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Here’s What Crystal City Will Look Like After Amazon Arrives

JBG Smith shares its vision for "National Landing"

A rendering of the future National Landing. All images courtesy of JBG Smith.

Developer JBG Smith has launched its vision for “National Landing”—the rebrand of a combination of areas you likely know as Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard, which comprise the future home of Amazon’s HQ2.

According to its new National Landing website, JBG Smith–the largest landowner in the area—intends to speed up plans to develop several projects now that Amazon is coming. Its vision also takes into account infrastructure investments that resulted from winning HQ2, including the construction of additional Metro entrances at Crystal City and Potomac Yard, improvements to Route 1, and a pedestrian bridge from “National Landing” to Reagan National Airport.

The developer touts its forthcoming Central District Retail development as the “retail heart of National Landing”. The Crystal City site, which currently houses outdated office buildings, will become a 130,000-square-foot entertainment and shopping hub with a 49,000-square-foot Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a specialty grocer, restaurants, bars, and more.

Among other anticipated transactions between JBG Smith and Amazon, the developer says in a press release that it expects Amazon to lease approximately 500,000 square feet of existing office space in its buildings at 241 18th Street South, 1800 South Bell Street, and 1770 Crystal Drive, as well as buy its future Pentagon City development, Pen Place.

Take a look at the future of Crystal City…er, National Landing.

Amazon Crystal City
An Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will anchor JBG Smith’s Central District Retail project.
Amazon Crystal City
A view of Central District Retail, overlooking the second Crystal City Metro entrance.
Amazon Crystal City
A revamped 1800 South Bell Street, which is currently an outdated office building across the street from the Crystal City Metro. JBG Smith expects Amazon to lease the building.
Amazon Crystal City
1550 Crystal Drive, another piece of the future Central District Retail.
Amazon Crystal City
JBG Smith plans to build around 750 units of housing at 1900 Crystal Drive. It expects to start construction in 2019.
Amazon Crystal City
Another view of the future residences at 1900 Crystal Drive.
Amazon Crystal City
An outdoor courtyard at 2121 Crystal Drive.
Amazon Crystal City
JBG Smith expects Amazon to buy its Pen Place project in Pentagon City.
Amazon Crystal City
JBG Smith emphasizes the connectivity of National Landing to mass transit and the region’s airports. Here, a rendering of a “multi-modal transit hub” near Reagan National.

Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.