On January 23, 2021, Venable client Snell Properties received unanimous approval from the Arlington County Board for a mixed-use redevelopment that will add 740 new housing units, including on-site affordable housing, to the Rosslyn neighborhood of Northern Virginia.
Snell Properties plans to build two residential towers with ground-floor retail and office/retail flex space at 1820 and 1830 Fort Meyer Drive in Rosslyn. The developer has committed to meeting various sustainable design benchmarks, including LEED Silver and Energy Star certifications. Between the two residential towers will sit an open space that features a woodland garden with biophilic elements. This plaza will extend the 18th Street corridor east from N. Quinn Street as a new central spine that better links open spaces and destinations in Rosslyn.
In addition to creating on-site units that will be affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income for 30 years, Snell Properties has agreed to an additional contribution of $2.4 million to the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund, as well as a $5 million contribution for off-site transportation improvements.
The Ames Center redevelopment is a key component of the Rosslyn Sector Plan, a 25-year public planning document adopted by the Board in 2015 that is the guiding long-range plan for public and private development in Rosslyn. Its goal is to transform Rosslyn through a combination of public and private investment into a more walkable, dynamic urban center.
The Venable team included Ked Whitmore and Matthew Allman.