About a year of construction remains for two apartment towers replacing a Crystal City office building.
The final beam was placed atop the two residential towers at 2000 and 2001 S. Bell Street, formerly Crystal Plaza One, this week. Developer JBG Smith and its project manager, Balfour Beatty, announced the “topping out” construction milestone on Monday.
“Congratulations to the team for accomplishing this major achievement,” said Dan Novack, Balfour Beatty’s president for the Mid-Atlantic region, in a press release. “We look forward to continued progress and ongoing collaboration with our owner, industry partners and the local community in providing a premier living development for future residents in the evolving National Landing area.”
Both the 25-story West and 19-story East towers are slated for completion in the spring of 2025 and will offer a combined 775 units with a variety of floor plan options, per the release. The towers will have more than 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space as well as rooftop decks and pools.
In terms of public benefits, JBG Smith will add a public park space next to the East tower. It will also build an extension of S. Bell Street, connecting to S. Clark Street, with bike lanes, as well as a new alley south of the East tower.
The development is a stone’s throw from the revamped Central District Retail shopping plaza, or “Crystal Square,” home to taqueria Tacombi, bakery Mah-Ze-Dahr and other shops. It will be near a forthcoming second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, a planned Virginia Railway Express station, now expected to wrap up in 2026, and pedestrian bridge linking Crystal City to National Airport.
The county approved the project in May 2021 after holding a public hearing. Demolition work began shortly after and JBG Smith broke ground about a year later, in January 2022.
Under the revised site plan, JBG Smith said it would contribute $3.36 million towards the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund and $137,495 toward a utility undergrounding fund, as well as $75,000 for a public art installation, according to a 2021 presentation from the developer.
After more than 45 years of business, Ship’s Hatch is lifting anchor from its place in Crystal City’s underground mall.
The eye-catching store founded in the 1970s will still sell merchandise and take personalized engraving orders online at shipshatch.com. But at the end of this month, its whimsical porthole windows and array of military gifts and souvenirs will set sail from the subterranean shopping plaza at 1677 Crystal Drive.
“We’re leaving because we’re moving online. Online seems like a good fit for us now,” said owner Becky Shagdarsuren.
Shagdarsuren said the store’s lease is ending but she did not elaborate on details. JBG Smith, the owner of Crystal City Shops, declined to comment on this story.
Ship’s Hatch joins several other businesses in departing Crystal City’s underground alleys.
JBG Smith notified San Antonio Bar & Grill last year that, after three decades, the Tex-Mex restaurant’s lease would be expiring in December, according to co-owner Amparo Magne. The real estate company did not provide a reason for the closure.
Signage at D.C. Men’s Wear, another Crystal City Shops business, indicated on Tuesday that it, too, is leaving. The jewelry and clothing store Coqui Boutique likewise announced last year that it was clearing house after nearly four decades in business.
“Seems like everybody is leaving,” Shagdarsuren said.
Although the subterranean mall is increasingly vacant, it does not appear on JBG Smith’s “development pipeline” for the next two years, per an investors report for the third quarter of 2023, the most recent posted on the developer’s website.
Located less than a mile and a half from the Pentagon, Ship’s Hatch found its niche selling hats, pins, mugs, decanters and other memorabilia emblazoned with military and patriotic symbols.
It charted a course through major changes in Crystal City over the decades, including the impacts of Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), which closed numerous Dept. of Defense offices in the neighborhood, starting in the late 2000s. That’s not to mention the financial hit wrought by pandemic.
Shagdarsuren bought the soon to be online-only business when its former owner and founder, Mary Beth Cox, retired in 2018.
A 40-year-old Arlington man has been charged with raping a woman in Crystal City early Thursday morning.
Police say the man started talking to a woman who was walking in the neighborhood around 2:15 a.m., before sexually and physically assaulting her in an outdoor area along 12th Street S., near Long Bridge Park.
Following an investigation, he was arrested that night during a traffic stop.
