Northern Virginia Development News

[evangelistik]

The entire Dulles area in itself should have multiple threads dedicated to it. This place is still growing at an extreme pace.

[pepperjack]

The Victory Center on Eisenhower Ave has been stripped down to the structure. It's sat empty for a while now. I wonder if they will start remodeling soon?

[NovaWolverine]

There are a lot of haters, I say who cares. I would love for people to show the projects, I'm away from the area I wish I could go out and snap pics every once in a while.

[shurik]

an apartment building under construction by Clarendon Metro on Fillmore Street. Picture taken in March 07, right now its almost finished.
image hosted on flickr

[NovaWolverine]

With Approval Of FAA, a Final Tower Is Set to Rise in Rosslyn

By Kirstin Downey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 28, 2007; B01

Another superstructure, a 370-foot, 30-story skyscraper crowned with a transparent pyramid, will soon be rising on the Rosslyn skyline.

It might become a landmark in Arlington County: the last building of its size to be approved in Rosslyn, where the Federal Aviation Administration has put a lid on the soaring skyline out of concern for airline safety.

The office building, named for its address at 1812 N. Moore St., will have more energy-efficient features than any other in Virginia. To win approval, the developer, Arlington-based Monday Properties, promised record contributions toward transit improvements and the county's affordable-housing fund.

It is the last of a trio of monumental buildings that Arlington has approved for construction in the past six months. The other two -- a 30-story residential tower and a 31-story office building together known as Central Place -- were approved by the county in May. The taller of the two will be 76 feet higher than the silver tower that once served as headquarters of USA Today.

Under pressure from the FAA, which determines whether construction projects interfere with air safety, the developer agreed to reduce the height of the newest structure by 30 feet. That places it closer to the height limits permitted by the FAA for the two other towers.

Three groups, whose names were not revealed in the FAA findings, objected to the building, saying it would pose a hazard for jets taking off from Reagan National Airport, or for aircraft instrument operations. In July 2006, the agency had ruled that the building, originally proposed at 414 feet, posed a "presumed hazard to air navigation" unless it was reduced to a height of 206 feet.

But the developer sought and obtained an additional review, and the FAA recently announced that its officials had worked with the developer to "mitigate the potential impacts." It said the height reduction meant that the proposed building posed "no substantial adverse effect."

The FAA issued its no-hazard ruling in November, hours before Arlington officials were scheduled to meet to discuss the building. On Dec. 15, the County Board voted 4 to 1 to approve rezoning of the site to allow the office building to proceed.

Construction is expected to begin in the summer and last 18 months.

Board member Chris Zimmerman voted against the zoning change, arguing that the developer was being permitted to build a larger structure than should have been allowed on the 1.38-acre site bounded by North Moore Street, North 19th Street and North Fort Myer Drive.

The FAA warned in its advisory that any further tall-building development in Arlington could interfere with radar coverage, posing a "cumulative and unacceptable impact on radar performance."

Flight-safety concerns will be a continuing issue as Arlington forges ahead with plans to redevelop nearby Crystal City with taller buildings as well. Arlington has been hoping to reduce the economic damage it will suffer when thousands of federal workers leave Crystal City as part of the federal base realignment, and it has planned to build taller buildings there to market the views to the private sector.

Zimmerman said the county has asked the FAA to do a comprehensive study of the area surrounding the airport to help Arlington set appropriate height limits.

"They have the regulatory power, and it's up to them," he said. "We'll do what they tell us."

At the board meeting, Planning Commissioner Jim Pebley testified that he believed the county should consider implementing building height limits to address FAA concerns rather than dealing with the agency repeatedly as different buildings are proposed.

Some critics have questioned whether the rules restricting the construction of buildings on airport flight paths are restrictive enough. Leo J. Schefer, president of the Washington Airports Task Force, a nonprofit group that promotes economic development of the region's airports, said building high-rises near the airport "defies common sense."

