Maria Hegstad, The Examiner
2007-05-24 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

Arlington -

Studies of market demand in Crystal City, and a preliminary examination of traffic flow through the area, show there is enough demand for office and residential units, and likely sufficient road capacity, to support plans to increase the density as the area redevelops, staff and consultants said.

“The consistency between density and the market over time is a very important test,” said Terry Holzheimer, director of Arlington Economic Development. “Does it make sense from a market standpoint? Yes.”

Crystal City has 20.1 million square feet of leased office and residential space, according to a presentation Holzheimer gave Tuesday to the Crystal City Task Force. Demand for office space is expected to drop to 18.5 million square feet through 2015, but the study predicts long-term growth to some 33.9 million square feet between 2041 and 2050.

The decrease is tied to the decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to move military offices out of some 3.2 million square feet of space leased in Crystal City by 2011. Since the announcement, a task force has been working on plans for the area.

The demand for residential units “is and will remain strong and grow,” Holzheimer said.

The market analysis is independent of a redevelopment plan presented last week by urban planning consultants Torti Gallas Partners, Holzheimer said. That plan suggested renovating and replacing some existing buildings, and constructing more, increasing the density in Crystal City by 71 percent by 2060.

Traffic studies are under way to determine whether the area can handle the increase in traffic. Preliminary results show the area can handle the traffic generated by the Torti Gallas development plan, said consultants from Kimberly-Horn and Associates. Modeling for the predicted numbers of trips within and through Crystal City during the different decades-long development stages have not been completed.

mhegstad@dcexaminer.com