By Cody Mello-Klein | cmelloklein@alextimes.com
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced some developers to hit the pause button or reevaluate their timelines, but two major projects in the region are moving full steam ahead: Amazon’s second headquarters and Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus.
When Amazon announced in November 2018 that it would be establishing its HQ2 in Arlington, with Virginia Tech’s new campus to be built in Alexandria, the journey from ideation to reality seemed like a distant concept. But both projects have taken major steps forward this year, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Amazon HQ2
Work around the global tech giant’s second headquarters has not slowed down over the past year, Telly Tucker, director of Arlington Economic Development, said.
“The company has already filled more than 1,000 jobs at the Arlington location and is still committed to its original targets of at least 25,000 jobs,” Tucker wrote in an email. “Amazon is meeting or exceeding all of its commitments to the community in terms of jobs and square footage targets.”
Amazon began construction on HQ2 earlier this year after the Arlington County Board unanimously approved the first phase of the project in December 2019.
Phase one of HQ2 involves development at Pentagon City’s Metropolitan park site, which Amazon purchased from JBG Smith in January for about $155 million, according to board records.
The 2.1 million square foot mixed-use site will include two 22-story towers that will serve as the primary location for Amazon’s HQ2, with room for 12,500 of the 25,000 employees Amazon aims to hire. The site will include an underground parking garage, daycare center and retail locations.
On Sept. 12, the Arlington County Board unanimously approved the master plan and design guidelines for the company’s redesign of the site, including a $14 million renovation of Metropolitan Park as part of Amazon’s community benefits package. The renovation will feature walking paths, a central green for events and public gatherings, outdoor seating and tables, two 2,000 square foot dog parks, an “edible garden” and public art, according to Tucker.
Construction of the two 22-story office buildings and retail locations, as well as the park project, are expected to be completed by 2023.
While construction is occurring in Arlington, many of the 1,000 employees Amazon has hired for its new headquarters are working remotely due to the pandemic. However, the company is already prepared for the transition back to in-person work.
Amazon is currently leasing 900,000 square feet of office space in Crystal City for its new employees, Tucker wrote in an email.
The company is still hiring as well. Amazon recently held a virtual job fair in September and said that the event was successful, Stephanie Landrum, CEO and executive director of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, said.
“It’s confirming that the reason they chose Northern Virginia was to have access to talent, and these first two major initiatives … are really proving that the talent is here or it wants to be here,” Landrum said.
The second phase of the project will involve construction on the PenPlace site, which will provide space for the other half of HQ2’s employees.
On Sept. 23, Amazon announced it had purchased another parcel of land in Pentagon city, the 1.5 acre site of a Residence Inn. Amazon’s $148.5 million acquisition means it now owns the entirety of the 11.6 acre block, which includes Metropolitan Park and PenPlace.
As part of its ongoing community benefits commitment, Amazon has also bolstered its COVID-19 relief efforts in the community, according to Tucker.
“[Amazon] provided financial assistance to the Arlington Public School system to purchase hundreds of WiFi hot spots to help students access virtual learning coursework, delivering WiFi hot spots directly to Arlington students in need, and donating tablet devices to the Child and Family Networks Center,” Tucker said.
Amazon also donated $155,000 to Arlington and D.C. food banks and provided 10,000 meals to first responders, frontline health workers and vulnerable residents through the Meals in May program, Tucker wrote in an email.
Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
More relevant to Alexandria is the work that has been occurring around Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus, which is expected to open in Potomac Yard in 2024.
The $1 billion project has made some headway in recent months, with building designs set to go before the Planning Commission and City Council on Oct. 6 and Oct. 17 respectively.
“We’ve clearly crossed the line with Virginia Tech from concept to reality,” Landrum said.
The program’s first 79 computer science and computer engineering graduate students began their semester this fall entirely online as a result of the pandemic, Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Innovation Campus, said.
Once in-person education is feasible again, students and faculty will meet in Virginia Tech’s Falls Church facility ahead of the campus’ projected completion.
Construction has yet to begin, but those in Potomac Yard will soon feel Virginia Tech’s presence. City Council approved adding the university’s initials to the Potomac Yard Metro Station during its Sept. 22 legislative meeting. The name change will now go before the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for final approval.
While the current designs focus primarily on the infrastructure and exterior of the campus buildings, Virginia Tech and AEDP have been working on developing the programming and partnerships that will occur within those buildings.
The pandemic has posed few challenges to the construction of the campus, but it has presented some issues for the curriculum, which is still being developed.
“Eventually, we want to have a focus on projects that involve students working in groups and so forth, and, of course, that is very much different if you’re having to do everything online,” Collins said. “… But even if projects are done in collaborative ways, we can still work through an online forum.”
That team-focused approach is vital to establish the vision Virginia Tech leaders have for the campus.
“The intent of an innovation campus is that it is outward looking, that it’s really engaging with entities outside of traditional academic circles to make things happen,” Collins said. “So, companies will be part of the campus. They’re invited in, they’ll be offering projects that students and faculty will work on.”
The design plans include a “partnership building,” Landrum said. AEDP is already working to establish partnerships with businesses in the area that will work with Virginia Tech to create a “pipeline” that will feed tech graduates into the local workforce.
To aid in that endeavor, Virginia Tech formed an advisory board composed of business and industry leaders, all of whom have a presence and vested interest in the region, according to Collins.
The advisory board includes executives from Qualcomm, Boeing, KPMG and The Carlyle Group, among others, and Hunch Analytics CEO Sanju Bansal will serve as the board chair.
“Those are the sorts of companies who we hope will have a long-term relationship with the university,” Landrum said. “They’re the companies who are hiring people in our region and are going to be creating the jobs over the next decade.”
Despite all the work still to be done, Collins remains optimistic that the project will stay on track.
“I would say so far so good, and we feel pretty confident in having addressed the issues that have arisen,” Collins said. “I would say we’re cautiously optimistic, but it’s a complex project and we have to keep moving everything forward.”
