Scrapped Crystal City Office Building Plans
Vornado has decided to shelve plans for what would have been the tallest office building in Crystal City.
Vornado has scrapped plans for its approved 1900 Crystal Dr in Crystal City, but president Mitchell Schear told Bisnow today that the 24-story tower, approved by Arlington County in 2012 for roughly 730k SF of office and retail, hasn't been in the company's plans for a long time.
"That’s really, really old news. I wouldn’t even call it news," Mitchell told us this morning when asked about last week's reports of the plans being scrapped. "Before the world changed, we had a plan where we could build a pretty large scale new office building. "
But, he continued, "we're not ready to unveil or launch what we think the next group of plans are."
Vornado has allowed the approval to expire on 1900 Crystal Dr and has opted not to seek an extension. Plans have also been put on hold for an office and residential project at 223 23rd St S, which was slated to include a 25-story, 658k SF office building and a 28-story, 353-unit residential building.
Right now, Mitchell says, Crystal City's largest property owner is focused on bringing more tech jobs and entrepreneur to the neighborhood, with recent successes like WeWork/WeLive, 1776, Eastern Foundry and TechShop as catalysts. Creating more retail opportunities and street vibrancy is the short-term plan.
