will be dedicated to offices, one of which will house the BAJCDC. The $14 million project was funded by low-interest loans, a county grant and $6 million in county funds.

The most challenging aspects of the project has been the topography of the parcels at 2219, 2229 and 2237 South Shirlington Road. "There's a large slope which means the rear at Garfield is ten feet higher in the back. This made addressing parking access more of a challenge," said Baker.

The building is EarthCraft certified, Virginia Housing Development Authority's version of LEED certification. Every tenant will have a balcony as well as access to the lower green roof common area.

Along with AHC Inc. and JBG, Bonstra Haresign is also designing The Jordan, a four-story, low-income, 90-unit building three blocks from the Ballston Metro. The Jordan is similar to the Macedonia in that both buildings are predominantly masonry, said Baker.

The development resides on the former Bob Peck Dealership and Showroom site at Wilson Boulevard and North Glebe Road. JBG is now building out its plans for 800,000 s.f. of mixed-use development at the location, requiring a land swap between JBG and AHC.

Baker said The Jordan will be ready by the end of this year.

Arlington, Virginia real estate development news

Rosslyn Office Project Breaks Ground Today

This morning marks groundbreaking at 1776 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, a self-financed Skanska development of a five-story office building with 108,000 s.f. of rentable space and 26,000 s.f. of retail. Skanska is shooting for completion in a year and a half.

Skanska purchased the site for $10 million in 2010 from George Contis, whose property had housed Medical Service Corporation International. Skanska will build out the RTKL-designed plans, having stepped into the shoes of this and several stalled DC area projects like the PN Hoffman office project at 10th & G and Opus's southeast office project at M and Half Streets.

The ground breaking ceremony begins on site at 11:30 A.M.

Arlington, Virginia Real Estate development news

Arlington's Block Busting Year

One of Arlington's most stubbornly static development sites - a superblock of three stagnant development parcels at the Courthouse Metro station - is finally ready to start construction in what could be a fraternity of development initiatives. Developers of the 1800, 1900 and 2000 blocks of Wilson Boulevard, all located on the same block, have been working separately for years to build large, mixed-use projects on their respective sites, and now the latter two say they will start construction this year for vast amounts of retail, housing, and office space, broken up with a new street between them.

Elm Street Development plans to start its construction on 2000 Wilson Boulevard (formerly the Taco Bell and Dr. Dremo's site), known now as 2001 Clarendon, with 30,000 s.f. of retail space and 154 residential units, while USAA, which purchased the 1900 block of Wilson Boulevard late last year, plans to start work this fall on a mixed-use, predominantly residential project. Working out approvable developments on both sites required land swapping and an endowment of land to Arlington to extend Troy Street, connecting Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards. Meanwhile, developers at the eastern end of the superblock on Rhodes Street are still vying to get financing to double the size of the office space and integrate retail.

2000 Wilson
The stuttering progression at 2001 Clarendon was initially planned to begin in late 2007 as a condominium, but in 2008 switched to apartments (in theory), shooting for a 2010 completion. In early 2010 Elm Street VP Jim Mobley said the team was again "looking at" the concept of condos, "financing dependent." With financing now in place (underwritten as apartments), construction is near, with the likely chance of condo conversion down the road. Retail space will front 3 streets, subdivided into small storefronts. Because of Elm Street's rejiggering of the plans, at Arlington's suggestion, no permits have been issued, but sources for the project say work is expected to commence late this year.

George Dove, Managing Principal at WDG Architecture, which designed the 6 story "extremely contemporary" building, notes the challenges facing the climbing site. "From a zoning standpoint, between Courthouse and Rosslyn, you have a sequence of height limits, and you have elevation changes, so it has a series of levels that drop-off as you move down the street, like stair-steps. This had alot to do with driving the design." Besides shooting for basic LEED certification, an Arlington requirement, 2001 Clarendon will incorporate a series of green roofs. "This is the antitheses of the high-rise, urban, compact residential project. It stretches out over a much larger floorplate. That gives alot of rooftop areas at different levels, it is definitely not a boring facade," said Dove.

1900 Wilson
Across the (not yet built) street, USAA has purchased 1900 Wilson Boulevard, along with its plans for a 5-story mixed-use residential building. USAA bought the Hollywood Video site from Zom, Inc., which had already birddogged plans to construct residences through Arlington's approval process. USAA will retain Zom as a fee developer to build out the project. Torti Gallas designed the more urban seeming structures with large retail spaces along Clarendon Boulevard and live/work spaces along Wilson Boulevard.

Sources involved in the development say no dates have been set, but that work is "on target" to materialize this year, and Hailey Ghalib of USAA says the the developer expects to build in the third quarter of this year and is working with Harkins Builders on pre-construction issues, but has not yet signed a construction contract nor obtained construction permits. Construction is expected to last 22 months.

1800 Wilson
The lone holdout at this point is the eastern end of the block, slated to demolish Rhodeside Grill and Il Radicchio to more than double the office space used by the National Science Teachers Association. The NSTA has teamed with developer DRI to expand their Arlington headquarters at 1840 Wilson, with an approved site plan in hand. NSTA hopes to build a 107,000 s.f. office building with 10,000 s.f. of retail, taking up an adjacent surface parking lot. The site plan was initially approved in November 2005, amendments were approved in July 2008 and November 2008 to resolve façade and parking issues, but the project is on hold pending financing, which the team is "working very hard" to secure, of course. The NSTA has already contracted Davis Carter Scott as the architect and DPR Construction Company as the general contractor, if and when the bankers come to the rescue.

As if that weren't enough, work is now underway next door in the 1700 block of Wilson Boulevard, where Skanska is building a 5 story office building. Get ready for a loud but productive year, and lots of cranes.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news