According to the Web site of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, it is difficult for opponents to block construction projects because such buildings are part of "an extremely lucrative business."

Timothy Helmig, chief development officer for Monday Properties, was out of the country and could not be reached for comment. Other officials at the firm declined to comment on the FAA approval process.

Arlington has long sought to redevelop the Rosslyn area, viewed as an unattractive conglomeration of 1960s office buildings. It has given developers density bonuses for building top-notch buildings in that section of the county, asking them to offer plentiful "community benefits" to make the projects more palatable to county residents and leaders.

Monday Properties offered the county about $25 million in such community benefits to win approval of the 30-story tower, including a record $4.8 million for the county's affordable-housing fund, about $8.5 million toward transit improvements, including a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station and new bus shelters, and rent-free use of the former Newseum space, worth an estimated $6.9 million over 10 years. The new building will also be one of the most energy-efficient structures in the country.

These were benefits of particular appeal to specific members of the board. Zimmerman, who has served on the Metro board, is a mass transit expert; Paul Ferguson, who is leaving as board chairman to become clerk of court, made environment initiatives his signature issue; and J. Walter Tejada, the incoming board chairman, is a prominent advocate of affordable housing.

There is an existing 11-story building at the site, with ground-floor retail stores, and a Dominion Virginia Power substation. The substation will remain, redecorated as public art, but the office building will be torn down.



Obviously, it's unfortunate about the height, but I like this design better than some of the ones I saw earlier. Of course those were a lot cruder, but I'm still pleased with the design.

[StevenW]

Very cool! Nice tower indeed!

[NovaWolverine]

For a place as tiny as Rosslyn, having six new conservative yet modern towers (waterview(2), turnberry, central place(2), 1812 N. Moore) can make quite the impact. Many of the skyline shots that we see of Rosslyn so much will be so outdated in the very near future.

[StevenW]

Should look even better then.

[Eerik]

...although as we saw back in November during hearings, the fact that Dominion Power gets multi-million dollar handouts to do nothing to improve its share of the site is disgraceful. Likewise, the county board gave its blessing to height (despite zoning and obstruction issues).

I tend to agree with the overall consensus that if law dictates height, and height over rules the law...then do away with the law in the first place. No sense in wasting precious time and money.

[DistrictDirt]

I hate the fact that in a place like Rosslyn, which is dead center in the middle of the the "DC Diamond" (DC + Arlington + Alexandria), the FAA gets to dictate building heights. I don't blame the FAA...of course they should be concerned about safety of incoming and outgoing flights.

I think the real problem is the location of National Airport. Its way too close to the heart of downtown DC and Arlington. No one in their right mind would put an airport along the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan. Newark, La Guardia, and JFK are all in outlying boroughs and states (Jersey), and at least 5 miles away from the city.

So why should DC and Arlington be any different? Why do we have an airport in the heart of our city thats going to put the breaks on highrise development for the forseable future?

The way I see it, Metrorail is going to Dulles by 2015, and there is already MARC service to BWI. Can't we scrap National and let Rosslyn and Crystal City grow taller? Added bonus would be several square miles of waterfront property ripe for development in the spot where National airport used to be.

I love the convenience of having the airport so close, but I love skyscrapers more.

Ok, rant completed.

[Eerik]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

The way I see it, Metrorail is going to Dulles by 2015, and there is already MARC service to BWI. Can't we scrap National and let Rosslyn and Crystal City grow taller? Added bonus would be several square miles of waterfront property ripe for development in the spot where National airport used to be.

After 9/11 there was talk of closing National Airport. Congress went ballistic...they favor the proximity of the airport. It's an easy way for them, and the thousands of staffers to come and go to their respective home-states.

National ain't going anywhere anytime soon...

[DCT]

Some of that development in Virginia actually owes its very existence to National Airport. Part of the problem is that after 911 the flight paths became even more restricted so that all air traffic is now funneled down that narrow corridor that is the Potomac. Even if they (Capitol Planning Commission) do lift the height limits in DC, the presence of the airport will likely restrict the heights of buildings in DC as well.

