In a Northern Virginia suburb that prides itself on extensive planning, residents have pored over blueprints to consider how this key set of buildings should look, feel and operate as the largest part of Amazon’s second headquarters.
in the area. Many want to see more facilities, like a community center or library, set aside for local residents.
It was “transit-oriented development” before that phrase ever entered the urban planning lexicon: When Metro opened a station in Pentagon City, officials put together the region’s first blueprint setting guidelines for what property owners could build and where. That shaped the development of office buildings for two major government agencies, hotels and a mall.
And the county needed a major tenant to fill — or attract others to fill — the thousands of square feet of Metro-convenient office space that sat empty for years. As PenPlace came under review, a rash of other activity — including several major transportation projects sped up by the deal — prompted the county to redraft its blueprint for the entire neighborhood.Darren Buck, a former Arlington transportation commissioner, said the county’s planning process for the Pentagon City area should have preceded any Amazon blueprints.
Ben D’Avanzo, who represents the Aurora Highlands Civic Association on a PenPlace review panel, said the ultimate outcome makes sense. Loading docks, parking and other bulky, unsightly uses can be hidden underground, with more public-facing benefits — such as the “Green Ribbon,” a trail of open, biophilic spaces — situated between office buildings on the ground level.there’s been no planning process for some of the green space.
This is in some ways modeled after Amazon’s approach in Seattle, where the company houses a shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness at one of its corporate buildings. Residents said that while permanent space for the high school is welcome, it wouldn’t serve the immediate neighborhood.
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