More, below, from Arlington police.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is announcing the arrest of an Arlington man following a sexual assault investigation in Crystal City. Vernon Koning, 40, was arrested and charged with Rape and Strangulation. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 2:15 a.m. on February 8, police were dispatched to the report of a rape. The preliminary investigation indicates the female victim was walking in the area when she became engaged in conversation with the suspect. The suspect led the victim to an outdoor area in the 200 block of 12th Street S. where he sexually and physically assaulted her. Following the assault, the victim ran from the scene and sought assistance in the 900 block of Long Bridge Drive.
Police immediately initiated a comprehensive criminal investigation. A review of evidence and witness interviews led detectives to the identity of the suspect. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop on the evening of February 8.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Detective Maldonado at 703-228-4194 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.
Love is in the air and in National Landing.
This week and next, several events in Pentagon City and Crystal City will celebrate the day of love with specials and experiences for attendees spending the day solo or with a loved one.
Kick off Valentine’s Day this evening by saying goodbye to old loves — whether it is an ex-partner, a job or that bag of clothes you’ve been meaning to donate — at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington Innovation Studio + Store, which opened last month in Amazon’s second headquarters in Pentagon City.
The pre-Valentine’s Day event today from 5-7 p.m. at 525 14th Street S. features drop-in activities include writing goodbye letters on burning paper and making sage bundles to burn, plus snacks and tea.
Then, on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), wine and dine a loved one, or yourself, at local restaurants in the area.
Say “I love you” with old-school Italian dishes such as salmon piccata, veal saltimbocca and clams casino, paired with wine, at La Bettola Italiano (558 23rd S.). The cozy, not overly formal restaurant is only offering its special Valentine’s Day menu with wine pairings on Feb. 14. Be sure to make reservations, which can be done on the website.
Next up on the food tour is Surreal, with its oasis-like outdoor dining experience suitable for both singles and couples.
The gourmet diner, which opened late last year in Crystal City (2117 Crystal Drive) is offering a three-course menu for single diners starting at 7 p.m. in the private dining room.
For couples, Surreal is open for both lunch (12-2 p.m.) and dinner (4-10 p.m.) with classic chocolate lava cake service and inventive options, such as a crispy tuna poke pillow. Reservations can be made on Surreal’s website.
Those seeking a more intimate atmosphere can head to Beauty Champagne & Sugar Boutique (576 23rd Street S.) where, on Valentine’s Day, just two couples will get to have the wine room to themselves. For $250 per pair, the wine bar will serve cocktails, wine, champagne, small bites, a main course and dessert. Couples can nab either the 5:30-7:30 p.m. slot or the 8-10 p.m. slot.
Outside these slots, the wine bar will be open regular hours for a more low-key Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day, with sparkling wine, light bites and treats. RSVP by Saturday, Feb. 10.
National Landing has a few kid-friendly Valentine’s Day activities, too.
On Monday, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. families can bowl and play arcade games at Bowlero while raising money for the Leadership Center for Excellence. The organization helps local leaders “expand their network and access quality leadership development,” the website says.
Tickets, sold on the center’s website, include two hours of bowling, shoe rental, a $5 arcade card plus food and drinks.
On Wednesday — Valentine’s Day — children and adults can get crafty at a card-making pop-up co-hosted by MoCA Arlington and Amazon in Met Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In the mood for a tragedy? Head to Synetic Theater (1800 S. Bell Street) for its rendition of “Romeo and Juliet,” a tale of star-crossed lovers, a bitter family feud and a romantic yet ill-fated destiny. Its wordless production from Feb. 9 to March 14 is a “unique and stunningly visual interpretation of a classic story, capturing emotion with every movement,” the website says.
Developer JBG Smith filed a new conceptual site plan late last month proposing to redevelop a Crystal City office building.
The building, located at 1800 S. Bell Street, was leased by Amazon until its lease expired in 2023.