This is really an interesting situation. The FAA has regulatory authority over aviation only. They don't have any enforcement powers over developers around airports. That said, they can complain loudly and apply pressure indirectly. I assume they could also pursue legal action as well.

Other cities have these issues as well such as Boston, San Diego, and Phoenix. National, rather unfortunately, has its longest runway aligned with those highrises in Rosslyn. I like do highrises and what they add to the presence of a city, but I just moved to Rosslyn last month (from Adams Morgan). At night I can watch those planes fly right over our building and....well, uh...I do worry a little bit what could happen in really bad weather. Likewise, I've flown in and out of National many times. I love how the plane always has to do that sharp last-second right turn when landing from the north. I think it's right after you go over the 14th street bridge.

[DCT]

Actually, I just had a look at a map. The longest runway at National isn't aligned with Rosslyn. Only the flight path is. Oh well, still a narrow path for a pilot to follow.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by Eerik

After 9/11 there was talk of closing National Airport. Congress went ballistic...they favor the proximity of the airport. It's an easy way for them, and the thousands of staffers to come and go to their respective home-states.

National ain't going anywhere anytime soon...

Yeah, I don't imagine they'll get rid of National anytime soon either. Still, I can dream!

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by shurik

an apartment building under construction by Clarendon Metro on Fillmore Street. Picture taken in March 07, right now its almost finished.
image hosted on flickr

That would be the "ZOSO Condominium". I drove past it the other day and must say it looks pretty nice, as is all of Clarendon.

I love my neighborhood in DC, but if I were ever forced to live somewhere outside the District it would probably be Clarendon.

[TheGlobalizer]

As much as I am for strict limits on government intervention, I do enjoy DC's "short metropolis" feel.

[HAudidoody]

Originally Posted by Eerik

After 9/11 there was talk of closing National Airport. Congress went ballistic...they favor the proximity of the airport. It's an easy way for them, and the thousands of staffers to come and go to their respective home-states.

National ain't going anywhere anytime soon...

I seriously hope it doesn't go anywhere. It's not only convenient, but one of the most dramatic airports to both experience and observe air travel in the country.

I consider it one of the great privileges of living in the DC area and I always look forward to using it. I just wish Southwest were there. It doesn't get much better than one stop on Metro straight to the gates.

[Exrexnotex]

I was in Tysons Corner yesterday , it seems that it's going through a bit of a construction boom. Also, Every office building seems to be occupied 100% , it look like as if every light bulb was on , very nice !

[Archiconnoisseur]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

No one in their right mind would put an airport along the Hudson River adjacent to Manhattan. Newark, La Guardia, and JFK are all in outlying boroughs and states (Jersey), and at least 5 miles away from the city.

Commercial airliners came into being well after all of Manhattan had become urbanized. There's no way a modern commercial airport could've been built on Manhattan island anytime after the early 18th century. By 1830, Manhattan already had a population density greater than that of the District of Columbia today. By 1925, a full 27 years before the first commercial jet airliner was developed, New York had become the most populous city in the world.

National Airport was built when Arlington had a population density of roughly 2,200 people per square mile. Manhattan's population density at the time was a whopping 85,909 people per square mile.

Even today, I doubt that the DC metro as a whole has a population density high enough to necessitate the construction of significantly taller high rises. All of Arlington's urban villages have ample room for lateral growth and densification, and many of their current buildings are old enough to merit demolition and replacement with taller structures (e.g., River Place in Rosslyn).

[Archiconnoisseur]

Originally Posted by NovaWolverine

There are a lot of haters, I say who cares. I would love for people to show the projects, I'm away from the area I wish I could go out and snap pics every once in a while.

Alas, I've relocated to the District and don't have many opportunities to go into NoVa anymore. I can go for weeks without ever having a chance to walk the Mall...