A construction project at the former Red Lion Hotel on Arlington Blvd is moving forward as scheduled with plans to start leasing next summer.
The 441-unit project at 1501 Arlington Blvd, dubbed “Elara,” is on track to welcome its first tenants in June 2027, David Orr, founder and CEO of Orr Partners, told ARLnow.
“The project remains on track and is accomplishing all of its milestones,” Orr said.
The project began demolition in winter 2025. It replaces two 1950s-era structures: the Red Lion Hotel and the Ellis Arms and Williamsburg apartments.
Approved by the County Board in January 2024, the project includes 24 on-site committed affordable units — replacing previous market-rate affordable apartments with the same number of units — along with 256 parking spaces.
The eight-story building will occupy a 2.2-acre site located on the Arlington Blvd Trail and about a 10-minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro station.
Orr Partners took over never-realized plans to build a 10-story condo tower and a 12-story hotel on the site, which the County Board approved in 2019. A public review process for current redevelopment plans kicked off in August 2023.
