Paula C. Squires// February 5, 2017//
It’s been a big week for Rosslyn. Not only did corporate giant Nestle USA decide to move its U. S. headquarters to this part of Arlington County, but the JGB Cos. opened a 31-story residential tower that’s helping to redefine the area’s skyline.
Nearly two years after breaking ground, JBG opened the residences at Central Place last week as part of a 31-story, mixed-use development. The residential tower, a JBG joint venture with the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, offers 377 apartments.
Central Place is a 1 million-square-foot development with dramatic glass facades on the residential tower and companion class-A office building. It also has a 17,000-square-foot public plaza and an observation deck offering unobstructed views of the National Mall.
Large enough to host public events, the plaza will offer outdoor seating, a splash fountain and mix of street level retail and fast-casual dining offerings including Cava Grill, Compass Coffee, Nando’s Peri Peri, Sweetgreen, and the first Northern Virginia location for The Little Beet. The plaza also will also provide a pedestrian connection between North Lynn and North Moore Streets. It is anchored by three high-speed elevators that provide direct access to the Rosslyn Metro station.
“The development of Central Place is one of Rosslyn’s most important milestones since the Metro came to town. It’s an embodiment of our community’s transformation from a commercial district into an active, mixed-use center,” Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, said in a statement. “The observation deck and public plaza … are set to immediately become important community gathering places and iconic features in our neighborhood.”
JBG tapped Beyer Blinder and Belle Architects and Planners, known for the revitalization of New York City's Rockefeller Center, to design Central Place.
Based in Chevy Chase, Md.,JBG is a private real estate investment firm that develops, owns and manages office, residential, hotel and retail properties. According to the company, it has more than $10 billion in assets under management and development in the Washington, D.C. area.
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