Rosslyn 'Deep Throat' Site Approved For Redevelopment

ROSSLYN, VA — The Arlington County Board has approved a major site plan amendment clearing the way for a mixed-use redevelopment of two office properties in Rosslyn, including a site remembered for its connection to one of the most famous episodes in American journalism.

The approval covers 1401 Wilson Blvd. and 1400 Key Blvd., a 2.1-acre site currently occupied by two 12-story office buildings built in 1964. Monday Properties plans to replace the buildings with two 27-story residential towers containing a total of 831 apartment units, nearly 29,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, including a full-service grocery store, a parking structure and publicly accessible open space.

The parking garage beneath 1401 Wilson Blvd. is widely known as one of the locations where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward secretly met his confidential source known as "Deep Throat" during the Watergate investigation in the early 1970s. Arlington County later installed a historical marker near the site commemorating the meetings, and in 2005, The Washington Post confirmed that former FBI Associate Director Mark Felt was the anonymous source.

Project Adds Housing, Retail And Public Space

The redevelopment will replace two aging office buildings with two 27-story residential towers containing 831 apartment units. Plans also call for 28,959 square feet of ground-floor retail space anchored by a grocery store, a partially above-grade parking structure and publicly accessible open space covering about 52 percent of the property.

Monday Properties said the approved amendment preserves the overall design of the previously approved project while adjusting tower placement and the retail layout.

According to the developer, the project complies with recommendations in the Rosslyn Sector Plan for tower separation, pedestrian connectivity and open space. The buildings are also expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Street-level retail is planned along North Oak Street, Wilson Boulevard and North Nash Street.

"This approval is a significant milestone for Rosslyn and for the region, and we are proud to advance a project that meets, and in many respects exceeds, the land use recommendations set forth in the Rosslyn Sector Plan," Tim Helmig, co-chief executive officer and managing partner of Monday Properties, said in a statement.

Helmig said the development will add 831 housing units in one of the Washington region's most transit-accessible neighborhoods while helping launch the planned 18th Street Corridor through new landscaping, overlooks, plazas and pedestrian improvements.

He also said the project will bring a full-service grocery store to Rosslyn, adding another neighborhood-serving retail amenity.

Shalom Baranes Associates is the architect of record, ParkerRodriguez is the landscape architect and VIKA Capitol is providing civil engineering and site design services.

Monday Properties announced the county board's approval Monday but did not provide a construction timeline or anticipated completion date.