From Macy's to American Legion to the YMCA: The Next 1,500 Units on the Boards for Ballston

• September 7th 2023

by UrbanTurf Staff

Below, UrbanTurf takes an updated look at what's in the works in the residential pipeline in Virginia Square and Ballston. If we missed a large project in that area, shoot us an email at editor(at)urbanturf.com. 

In case you missed them, here are the other neighborhoods we have covered so far this year:

• The 1,500 Units on the Boards For Columbia Pike
• The 6 Huge Developments on the Boards (Or Newly Delivered) in NoMa
• Flatirons, Motel Redevelopments and the 2,000 Units on the Boards at Union Market
• The Huge Plans on the Boards for Congress Heights
• The Nearly 2,000 Units in the Works (and on Hold) around Dave Thomas Circle
• Mall Conversions, Trader Joes? The 1,500 Units in the Friendship Heights Pipeline
• The 10 Developments in Southwest DC's Non-Wharf Pipeline
• The 10 New Developments in the Works for National Landing
• The Stacks, Brooklyn Bowling and a Vermeer: The 5 Developments on the Boards for Buzzard Point
• The 700 Units on the Boards Around The Wharf
• The 21 Residential Developments on the Boards For Downtown Bethesda
• The 1,100 Units That May (or May Not) Be Coming to Tenleytown and AU Park
• New Hotels, Mall Conversions And The 450 Units On The Boards For Georgetown
• Fitness Bridges, Food Halls and the 2,700 Units Coming to Navy Yard
• The 225 Units on the Boards in Adams Morgan
• The 560 Units in Development Along 14th Street
• The 6 Developments In the Works Along the DC Streetcar Line

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YMCA Redevelopment

Orr Partners is working to redevelop the YMCA campus at 3400 13th Street N (map), delivering a new 88,815 square foot recreational facility and a 374-unit residential building. The YMCA will have a two-story natatorium with a below-grade pool and racketball and tennis courts. Republic Properties is a development partner; Perkins Eastman is the architect. 

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Ballston Office Redevelopment

Aria Development Group acquired the commercial building at 4420 Fairfax Drive (map) earlier this year. Previous plans for this address consisted of a 367-unit project above 5,200 square feet of retail. The WDG Architecture-designed building would also have 156 parking spaces below-grade. The site has a WMATA easement and requires construction of another entrance for the Ballston Metro station at N. Fairfax Drive and N. Vermont Street — a source of much of the delays on the site. 

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Macy's Redevelopment 

Insight Property Group intends to replace the Macy's/office building at 685 N. Glebe Road (map) with a 16-story, two-phase development, delivering 555 apartments above a grocery store. The first phase would deliver 345 units above the 41,500 square-foot grocery store; the second phase would front Glebe Road, delivering 210 units and creating a shared outdoor terrace on the third floor. The project would include 241 residential and 148 retail parking spaces on two below-grade levels, along with 222 residential bicycle spaces. 

The project would also require a transfer of development rights and density from the affordable Tyrol Hill/Haven Apartments off Columbia Pike, also owned by the developer. SK+I Architecture is the designer.

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11th and Vermont

Jefferson Apartment Group and STARS REI are under construction on a 98-unit development at the former Portico Church Arlington at North Vermont and 11th Streets (map). The building will have a roof deck along with 120 below-grade parking space and 40 bicycle spaces. The development is looking to deliver in the coming months. 

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600 North Glebe Road

Work continues to redevelop the Harris Teeter and the former site of a Mercedes Benz dealership at 600 North Glebe Road (map). The entire project will be completed in three phases, starting with 310 apartments above a new Harris Teeter to replace the former American Service Center building. The second phase will raze the old Harris Teeter and construct another building with 195 apartments and a public park. The third phase will deliver 227 apartments with ground-floor retail and 687 below-grade parking spaces. The project will also include 294 long-term bicycle spaces; Southeastern Real Estate Group is the developer and DCS Design is the architect. 

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4600 and 4610 Fairfax Drive

At the end of 2021, Hoffman & Associates and partner Snell Properties filed an application with Arlington County to replace the office and hotel buildings at 4600 and 4610 Fairfax Drive (map) with a large two-building multi-family development. The hord|coplan|macht-designed project will consist of a seven-story, 432-unit building as well as three, five-story triplex style buildings with 12-15 units each, a parking garage and driveway. 

The new project will take the place of the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston hotel at 4610 Fairfax Drive, as well as the Arlington Center office building at 4600 Fairfax Drive. The developers hope to break ground in 2024. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/from_macys_to_american_legion_to_the_ymca_the_next_1500_units/21431.