On January 21, 2023, Venable received approval from the Arlington County Board for two 30-story apartment towers in Crystal City on behalf of firm client JBG Smith. The proposal will redevelop a block at the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Crystal Drive that is currently home to a vacant office building from the 1960s and, until demolition started earlier this year, a strip of one-story retail.
The west tower will have 613 units and 8,000 square feet of retail. The east tower will have 826 units and 14,929 square feet of retail. A north-south vehicular access will run between the two towers and is intended to take parking and retail loading off the nearby streets. This project includes an approximately 8,025-square-foot interim public green space and a 5,574-square-foot walkway lined with planters and seating that will connect pedestrians to a relocated entrance to an underground mall and other retail at the base of the east tower. JBG Smith will rebuild 23rd Street S. from Crystal Drive to Richmond Highway, adding 1,600 new linear feet of protected bike lanes, and will add a mid-block crossing where the north-south connector intersects with 23rd Street S. and floating bus stops on either side of the street.
The Venable team includes Ked Whitmore, Matthew Allman, and Alexaida Collet Echevarría.