JBG Smith Starts Work On New National Landing Restaurants, Retail

ARLINGTON, VA — JBG Smith, the Bethesda-based property developer, kicked off construction Monday on Water Park and Dining in the Park, two new dining, retail and entertainment areas in the National Landing area of Arlington.

The developer plans to convert Water Park at 1601 Crystal Drive into a 1.6-acre dining area with a focus on local businesses. Plans also call for JBG Smith to make significant landscape improvements to the area.

The park will get nearly 5,000 square feet of new food and beverage shops, including nine 300-square-foot restaurant kiosks along the perimeter of the park, a 1,400-square-foot restaurant and a Water Bar and terrace on a fountain water wall. The kiosks will be surrounded by seating areas for the public.

“We are particularly excited about the Water Park kiosks, which will serve as incubator spaces where up-and-coming chefs and restauranteurs can experiment and grow,” JBG Smith Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing Amy Rice said in a statement Monday.

The renovated Water Park also will include a live performance stage, an interactive water feature, public art installations and a trailhead building adjacent to the Mt. Vernon Trail equipped with public restrooms and bike facilities.

JBG Smith said it is working with Virginia Railway Express on a handicap accessible connection to the future entrance of the relocated VRE station.

Dining in the Park will remodel the courtyard in front of 2121 Crystal Drive. The area will include eateries and an acre of green space.

JBG Smith is working with Chef Enrique Limardo and the Seven Restaurant Group team on Surreal, a 5,587-square-foot restaurant with year-round outdoor seating. Plans call for the complete renovation of the surrounding green space for a variety of flexible uses.

Water Park and Dining in the Park are both expected to be completed in 2023.

In 2021, JBG Smith received approval from Virginia ABC to establish an alcohol consumption zone in this area of Arlington, allowing customers of Water Park’s alcohol retailers and Dining in the Park’s Surreal to drink alcohol within their boundaries.

When combined with JBG Smith’s and Amazon’s other planned retail projects in the next few years, the number of street-level retailers is expected triple in the area, the developer said.

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