Ahead of Amazon’s planned departure, JBG Smith signaled its plans to “take off-line and entitle [the property] for alternate uses,” per a quarterly investor package from last summer. Amazon has another lease at 2100 Crystal Drive set to expire this year.
Now, the developer is in the early stages of advancing plans for what to do with 1800 S. Bell Street, which is directly north of the Crystal City Marriott hotel and across the street from the Crystal City Metro station.
The tower could get the redevelopment treatment as early as 2026, per JBG Smith’s report.
Application materials depict a 15-story office building divided into three sections, slightly off-centered from each other, with an “architectural feature corner” recommended in the Crystal City Sector Plan.
The sector plan identifies the west border for street improvements and the northeast corner for intersection improvements. It recommends a maximum height of 300 feet.
A floor plan map shows the ground floor will have a bike room, lockers, an “amenity/service” space and two retail spaces along S. Bell Street.
The plans also show “interim conditions” near Route 1. The Virginia Dept. of Transportation proposes to lower elevated portions of the road through Crystal City to grade, turning it into a lower-speed “urban boulevard.”
The transportation agency is also mulling at least one pedestrian bridge or tunnel at 18th Street S., near the Metro station, to improve safety. VDOT’s study of Route 1 is still in its second phase, which is set to wrap up by this summer.
JBG Smith filed the conceptual site plan to get county feedback on right-of-way design, “including interim and permanent conditions relative to Route 1 street improvements,” and project timing, “relative to ongoing right-of-way improvements and coordination with VDOT,” as well as site layout, according to its application.
The county offers the conceptual site plan option to “provide guidance to prospective applicants in the preparation of land use development applications through the preliminary identification of major policy, Zoning Ordinance, County Code, and/or process related issues.”
A bar and restaurant with French bistro inspiration and an “eclectic ambiance” is set to join several new businesses in Crystal City next year.
Bar Colline, created by D.C. brothers and hospitality entrepreneurs Eric and Ian Hilton, will join six street-level offerings at two new apartment buildings at 1900 Crystal Drive, announced developer JBG Smith in a press release.
The new restaurant is anticipated to open in early 2025 and will be an interpretation of French bistro Café Colline, which the brothers opened in the Lee Heights Shops along Langston Blvd in June 2020.
The Hilton brothers, operating as H2 Collective, have received national attention for their burgeoning D.C. restaurant empire, including Cafe Colline, Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown, Brighton at the Wharf and El Rey taqueria in Ballston and on U Street NW in D.C.
They are also behind Players Club, Parc de Ville in the Mosaic District, Solace Outpost in Falls Church and delivery-only burger purveyor Gee Burger.
The newest venture will boast a bar and private dining room with an “eclectic ambiance,” a press release from JBG Smith said. Bar Colline’s menu will feature shareable plates, wine and inventive cocktails.
The venue will join multiple businesses coming to the new apartment buildings, dubbed The Grace and Reva. They are Chinese-French fusion restaurant Bar Chinois, Cuban café and bar Colada Shop, national blowout and hair styling brand Drybar, a nail salon called nailsaloon, and popular chains Tatte Bakery & Cafe and New York-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
JBG Smith is also behind an explosion of food options in Crystal City after opening a 1.6-acre dining destination in the Crystal City Water Park last October in an effort to “[cultivate] engaging places that create lively communities and exciting experiences,” JBG Smith Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing Amy Rice said in the release.
“We’re thrilled to welcome H2 Collective’s newest concept, Bar Colline, to the neighborhood and expect it to offer customers a unique and compelling reason to return again and again,” Rice said.
Update at 7:50 p.m. — The bomb squad has given the “all clear,” per scanner traffic, and units have started leaving the scene.
FINAL: The investigation determined there was no credible threat and the all clear was given. Road closures and the building evacuation have been lifted.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) February 4, 2024
Earlier: Arlington County’s bomb squad is investigating a “suspicious vehicle” at a Crystal City office building.
