A major redevelopment project next to Gateway Park is receiving largely positive feedback from local leaders, despite some concerns about pedestrian safety and vehicle access.
The One Rosslyn project received its first vetting at a Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) meeting last week. Developer Penzance proposes to raze existing office buildings at 1901 and 1911 Fort Myer Drive and replace them with a three-building complex with over 800 units.
The SPRC meeting was the first step of a process that, by summer, is expected to put the proposal in front of the Arlington County Board.
The proposed density drew little concern among SPRC members, and the plan for a primarily residential project won support. However, some debate focused on transportation issues, which are slated for more extensive discussion when the panel reconvenes in early May.
Concerns raised about pedestrian safety
Overall, the proposed design mainly received positive reviews.
“Architecturally, it feels like a very cool project,” said Daniel Weir, a Planning Commission member tapped to lead the SPRC. The committee is composed of members of county advisory bodies along with residents living in the area.
Stephen Sockwell, representing the Forestry & Natural Resources Commission, also was a fan.
“I like the architecture,” he said of the trio of buildings that would rise as much as 300 feet above the five-story communal podium that each would sit on.
The towers are slated to rise 23, 27 and 29 stories, with the entire project having a floor-area ratio (FAR) of 9.71.
FAR measures the total interior space of buildings divided by the square footage of the ground they sit on. Projects in Rosslyn can go up to a maximum of 10 FAR.
However, Mike Doyle, founder of Arlington Families for Safe Streets, and Aaron Roberts, chair of the North Highlands Civic Association’s planning/zoning committee, opposed the planned removal of an above-ground walkway over eastbound Langston Blvd between N. Moore Street and Fort Myer Drive.
The North Highlands neighborhood is located immediately north of Rosslyn’s core, separated from it by Langston Blvd. Residents wanting to get to the Metro station, parks or other amenities face major risks crossing at-grade intersections, Roberts said.
“The danger … is real and palpable,” he said. “I know of someone who died within a block of this site.”
Both Roberts and Doyle called for retaining all above-ground pedestrian/pedestrian overpasses ringing the site.
“We strongly urge a reconsideration,” said Doyle, who founded his advocacy organization after himself being hit.
“I know what it’s like for a driver in an SUV to crash into you,” he said.
Once heralded as forward-thinking design as Rosslyn urbanized in the latter third of the 20th century, pedestrian/bicyclist overpasses have largely fallen out of favor with county planners.
While residents from North Highlands turned up in support of above-the-ground options for pedestrians and bicyclists, the North Rosslyn Civic Association stands in opposition.
That organization’s president, Joseph Ventrone, said there are other ways to improve safety.
“I think proper design can address their fears,” he told ARLnow.
While a May 1 SPRC meeting will focus more thoroughly on transportation and related safety issues, concerns also arose about whether the road layout around the site will allow buses and other large vehicles to make turns.
Earlier proposal failed to materialize
The One Rosslyn proposal is on the same parcel that, in 2012, was slated to be turned into a mixed-use property featuring residential, office, retail and hotel space. That project never got beyond the planning stage.
Jack Rushford, a senior development associate at Penzance, said the current proposal benefits from “a highly experienced design team to bring this project to life.”
To move forward on the project and its roughly 850 apartment and condominium units will require amendments to the parcel’s previously approved site plans. Among the issues still in flux is whether committed-affordable housing will be on site.
If the One Rosslyn development plan wins approval, it will join an array of projects that are expected to bring about 5,500 additional residents to the Rosslyn area in the next five years.
