Finding a site for a new library and a home for Synetic Theater after its displacement remain two key goals for leaders in National Landing.
At a recent leadership gathering, County Board Chair Takis Karantonis brought no definitive updates on either issue. But, he said, both remained on the county government’s radar.
During the Sept. 30 meeting of the Crystal and Pentagon Cities Council, Karantonis acknowledged concerns that residential growth in the neighborhoods was outpacing promised improvements to the overall quality of civic life.
“We lack this completeness,” he said. “Entertainment [options are] missing — that’s something that is missing right now in the mix.”
The Board chair lamented the departure of Synetic, which left its 15-year home at 1800 S. Bell Street in mid-2024 after property owner JBG Smith declined to renew its lease as it prepared to redevelop the site. Forcing Synetic out then seemed premature, Karantonis said.
“I didn’t like that we lost Synetic while we still had the building … and I haven’t seen yet a realistic plan with what happens with that space,” he said.
Synetic now performs at a variety of locations across the local region as it searches for a permanent home. On Nov. 1, the troupe opens a three-week run of the original work “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus,” directed by Paata Tsikurishvili, at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre, adjacent to an APS middle school.
As part of another redevelopment project, JBG Smith had agreed to provide a Crystal City library facility along with parking and operating subsidies in order to win county concessions for the nearby Crystal Plaza One commercial-to-residential conversion.
After delays, county officials agreed to take a $5.8 million contribution from the developer in lieu of the library space.
“It is not great that we didn’t get the library when we wanted,” Karantonis acknowledged.
On issues like the theater, library and parkland matters impacting Crystal City and the broader National Landing area, the Board chair said he had met with County Manager Mark Schwartz and they had “challenged staff … to look at the possible alternatives.”
“We have options,” he said. “They’re not always timed like we want; they’re not always exactly as we envisioned them. But they are pretty much in the same direction.”
A number of council members voiced discontent at proposals seemingly stalled.
Stacy Meyer, one of those representing the Aurora Highlands Civic Association on the panel, said planning efforts should be further along.
“Take money that is available now — a small amount of money — and use that to start planning,” she said.
“Why can’t we get something like that going and prioritize things, so when the money is available … we’ll be ready?” Meyer asked. “There’s lots of people who have input on what needs to happen.”
Another Aurora Highlands Civic Association representative to the panel, Alexander Chakrin, said the surrounding area was evolving into a residential hub faster than had been anticipated.
“When you think of the image of Crystal City being what it used to be — a contractor town where people would leave at 5 p.m. — that’s changed,” Chakrin said. “You have a residential community really developing here.”
One funding source that could be tapped to support the needs of new residents could be the Crystal City, Potomac Yard, Pentagon City Tax Increment Financing Fund. Overseen by the county government, it receives a portion of increased tax revenues due to new development and higher assessments in the broader National Landing area.
Much of that funding currently is being directed to transportation projects, and the downturn in the office-development market has impacted what remains. The $7.1 million fund balance anticipated at the end of fiscal year 2026 next June is less than a quarter of the total balance of just a few years ago.
The meeting wasn’t entirely doom and gloom. Rob Mandle, deputy executive director of the National Landing Business Improvement District, acknowledged there has been “vast investment” in transportation and other infrastructure over the past 15 years.
“Those things have been tremendously beneficial to the community,” Mandle said. “I hope that spirit of creativity continues.”
The county government’s Crystal City Sector Plan, adopted in 2010, guides the overall development strategy for that community. Karantonis said the plan continues to have value, but acknowledged that Covid and the office-market downturn have impacted it.
“It’s not like the plan is not working. It’s just that the timelines are different,” the Board chair said.
He disagreed with those who wanted the sector plan torn up and rewritten, but said flexibility was vital.
“We have reasons to believe we’ll have more bumps in the road,” he said. “We should prepare, with options, about what may happen if we continue not to get the [development] projects that we expected.”
