DC Area Residents Call Out Amazon HQ2 Developer

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents in and around Arlington, Virginia neighborhood "Pentagon City," just outside of Washington, District of Columbia, calling themselves "RiverHouse Neighbors for Sensible Density," are mobilizing ahead of the Arlington County Board's Feb. 12 vote to allow the developer of Amazon's East Coast headquarters ("HQ2") to triple density in an already dense area. JBG Smith serves as the developer, leasing agent, and property manager for the HQ2 project in the new National Landing district that contains much of Pentagon City. The Feb. 12 vote would approve a "Pentagon City Sector Plan" that would clear the way for JBG Smith to massively upzone RiverHouse Apartments – already the fourth-largest apartment complex in the Greater Washington area, and located adjacent to Pentagon City – by removing community facilities, drastically reducing green and open spaces, and aggressively infilling the site with mostly luxury rentals.

Arlington County has provided residents little information on how it would augment the essential community services infrastructure to accommodate the proposed growth in the already high-density area. Pentagon City already has the least open green space in the whole county, oversubscribed schools, and congested roads.

Arlington County failed to effectively engage the residents, including affected renters, and is rushing to approve the plan at its Feb. 12 County Board meeting. RiverHouse Neighbors for Sensible Density (RNSD) is requesting the County Board to more effectively engage residents and provide requisite impact studies before the aggressive plan can be approved. More than 1,500 residents have already signed a petition to halt the plan, while RNSD holds community meetings to inform residents of the plan and prepare them for public testimony on Feb. 12.

To learn more about RNSD and the Dense That Makes Sense movement, please visit: SIMBY.org

About RiverHouse Neighbors for Sensible Density (RNSD)

RNSD is a non-partisan, all-volunteer, diverse organization of Arlington, Virginia residents, living in and around Pentagon City, part of the National Landing district. RNSD welcomes all who want to do business, live, work, play, and stay in Arlington, in a sustainable way.

SOURCE RiverHouse Neighbors for Sensible Density (RNSD)