A plan to redevelop two Rosslyn office towers and a parking garage has gotten a refresh, more than a decade after it was first approved.
Developer Monday Properties is back with a new proposal for two vacant, 12-story buildings at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd, along with a parking garage that played a notable role in the Watergate scandal.
In contrast to the original plan that the Arlington County Board approved back in 2014 — which called for one office building and one residential building — the new proposal seeks two 27-story residential buildings with 831 total units, according to a presentation by the applicant.
The project would also include a 17,000-square-foot grocery store and 12,000 square feet of other ground-floor retail space, in addition to 528 residential parking spaces, 16 visitor parking spaces and 55 retail spaces. Just over half of the project site — 52% — would be open space.
The proposed breakdown of residential units is as follows, according to a county staff presentation.
- 66 studio apartments
- 466 one-bedroom apartments
- 341 two-bedroom apartments
- 30 three-bedroom apartments
The original proposal included a 40,000-square-foot grocery store. The new plan changes its position to a more visible spot on 18th Street N.
“The proposed change in location for the grocer will provide more direct visibility to Wilson Blvd and center the grocery store along the project’s most traveled pedestrian zone,” a representative for the applicant said in the presentation. “It will also encourage casual uses and the activation of the 18th Street corridor.”
Market conditions prevented the original proposal from receiving the financing to move forward, a representative said. However, Monday Properties recapitalized the development site in late 2024, receiving the support of the real estate platform BH3 management.
“With new capital structure in place from our valued partners at BH3, this is an ideal moment to revisit our development program,” Tim Helmig, managing partner at Monday Properties, said at the time. “We’re committed to creating a transformative project that maximizes value for the neighborhood while setting a new standard for urban excellence, and the financing from BH3 means we are now poised to move this project forward.”
Currently, the site is zoned for one 32-story residential tower on Key Blvd and one 29-story office tower on Wilson Blvd.
Forty years ago, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met a source dubbed “Deep Throat” — later revealed to be FBI official Mark Felt — in the parking garage currently located at the site, which was chosen because it was considered an “anonymous secure location.” The information Felt passed on to Woodward helped expose the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.
A permanent historical marker outside the garage, erected by Arlington County, marks the location. Back in 2013, Monday Properties said it expected the marker to stay even after the garage is removed.
The project just completed its online engagement period. Up next is the first Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) meeting, scheduled for April 27.
Another SPRC meeting is expected later this spring, followed by commission meetings and County Board review at dates that have yet to be determined.
