Construction is starting on the conversion of a vacant Virginia Square office building into 94 apartments — a project now named Renley.
Gilbane Development announced the start of work on Monday. The developer acquired the six-story, 121,200-square-foot building at 3601 Wilson Blvd, a block from the Virginia Square Metro station, in March 2025 and proposed the conversion soon after.
Renley is among the first projects to use Arlington’s adaptive reuse policy, adopted in November 2024 to streamline office-to-residential conversions and give developers incentives to bring vacant office space back into use.
“Rather than starting over, we’re building upon an existing asset and reimagining it for a new generation of residents,” Bobby Gilbane, a senior vice president at Gilbane Development, said.
The conversion will keep the building’s exterior largely intact while rebuilding the interior. The 94 market-rate apartments will range from one to three bedrooms, with some sixth-floor units featuring 12-foot-deep private balconies.
Plans call for 5,637 square feet of ground-floor retail and 207 parking spaces in a below-grade garage. Resident amenities will include a wellness center, coworking space, lounges and tenant storage on every floor.
Renley is expected to open in April 2027.
The project is part of a growing wave of office conversions in Arlington, where developers have increasingly looked to repurpose empty buildings — a trend that has begun to dent the county’s commercial vacancy rate.
