WASHINGTON 鈥� In Virginia, the Arlington County Board approved the first phases of a major redevelopment of Crystal City鈥檚 central business district, that will include an and a yet-unnamed grocery store.
Developer JBG Smith鈥檚 Crystal Square project will initially include 100,000 square feet of retail on Crystal Drive, and the renovation of an existing building to new Class A office space.
The development will include a new retail building at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street South that will be built above a new east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, along with a public park.
Crystal City is considered a strong contender in Amazon鈥檚 search for a second headquarters, and while neither Arlington County or has cited the possibility of landing the Amazon headquarters for the ongoing reboot of Crystal City, Crystal Square will be a shot in the arm for the area鈥檚 redevelopment.
鈥淭his project will enliven Crystal Drive with street-level retail,鈥� said .
鈥淚t is another step toward realizing the of a Crystal City that is more vibrant, has a greater sense of place, and provides residents and the people who work there with more civic, cultural, community and recreational amenities,鈥� Cristol said.
Crystal Square is a 15-acre, mixed-use redevelopment between 15th Street South, 18th Street South, Crystal Drive and U.S. Route 1. It includes 1.3 million square feet of office space and 155,000 square feet of retail space, most of it in the Crystal City Underground, and about 400 apartments originally developed in the late 1970s.
JBG Smith will begin with the three-story movie theater and grocery store by the end of 2018.
and will include the renovation of an existing, vacant office building at 1750/1770 Crystal Drive, as well as setting land aside for a future public park, to be built and maintained by Arlington County.
Arlington County鈥檚 Crystal City Sector Plan was developed in response to BRAC relocations that elevated Crystal City鈥檚 office vacancy rate. It in 2013.
The Austin, Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse聽聽in the Virginia communities of Ashburn and Woodbridge. In addition to its new Crystal City theater, near聽the Rhode Island Metro station.
