Arlington board approves massive Rosslyn building

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The Arlington County Board has approved a developer’s plans to build an enormous office building next to the Rosslyn Metrorail station in a deal that will net the county a new station entrance and the free use of the old Newseum site.

Monday Properties Services’ proposed 600,000-square-foot, 470-foot-tall office building at 1812 N. Moore St. will tie with the JBG Cos.’ planned office building across the street for the title of Rosslyn’s tallest building.

In return for the zoning exceptions Arlington made for Monday Properties’ building, the developer agreed to allow the county to lease the Newseum space at 1101 Wilson Blvd. for free for 10 years. The deal was approved Saturday.

Monday Properties bought the 350,000-square-foot office building that contains the Newseum site in May. The museum space has been empty since 2002, when the foundation that runs the Newseum decided to move it to the District.

The county is now talking with some museums and cultural organizations about moving to the space, according to Arlington Economic Development spokeswoman Karen Vasquez.

Monday Properties’ plans for its North Moore site include putting 11,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor of the office building and constructing an additional Metro station entrance from the building’s lobby.

“Our building is almost like a public right of way, which allows people to cut through from Fort Myer to North Moore Street and also travel directly into the Metro station,” company Vice President Tim Helmig said.

As part of its deal with the county, Monday Properties will revamp the station with new flooring and lighting and will replace the station’s concrete west wall with windows to bring in natural light.

The company plans for the new building to be the first in Virginia to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum certification — the highest certification the council offers — which requires buildings to meet strict energy, environmental and recycling requirements.

The company hopes to break ground on the project this summer.

Arlington’s Saturday board meeting also was slated to include a vote on whether to add an estimated $75 to the average homeowner’s property tax bill to pay for repairs to the county’s aging underground stormwater system, but the board delayed the vote to allow for public hearings.

tluntz@dcexaminer.com