A massive proposed expansion to Pentagon City’s RiverHouse development concluded a key phase of the county’s public feedback process with generally solid reviews.
“It’s hard to argue with new housing and park space on underutilized parking lots,” said Kateri Garcia, who represents the Arlington Ridge Civic Association on the site-plan review committee (SPRC) that recently concluded five meetings on the development plan.
The two-plus-hour meeting held July 28 marked the end of one phase of the review process. It leads into a round of advisory-commission meetings that will culminate in County Board action.
To make the proposal viable, the developer needs county approval of a phased-development site plan, or PDSP, and other zoning actions.
James Lantelme, a Planning Commission member who served on the SPRC, said the current iteration of the project marks an improvement from earlier drafts.
“I’m quite grateful that, after all these meetings, we’ve actually had a number of changes that have improved this project substantially,” he said.
“This project does fit in with the parameters that were set out by the Pentagon City Sector Plan,” Lantelme said. “The density is appropriate here.”
The plan before the SPRC calls for adding 738 new housing units to a site that already contains three residential buildings with 1,676 existing units on the 36-acre parcel.
In the initial phase of the project — the part currently under review — JBG Smith plans to build 127 four-story, townhome-style properties as well as two seven-story multifamily buildings: one of 102 units and the second containing 509.
There also would be an on-site VHC Health clinic facility.
If built out to the full plan proposed by JBG Smith, the site ultimately would include nearly 4,500 dwelling units (including those currently in place), with later development rising up to 250 feet.
The site is bounded by Army Navy Drive to the north, S. Joyce Street to the east, 16th Street S. to the south and S. Lynn Street to the west.
While concerns remained on specifics ranging from the timing of park development to traffic management, the tenor of the SPRC meeting was upbeat.
“Overall, I’m very positive about this,” said Eric Cassel, representing the Crystal City Civic Association. “It has a lot of advantages.”
Jeffrey Williams, who represents the Crystal and Pentagon Cities Council on the SPRC, also gave the overall package good reviews.
“The density and housing is appropriate here,” he said.
Having watched previous attempts to develop infill plans for the vicinity fall apart, “I would really like to see this go forward,” Williams said.
Pamela Van Hine, representing the Pedestrian Advisory Committee on the SPRC, said the most recent incarnation of the plan “made major improvements.” But she voiced concerns about safety at the intersection of S. Joyce Street and 15th Street S.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the most dangerous intersections in our neighborhood,” Van Hine said. “I have been almost hit several times crossing there.”
Members of the public, weighing in at the tail end of the meeting, raised additional issues that they said remain unresolved.
Rosamunda Ozgo said transportation planning for the project happened in 2023, but “transportation has changed enormously in two years” and the issue needed to be revisited.
Ozgo said she believed the proposal had too little parking, which could lead to spillover in the surrounding neighborhoods.
“We are not a car-less society. It’s a hope but it’s not a reality,” she said. “The parking ratios in this plan are unreasonable.”
Some attendees at the meeting pressed for parkland improvements to take precedence in the project’s phasing. Among the initiatives planned as part of the development package:
- Expansion of the 20-acre Virginia Highlands Park
- Creation of Green Ribbon trail segments throughout the site
- Creation of additional public space on the site totaling at least 2.5 acres
Adam Watson, the chief county planner working on the proposal, said comments from SPRC members and the public would help to further refine the plan in coming months.
“This isn’t the end,” Watson said of the process. “We’re going to be working closely with the applicant to make revisions. There’s still much more opportunity for public comment and feedback.”
There is no formal timetable to get the project through the final leg of review and onto the County Board’s agenda.
“If I had to take a guess, I’d say probably November,” Watson said.
He noted that the review has “been a long one,” as the project was first proposed in mid-2023.
The proposal will receive vetting from the full Planning Commission, the Transportation Commission, the Park and Recreation Commission and the Housing Commission.
“We have some work to do,” Watson said.
The July 28 SPRC meeting was the last for Planning Commission member Daniel Weir, who chaired this review process.
Weir is departing the Planning Commission after eight years of service.
“He’s always brought thoughtful, passionate energy to all of these projects,” said his fellow commission member, Tony Striner.
Weir agreed to stay on for several months after his term was set to expire this spring, largely to see the RiverHouse SPRC process to its conclusion.
He said the amount of time taken on the RiverHouse review shows “how important it is and how important it is to get done right.”
