A six-story office building in Virginia Square could be converted into a 94-unit apartment development.
Site plans filed late last month by Gilbane Development Company call for an adaptive reuse project at 3601 Wilson Blvd. Instead of tearing down the existing building, built in 1999, Gilbane proposes to keep the outside largely intact but rebuild much of the interior as apartments.
A Gilbane spokesperson noted that recent changes to Arlington County’s adaptive reuse policy, adopted in November, made the property a “prime candidate” for office-to-residential conversion.
“Having certainty of outcomes [is] paramount for the success of any project, and the effort and thought the County put into this policy change was a key consideration of Gilbane Development prior to making the investment,” the spokesperson told ARLnow.
Gilbane proposes only minor changes to the outside of the building, which is located a block away from the Virginia Square Metro station. Slight alterations include adding backlit lettering to signage, benches and new planter boxes.
The developer would also take advantage of some existing amenities inside 3601 Wilson Blvd, including a gym, a lobby, a large conference room, a tenant lounge and coworking spaces.
A typical floor plan would include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging between 649 and 1,216 square feet. Site plans call for 207 below-grade parking spaces and 5,637 square feet of retail space.
A press release promises a “boutique, upscale residential community” with “expansive windows, custom closets, high-end finishes, and appliances throughout each unit.”
Some units on the sixth floor would also have 12-foot-deep balconies “that are unparalleled in the submarket.”
“This acquisition underscores Gilbane’s commitment to enhancing urban living experiences in dynamic neighborhoods,” said Robert Gilbane Jr., senior vice president of Gilbane. “3601 Wilson Boulevard’s proximity to Metro transit, job centers, and retail amenities positions it as an ideal location for a sophisticated residential community in Arlington.”
Pending county approval, Gilbane hopes to start construction in January 2026. Once begun, the project is expected to take about 12 months to complete, “which is materially faster and more cost-efficient than a teardown and new construction,” a spokesperson said.
“The risks associated with new construction have only [been] heightened with the potential for cost increases and supply chain disruptions associated with tariffs, which unfortunately creates uncertainty in the market,” they noted.
Arlington’s new adaptive reuse policy is meant to simplify the process for site plan amendments related to office-to-residential conversions and create other incentives for developers to repurpose office space.
In late December, developer JBG Smith filed an application for two other adaptive reuse projects in Crystal City. These projects would convert two 11-story office buildings into more than 330 hotel rooms and 200 apartments.
