Business
Virginia's Arlington County clears way for Amazon HQ2
The five member county board unanimously voted for the measure, referred to as “Site Plan #105,” capping off a year of negotiations between the company, developers, lawmakers and residents in the Northern Virginia suburb
April 26, 2022 8:51am
Updated: April 26, 2022 8:51am
Members of the Arlington County Council approved Amazon’s plans to build its second headquarters in its county during a board meeting on Saturday.
The five member county board unanimously voted for the measure, referred to as “Site Plan #105,” capping off a year of negotiations between the company, developers, lawmakers and residents in the Northern Virginia suburb.
The expansion plan regards PenPlace, a 10.4 acre site in Pentagon City, and includes three office buildings, a retail space, a child car facility.
Notable features include the “Helix,” a futuristic glass building that will be the focal point of HQ2, and the “Green Ribbon,” a tree-lined pathway that cuts across the complex.
Some residents voiced concerns that the corporate complex would feel closed-off and demanded additional community resources, like support for affordable housing or public spaces, such as a library.
County board Chair Katie Cristol (D) argued Saturday that all residents would reap the economic benefits of Amazon’s new development, including small businesses that will benefit from increased traffic and the construction workers required for its construction.
“We are one community and we will benefit from this all together,” Cristol said.
“The opportunity to not only provide something exciting for the nearby neighborhoods, but to lift up the entirety of Arlington County, makes this project a joy to support.”
The PenPlace block is one of the largest undeveloped parcels in the D.C. metropolitan area.
“We have already invested in systems and infrastructure [in the Pentagon City neighborhood] to ensure that level of activity was accounted for,” said Christian Dorsey (D), vice chair of the Arlington County Board, about the space’s suitability for the incoming development.
“This project is backfilling that hole, which is tremendously important from an existential standpoint.”
Amazon has also promised $50 million total to an Arlington fund used to preserve and build affordable housing are part of the negotiations. Critics say it may not be enough to offset the increase in nearby housing prices that will edge out lower paid workers at HQ2, like security guards and maintenance staff.
Amazon announced it would split its second headquarters between Arlington and New York City in Nov. 2018. Developer JBG Smith is set to close its sale of PenPlace to the e-commerce giant later this year.