The Saturday evening incident has prompted a massive police and fire department response to the building at 2231 Crystal Drive. It started as some sort of a police investigation around 4 p.m. and escalated to include all available ACPD units and the ACFD bomb squad around 6 p.m.
The bomb squad response was expanded around 6:45 p.m.
In a social media post, Arlington County police said they’re investigating “a suspicious vehicle in a parking garage” and the building has been evacuated. Crystal Drive and a portion of 23rd Street S. are closed in the area.
No additional details about the incident were immediately available.
CONTINUED: The following road closures are in place during the ongoing investigation:
Crystal Drive between 20th St. S. and 23rd St. S.
Additionally, eastbound traffic on 23rd St. S is closed in the area.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) February 4, 2024
— TheNateAbraham (@N8abraham) February 3, 2024
Crystal Dr. shut down between 20th and 26th Sts. S. And another photo pic.twitter.com/WSpS6CXBjO
— Jonathon Hauenschild (@TheDiscipulus) February 4, 2024
The cost to park in many of Arlington’s busiest neighborhoods could change March 1.
The most popular places to park along the Rosslyn-Ballston and Route 1 corridors could ultimately cost up to $5 per hour, according to a county report. Less popular spots, meanwhile, could become less expensive than the current rate.
These changes are part of a state-funded “performance parking” pilot project that seeks to make it easier to find a parking spot in Arlington by incentivizing drivers to park in underused areas.
Arlington County kicked off the project earlier this year, installing sensors to collect data on parking behavior and determine what streets and neighborhoods should see higher and lower prices.
“These goals relate to improving the experience with parking at the curb, as well as reducing the negative impacts associated with inefficient or unsuccessful search for parking,” the report says.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board voted to hold a public hearing about a proposed ordinance on Feb. 24. If it is approved next month, the pilot program would last until March 2026.
Parking rates could change up to once every three months but large, sudden changes are unlikely, according to the report.
Although costs could vary based on the time of day and length of stay, the project would not involve surge pricing or an across-the-board rate hike. Instead, each rate change would probably bring a roughly $1 increase to parking rates at some spots and a $0.25 decrease to other spots.
Arlington’s parking rates are currently capped at $1.75 per hour at short-term meters and $1.50 per hour at long-term meters.
While county staff would set the rates, they could never charge more than $5 per hour without the County Board’s approval, per the proposed ordinance.
The pilot program would follow in the footsteps of similar initiatives in major cities including D.C., Boston and San Francisco.
“These pilots have generally shown measurable changes in drivers’ parking behavior, reductions in negative impacts, and more efficient use of available space,” the report notes.
County staff would track this project’s effectiveness using some 4,500 sensors installed in parking spaces in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Route 1 corridors. The county has already begun investigating where and when parking is most readily available in these areas — along with how often drivers pay for parking.
A recent analysis found that on average, only a third of vehicles parked at meters in these areas had actually paid to be there, which will inform how the county uses its limited cadre of parking meter enforcers.
Although similar programs have tended to increase revenue, the report says this project is primarily designed to improve parking conditions for drivers — not to extract more money from them.
“Intentionally, there is no project goal regarding revenue impact,” the report says. “This is because the project goals are about curb space performance from the community and customer perspective.”
The Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City will be bringing to life the movie-musical “The Greatest Showman” this Saturday.
The event at 1660 Crystal Drive includes an interactive circus, from 5:30-7 p.m., between two screenings of the film at 3:30 and 7 p.m., which will both have a sing-along portion.
During the circus, people will have the opportunity to try out juggling, balancing, spinning plates and other circus skills. A stilt walker will also be walking around. The interactive circus is free but guests will need to purchase tickets to the screenings, which can be done in advance on the Alamo Drafthouse website.
The event is led by Omnium Circus, which a Drafthouse marketing manager said is the “real-life” version of “The Greatest Showman.”
“Their goal is to promote inclusivity and accessibility for all individuals,” Megan Hia told ARLnow. “We are extremely fortunate to be able to work with them for this event.”
