The Arlington County Board voted unanimously last night to approve the construction of Boeing’s new regional headquarters in Crystal City, ignoring the recommendations of the county’s planning and transportation commissions. It’s a move that’s set to bring another defense contractor to an area where Arlington officials want to increase residential occupancy. But even though the planning commission told the board that the developer’s site plan wasn’t in line with the county’s urban vision for Crystal City, board members decided that the benefits of keeping one of Arlington’s major employers in the county outweighed the planning commission’s qualms.
The defense giant, which has been a presence in Arlington for some time, will move 500 employees to the new headquarters. Construction is expected to start next month on a site originally slated for an 352-unit apartment complex and an office building with retail space on the ground floor.
County spokeswoman Mary Curtius said the site isn’t included in Arlington’s plan to increase residential buildings in Crystal City. The construction of Boeing’s regional headquarters won’t affect the county’s goals for the area, she said, adding that it is the kind of development the county needs.
“Getting Boeing’s regional headquarters is an incredible benefit. This is just a huge win for our community,” she said. “This is a whole different level of commitment. In this kind of economic times, that’s kind of a great thing.”
In exchange for the county’s approval of its site plan, Boeing has agreed to conform to Gold-certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, install a Capital Bikeshare station on site and contribute $150,000 to mitigate transportation in the area, according to a county press release.
Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said the company’s looking forward to opening its headquarters in Arlington.
“This made a lot of sense for us moving forward,” he said. “In the long run, there will be considerable savings by having a Boeing-built or Boeing-owned facility.”
