365 Units for JBG’s Crystal City Office-to-Residential Conversion

• January 4, 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

Several months ago, UrbanTurf reported on JBG Smith's plans to round out the planned Crystal City Central District with an eye-catching office-to-residential conversion. Now, more details for that plan are coming to light. 

The 97,601 square-foot site that houses an office building at 1750 Crystal Drive (map) currently straddles both the C-O and C-O Crystal City zones. The applicant seeks to have the property rezoned as C-O Crystal City in order to pave the way for plans to retrofit the building into a mixed-use property with 365 apartments above 5,167 square feet of commercial space and 203 below-grade parking spaces.

Of the 365 residential units, 138 would be studios, 108 would be junior one-bedrooms, 80 would be one-bedrooms, and 39 would be two-bedrooms. The project wouldn't trigger affordable housing requirements. 

As designed by HKS Architects, the first two floors of the existing building would be pulled back to enhance the streetscape and the exterior facade would be replaced with a skin of precast panels and glass. Six terraced stories would be added atop the existing structure, creating a 21-story building. 

Amenities would include a second-floor courtyard, residential amenity space on the 20th and 21st floors, and a roof deck on the 21st floor that would include multiple seating areas and a pool surrounded by ornamental trees and planter walls.

The building would complement the four-building "North District" being created along Crystal Drive between 15th and 18th Streets, which will include a 50,000 square-foot Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a boutique grocer, restaurants and 120,000 square feet of retail. It will also sit adjacent to a new pedestrian plaza at 18th Street that will lead to a new Metro station entrance. There is potential to eventually cultivate a sculpture garden in this open space.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/365-units-for-jbgs-crystal-city-office-to-residential-conversion/13408