This is the first time the cinema and circus have partnered but this isn’t the first time the Drafthouse has hosted an interactive event. Last year, Alamo Drafthouse hosted a “Princess Meet and Greet” for Ariel fans with a showing of “The Little Mermaid” and a “Barbie”-themed adult slumber party.
“We’re always looking for new ways to host fun events like this in order to connect with our guests and enhance the movie-going experience for them,” said Hia.
Alamo Drafthouse has a variety of other events that are scheduled for the coming month, including:
- “Clueless” movie party this upcoming Sunday, Jan. 28
- “An Evening of Stand Up Comedy” on Wednesday Feb. 7 and Sunday, March 3
- “Phantom of the Opera” movie party on Friday, Feb. 2
- “The Goonies” movie party on Saturday, Feb. 24
- “Twilight” movie party on Sunday, Feb. 25
A round of recovery funds may soon be coming to long-time small businesses in National Landing.
Potentially up for grabs is $75,000 in funding from the National Landing Business Improvement District. The proposed initiative, which the Arlington County Board is set to consider on Saturday, would build on the ReLaunch program, which provides grants to small local establishments.
“While the current ReLaunch program is funded and is offered to all eligible businesses in the County,” a county report says, “the BID intends to prioritize National Landing businesses to increase the marketing to and availability of the program resources for this important segment of the small business community, which may need technical assistance to retool their businesses to remain competitive in a changing market.”
The funds are meant to assist “legacy” businesses “impacted by changing market conditions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report continued.
Eligible businesses must be at least 10 years old, have fewer than 10 employees and have a primary location within the boundaries of the National Landing BID, which span Crystal City and parts of Pentagon City and Potomac Yard, the county says. They must also “in good business standing,” operating with up-to-date business licenses and current on, or on a payment plan for, all county taxes.
The BID, in partnership with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, has previously handed recovery funds to numerous Crystal City and Pentagon City establishments. Two rounds of the “Love Local” relief program each divvied out $100,000 in 2021 and 2022.
The latest batch of funding would go through the Arlington Economic Development BizLaunch Division, which would then distribute the $75,000 this year.
The county report noted the importance of supporting National Landing during a time of intense development and investment, including, most recently, the announcement that the Washington Capitals and Wizards would move to Alexandria — predicted to be a boon for the hospitality industry in the National Landing area.
“The area is experiencing transformative growth, with over $12 billion in public and private investment underway, including Amazon’s second headquarters, a surge of new residential construction and retail offerings, and major park and multimodal transportation investments that are enhancing a thriving residential, hotel, and business community,” the report says. “The BID is strengthening the experience and identity of National Landing.”
A new restaurant is set to fill a decade-long vacancy in Crystal City.
Lantern Restaurant & Bar, owned by Shen Zhao and Bing Liu, is moving into a storefront at the base of an apartment building at 320 23rd Street S., last occupied by Matsutake Hibachi Steak and Sushi until its closure in 2014.
The property, next to a Virginia ABC store and across from a Hilton hotel, appears to have sat vacant since.
Window dressings on the property say Lantern Restaurant & Bar is “coming soon.” Neither the owners nor the leasing agents for the space responded to requests for comment before deadline.
The new bar-restaurant is moving into the base of an apartment building plagued by stubborn business vacancies. Around the corner, storefronts have been vacant since the departure of Bar Louie and Legal Sea Foods.
The main attraction on this block, which also formerly was home to a Chili’s, is now the bowling alley Bowlero — which, for a while, drew a rowdy crowd that rankled apartment residents living atop it.
Crystal City has seen several restaurant closures in the wake of Covid. Most recently, The Freshman closed earlier this month and San Antonio Bar & Grill shuttered its location in the underground Crystal City Shops in December.
Not far away, however, the neighborhood received an infusion of new dining options last October when developer JBG Smith opened a 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park in the Crystal City Water Park. There, visitors can get everything from duck-fat fried chicken sandwiches to Indian-style crêpes filled with lentils and chutney to gelato.
