Crystal House Apartments
In the future, the Crystal House Apartments site in Pentagon City’s Aurora Highlands neighborhood will feature new affordable housing as part of additional master-planned infill development. There are 828 apartment units already existing on the approximately 16-acre site, in the CH1 and 2 buildings. The site is located at 1900 South Eads Street on two blocks (referred to as the Crystal Houses block and the Restaurant Row block, respectively).
Related Site Plan: SP #451, approved 12/14/2019
Request for Proposals (RFP) Released
Request for Proposals
Arlington County, through the Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development (CPHD), invited select development teams from the RFQ round to submit responses to the Crystal House Infill Development Opportunity RFP. The RFP is the final stage of a two-part selection process, following a Request for Qualifications issued in November 2021. It is anticipated that the RFP process will conclude in summer 2022.
Note: This process is no longer open-submission; only developer respondent groups invited back from the RFQ round may submit RFP proposals.
Request for Qualifications (RFQ)
Arlington County solicited RFQ responses from experienced developers in late 2021. The County completed a competitive review and selection process that led to the selection of a small number of experienced respondent groups to continue to the RFP.
About the Project
Status: Pre-development (developer selection process pending)
Background
In December 2019, the County Board approved Site Plan #451, which entitled the five infill development parcels on the CH site (CH3, CH4, CH5, CH6, and CH7/8) for 820 net new units, in addition to the 828 existing units on the site that will remain. The Crystal Houses V site (CH5), totaling 81 units, was conveyed in fee to the County to meet the overall site’s affordable housing goal and is now owned by the County.
Washington Housing Conservancy (WHC) acquired the Crystal House Apartments site in December 2020. Amazon participated as a lender and investor to help finance the acquisition. WHC owns the acquired CH site, and JBG SMITH is serving as the property manager for the existing units located within the CH1 and 2 buildings. The existing 828 apartments across CH1 and 2 are a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom units. Current market rents are generally affordable between 60-80% of the area median income (AMI) for studios, 1-bedrooms, and 2-bedrooms, whereas 3-bedroom rents are above 80% AMI. Per a 99-year covenant applicable to the entirety of the site, excluding the CH5 site in County ownership, 75% of the existing market-rate affordable units will be committed as affordable between 50%-80% of the AMI.
Affordable Housing Infill Development Opportunity
An Amazon-affiliate, Acorn Development LLC, acquired the rights to develop the infill parcels on the Crystal House Apartments site when the WHC acquired the property in 2020. Acorn Development LLC assigned its rights and responsibilities under its Option via an Assignment and Assumption Agreement with Arlington County for purposes of developing new affordable housing. This Agreement stipulates that at least 75% of the 738 unbuilt units, or 554 units, be committed as affordable, with a portion affordable at or below 50% of the AMI. The Agreement also requires that all affordable units be delivered by January 1, 2028.
The new residential development program for the site, including the new affordable housing, will be guided primarily by Amazon’s requirements. These plans will be further informed by Arlington County’s Affordable Housing Master Plan, Virginia Housing’s QAP, and other industry best practices in design, mixed-income development, community engagement, and resident services.
Public Process
The public is being informed of the proposed affordable housing infill development. Should the selected developer(s) propose amendments to the 2019 site plan, the County will require appropriate public engagement at that time.
FAQs
How will a developer for the infill development be identified?
The County is initiating its multi-step RFQ/RFP process in search of a master developer, with a preference for a sub-developer(s) under this master developer. The selected master developer will ultimately enter into a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) with the County. That agreement will lay out between the master developer and the County the roles and responsibilities, financing sources, and milestones, among other required elements.
What is the envisioned affordability mix of the infill development?
The Agreement stipulates that at least 75% of the 738 unbuilt units, or 554 units, be committed as affordable. The Agreement further states that of the 554 units:
- A minimum of 148 residential units must be committed to households earning 50% or less of the area median income (AMI).
- A minimum of 406 residential units must be committed to households earning 80% or less of the AMI.
How can I apply for one of the new affordable units?
We anticipate the first new construction of affordable units on this site to be completed in approximately 2025-2026, as this is a complex, multi-phased project that takes considerable time and resources to come together. If you’re looking for affordable housing in the Crystal City area more immediately, you may wish to do the following:
- Consider contacting JBG Smith, the property manager for the existing Crystal House 1 & 2 buildings, as there are a limited number of units that will be phased in with affordable rents over the next several years; and/or
- Consider following our webpage that updates monthly on affordable unit availability. Under the second bullet point from the top, there’s an option to subscribe to an email update list.
Do you have questions for County staff?
Submit them here.
Documents and Related Links