Amazon HQ2's First Building Opens In Arlington: What To Know

ARLINGTON, VA — While work on the second phase of Amazon's HQ2 in Arlington is on hold, the first employees went to work Monday at Metropolitan Park, the first phase of the campus. Amazon said it is the first phase of workers who will move in over the next several months, with more than 8,000 employees working out of Met Park by the fall.

In 2018, Amazon announced that Arlington would be home to its second headquarters. The $2.5 billion project is slated to bring more than 25,000 jobs by 2030 and support thousands of indirect jobs across the entire region, according to Amazon's website.

The first phase of the HQ2 campus will be completed as scheduled, according to Bloomberg News. The company plans to move more than 8,000 workers to two completed office towers in Metropolitan Park by June.

In addition to providing 2.1 million square feet of world-class office space for employees, Met Park will feature an open 18-hour district that enhances National Landing with a public park space, locally owned small businesses, improved neighborhood connectivity, and more, Amazon said.

Community input shaped the design of the project, including the 2.5 acre public park, complete with walking paths, protected bike lanes, a dog park, children’s playground, community garden and more than 160 different types of plantings and trees native to Virginia throughout the park, along with 14 new, local, small businesses occupying more than 50,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

"This project is extraordinary in many respects," said Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey in a statement. "It will bring us significantly closer to fulfilling the community's vision of Arlington and National Landing as an urban neighborhood with a better balance of office, residential, and retail development, more and better public spaces, and more and better access for pedestrians and cyclists."

“I’m thrilled to see Amazon's Met Park opening and Amazon’s unwavering commitment to our
community. From the beginning, Amazon has translated their promises into tangible actions. By
including local retailers and prioritizing opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses, Amazon is not only stimulating the local economy, but also fostering diversity and inclusivity within the retail industry,” said Kate Bates, president & CEO, Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

Metropolitan Park’s two towers are named: Jasper and Merlin. Jasper, or WAS19, was the codename for the multi-phased customer experience modernization of the Alexa application. Merlin, or WAS17, was the codename for Amazon QuickSight, a cloud-powered business intelligence service product.

Construction at Met Park began in early 2020 and totals more than 2.1 million square feet of office space, the largest corporate office being delivered in the United States this year. The ground floor retail space is home to 14 local, minority or women-owned small businesses.

The two, 22-story buildings stand 327 feet tall and are bird friendly with non-reflective glazing
throughout the building and bird-safe glass on lower levels facing the park.

Amazon said March 3 it is pausing construction on its second headquarters in Arlington as the company reassesses its office needs amid ongoing job cuts, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Amazon's real estate chief John Schoettler confirmed the pause in a statement to Bloomberg News.

The delay will affect PenPlace, a more extensive phase across the street that includes three 22-story office towers and the 350-foot-tall Helix, Bloomberg reported. Arlington officials approved the project in April.

In December 2019, the Arlington County Board approved Amazon's plan to transform 6.2 acres of Pentagon City's Metropolitan Park from abandoned 1950s-era warehouses and surface parking into the first phase of Amazon's new headquarters.

The approximately 2.1-million-square-foot project is currently under construction at 1232-1450 S. Eads St. and 501 and 525 15th St. S.

Phase one of the project included new and improved public open spaces, a $20 million affordable housing contribution, two new public streets, sidewalk and streetscape improvements, and street-level retail space.

In April 2022, county officials approved the project's second phase after Amazon announced plans in February 2021 for a 350-foot helix tower to anchor the space.

Amazon said the project's second phase, called PenPlace, would also include an amenity building with a community gathering space and daycare center, three retail pavilions, three acres of open space with a dog run, and a 250-seat amphitheater for public use.

PenPlace is surrounded by Army Navy Drive, South Fern Street, 12th Street South and South Eads Street.

Since announcing Arlington as the site of its HQ2 in 2018, Amazon said it had committed more than $35 million in total investments to local nonprofits, community groups, public schools and businesses. This includes monetary and in-kind donations, like school supplies to public schools across Northern Virginia and food donations to local food banks and pantries for needy families.

Last year, Amazon announced layoffs totaling 18,000 jobs, or 1 percent of its 1.5 million global workforce. Amazon told WUSA9 the planned layoffs would not affect progress on constructing the first phase of HQ2 in Arlington.

Schoettler told Bloomberg News that the company had targeted the first months of 2023 for phase two's formal groundbreaking and hoped to complete the project in 2025.

Schoettler didn't specify a new start date, Bloomberg reported.

In a statement issued March 3, Rep. Don Beyer said he spoke with Amazon staff who "assured me the company remains committed to HQ2 in Northern Virginia and providing the community benefits previously agreed upon."

"While this construction pause and hiring freeze are obviously concerning, Amazon says the impact on planned infrastructure investments announced as part of the HQ2 project will be less than some feared," Beyer said.

According to Beyer, Amazon also plans to cover costs created by delays in school construction. The housing equity fund will also be unaffected, Beyer said.

Beyer also said Amazon will not receive any financial incentives until the company fulfills its investment goals.