3 Crystal City Projects Combined Under New Proposal

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Board will vote at its next meeting whether or not to advertise a series of public hearings in March to consider a proposal to combine three separate projects in Crystal City into a single Phased Development Site Plan (PDSP). Combining the noncontiguous projects together would create the potential for greater density and a bigger community benefits package, according to the county's website.

JBG Smith originally submitted five Final Site Plan applications to the board in 2019 for properties in the Crystal City Coordinated Redevelopment District (CCCRD). The county deemed two of the applications as unacceptable as they called for greater height than was allowed for in the CCCRD.

Of the remaining three projects, only one, located at 1900 Crystal Drive, has finished its public review by the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC). The other two properties, 1010 12th Street S. and 223 23rd St. S./2300 Crystal Drive, are expected to complete their SPRC public review by the end of the year. In January, JBG Smith submitted a new proposal to combine the three projects into one PDSP.

In order for the additional density from the three properties to be considered concurrently by the Arlington County Board and Planning Commission at their meetings in March, the Arlington County Board must approve advertisement of those public hearings at its Saturday, Feb. 22 meeting.

In its recommendation to the board, county staff describes the PDSP as "an innovative effort to link the delivery of community benefits associated with multiple site plan projects into a common PDSP that establishes a framework for how they will together facilitate the delivery of public improvements and other enhancements to the area, as identified by the Crystal City Sector Plan."

If the hearings are approved, the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the PDSP next month. In addition, the SPRC will be discussing the community benefits associated with the additional density from these projects at its Thursday, Feb. 27, meeting.