Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Adaptive Reuse topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Arlington board approves JBG Smith plan to convert two Crystal City office buildings into 315 apartments
Summary
The Arlington County Board approved a site‑plan amendment to convert two vacant 1960s office buildings in Crystal City into 315 residential units and nearly 10,000 sq ft of ground‑floor retail. Staff said the adaptive‑reuse move will remove 543,000 sq ft of obsolete office space and reduce local vacancy; the decision also delays the sector plan’s full Center Park vision.
The Arlington County Board on May 16 voted unanimously to approve a JBG Smith plan to convert two long‑vacant office buildings at 1800 and 1901 South Bell Street into 315 apartments with about 10,000 square feet of ground‑floor retail.
County planning staff said the adaptive‑reuse proposal would remove roughly 543,000 square feet of unproductive office space from the Crystal City market and help reduce a high vacancy rate while delivering new housing faster than full redevelopment. “Removing vacant office and converting it to residential and retail presents an opportunity to revitalize the Crystal Mall block,” Courtney Badger, a planner with the county, told the board during the presentation.
The plan produced a familiar trade‑off: staff and the planning commission recommended approval, noting the project meets the county’s adaptive‑reuse policy, but several community speakers and commissioners warned it delays a sector‑plan‑level objective—the expansion of Center Park on the Mall block. Planning director Anthony Fuserelli told the board the project “recognizes the policy trade‑offs” and that the county will continue to seek park expansion opportunities in the neighborhood.
Andrew Painter, representing JBG Smith, said the conversion adds family‑sized units—an average unit size near 1,100 square feet—and a mix skewed toward multiple‑bedroom apartments, not micro‑units. “This proposal would remove a half‑million square feet of vacant or soon‑to‑be‑vacant commercial space and convert it to 315 residential units,” Painter said. He emphasized the developer’s view that reusing the structures will preserve embodied carbon compared with demolition and new construction.
Staff analysis estimated the proposal would generate about 16 school‑age students and recommended approval, citing reduced office vacancy and the speed with which adaptive reuse can create housing. The planning commission voted 11–1 to recommend approval and appended motions asking the county to identify sector‑plan goals that adaptive reuse might delay and to consider prioritizing county resources to meet those goals.
Public commenters were split; business and civic groups including the Arlington Chamber and local neighborhood associations supported the conversion as a way to activate an otherwise vacant block and to bring housing to a transit‑rich area. Other speakers urged the county to continue pursuing acquisition of the 1901 site to realize the long‑planned Center Park expansion, arguing the park and cultural amenities are essential to Crystal City’s long‑range plan.
The board voted 5–0 to approve the adaptive‑reuse site‑plan amendment. Staff said the county will continue outreach about Center Park and monitor whether future purchases or budget decisions could advance the sector‑plan park vision. The project will proceed to final permitting and building‑permit review under the conditions adopted by the board.
What happens next: the applicant and county staff will complete the conditions of approval and proceed to final engineering, permitting and lease‑up; the county said it will continue to look for public‑space acquisition options for Center Park and track the adaptive‑reuse program’s cumulative effects on plan goals.
