JBG SMITH Starts Building New Apartment Towers Around Amazon HQ2
By Keith Loria January 19, 2022 10:20 am
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One of the most-watched developments in the United States — Amazon’s HQ2 in Northern Virginia and the complex around it — is getting hundreds of more apartments.
Developer JBG SMITH has started construction on a pair of multifamily towers at 2000 and 2001 South Bell Street, a mixed-use development that will bring 775 rental apartments and approximately 27,000 square feet of retail to National Landing in Arlington, Va.
In May 2021, the company received final entitlements to go forward with the two towers, which will join 15,000 apartments already built around the Amazon hub and the 6,800 more in the pipeline.
“We want to give National Landing its own distinct and dynamic skyline,” Bryan Moll, JBG Smith (JBGS)’s executive vice president of development, told Commercial Observer. “Working with some of the world’s leading architectural teams, we have ensured that each tower has its own unique character while also blending with and complementing the surrounding neighborhood.”
Global architecture firm KPF designed 2000 South Bell Street to be a 25-story glass tower with 355 multifamily units situated above nearly 15,000 square feet of street-level retail. The adjacent 2001 South Bell Street was designed by international design practice STUDIOS to be a 420-unit, 19-story tower boasting a green-glazed brick façade and about 10,000 square feet of street-level retail. SK+I will serve as the architect of record for both towers.
“To alleviate any pressure on our housing market, we need to be able to deliver new apartments in lockstep with the commercial growth happening around National Landing,” Moll said. “There is also a need for new retail amenities and entertainment options embedded alongside them to cultivate a more comprehensive, dynamic and walkable neighborhood. The retail that we are incorporating into the base of these buildings will augment our Crystal Drive development, as well as our Water Park and Dining in the Park culinary experiences.”
Amenities in both towers will include pools, fitness centers, 24-hour concierges, large coworking spaces, community rooms and dog-grooming stations.
Both 2000 and 2001 South Bell are situated in a prime location just one block from the Crystal City Metro station.
“We felt it would be impactful to reinvigorate these currently underutilized sites via new housing and street-level retail,” Moll said. “By transforming this central stretch of the neighborhood, we will accelerate our efforts to create a vibrant 18-hour environment.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
