A once-popular department store in Arlington has been approved for a renovation that will transform it into a 16-story apartment building.
Arlington’s Ballston Macy’s, bordered by the Ballston Quarter Development to the east and Wilson Boulevard to the north, will now include 553 total residential units, two levels of underground parking for residential use, and one other level for retail use, as well as a ground floor grocery store.
According to a November 7 staff report by the site’s plan review committee, the Arlington County Board approved this major redevelopment of the Ballston Macy’s Site (also named Site Plan #193) back in November 2015. This site plan included the renovations to the office space above the Macy’s department store, the construction of the Origin apartment building, and renovations to the shopping mall.
The demolition of Macy’s and the building of apartments is proposed to retain affordable homes for lower-income residents in the Arlington area. A total of 12 units inside the new building will be committed to affordable housing, according to WTOP.
Other presented benefits with the renovation would be the placement of the green building incentive policy which uses only 20 percent of energy savings and the transfer of development rights that will provide both affordable housing and historic preservation.
Bryna Helfer, the assistant county manager for communication and engagement for the Arlington County Board, says the project “will bring needed new housing and an exciting retail presence to the commercial heart of Ballston.”
“[The project] demonstrates the adaptability and resilience of our commercial market by re-envisioning an office product as residential,” Helfer says. “All together, these actions represent gains for Arlington’s goals in transit-oriented development, historic preservation, and retaining our affordable homes for lower-income neighbors.”
Feature image courtesy Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development
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