Holly Sullivan

Amazon spent the past year continuing to redefine the future of Northern Virginia, pandemic be damned.

The e-commerce giant is advancing its HQ2 in Crystal City, Va., which will be a game-changer for the region as part of the larger National Landing project. Holly Sullivan has remained somewhat behind the scenes of the HQ2 project since first bringing in development partner JBG SMITH, but continues to be a strong voice.

The most recent designs for PenPlace, the 11.6 acres where Amazon is developing its first pair of HQ2 towers, feature three 22-story office buildings totaling 2.8 million square feet; 2.1 acres of greenspace; and The Helix, a 370,000-square-foot conch shell-like structure that will be the tallest building in the area.

HQ2 is also due to include local retailers, as well as a number of women- and minority-owned businesses. Amazon has also pledged to create 25,000 jobs and invest $2.5 billion total in Arlington, Va.

“We’re also passionate about the importance of being a good neighbor, and we are continuing to invest in the larger community and region,” Sullivan said. “As part of our HQ2 project, Amazon will increase funding available to Arlington County to address affordable housing, including $20 million to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund — the largest developer contribution to the fund in its history.”

Plans are also underway for the company to open an Amazon Fresh inside the former Potomac Yard Shoppers supermarket at 3801 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, directly across from the planned Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in the National Landing complex.

Sullivan envisions that the next year will see a collective “coming together” of sorts as people navigate their way out of the pandemic toward a new normal.

“We’re excited about our work with communities around the world as we continue to create jobs, and invest in cities and towns, small and large, all in pursuit of continuing to deliver for our customers,” she said. “We’re excited about expanding on these programs in the future. For now, it’s still just Day 1.”

And HQ2 will be a major force in making that even more of a reality.