County Board Approves New Option for Ballston Development
Published on July 16, 2016
Updated to correct the acreage of the site; it is approximately 5.35 acres
- Change allows development of mixed-uses in place of previously-approved office
- Approved change would allow single-building mix of retail, office and residential
The Arlington County Board today approved a site plan amendment at 4040 Wilson Blvd. that will allow the applicant, The Shooshan Co., to develop a mixed-use building in place of a previously-approved office building. The approved development, Liberty Center, is part of the 5.35-acre Founder's Square project that the County Board originally approved in 2008.
"We think this new option responds to the housing and amenity needs of the Ballston neighborhood," County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. "Founder's Square is an attractive addition to this area of our community and we look forward to its completion."
To date, four of the five Founder's Square buildings and the underground parking for the fifth building have been constructed. They include a 13-story secure office building (DARPA), 17-story multifamily residential building (The View), 11-story Residence Inn hotel building, and a single story retail building.
The final building will include two stories of retail, eight floors of office and 12 floors of apartments. New and improved open space benefits include $6.6 million in improvements to Mosaic Park, 538 N. Pollard St., an east-west pedestrian path and a mid-block plaza for public use.
About Mosaic Park
Mosaic Park will be constructed in phases. Phase 1 will encompass approximately two acres of parkland. Improvements will include urban plazas, an interactive water feature, a children's play area, a multi-purpose court, rain garden, flexible use lawn areas, walkways and sidewalks, site furnishings and landscaping.
The design also will include sustainable features and innovative storm water management techniques. The County will be bidding the project this week and construction is anticipated to start before the end of the year.
The Board voted 5-0 to approve the site plan amendment.
To read the staff report for this item, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item #54 on the Agenda for the Saturday, July 16 County Board Meeting.
For more information, visit the project page on the County website.
Community process
The project underwent a community-based review process that included two Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) meetings. The Transportation Commission and Planning Commission also reviewed the site plan application.
Project-at-a-Glance
Project:
- Site Plan #413
- 5.35-acre site located at 4040 Wilson Blvd.
- Site plan originally approved in 2008, amended in 2011 and 2016 with five mixed-use buildings (to date, four have been built)
- Final building to be 22-story mixed-use building
- Two stories of ground and second floor retail
- Eight floors of office
- 12 floors of residential
- Five levels of underground parking
- LEED Gold
Community Benefits
- $6.6 million contribution for improvements to Mosaic Park
- East-west pedestrian path and mid-block plaza for public use
- $75,000 public art contribution
- Utility Underground Fund Contribution
- Streetscape and utility improvements
- Reimbursement for transportation and parking studies
- Enhanced Transportation Demand Management, streetscape maintenance and new traffic signal
- Wireless infrastructure
- Affordable housing
- $900,000 cash contribution
* Some benefits have already been fulfilled or partially fulfilled through the development of other buildings on site.
Applicant
The Shooshan Company
Architect
RTKL
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