Amazon's 2 New Towers In Pentagon City Would Be 322 Feet: Report

ARLINGTON, VA — Amazon has plans to build two new office towers at Metropolitan Park in Pentagon City that will be nearly 60 feet taller than nearby apartment building The Bartlett, according to a report.

The Washington Business Journal reports that the retail behemoth plans to build the 22-story, 322.5-foot towers as part of its second headquarters development in Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard.

That would make it significantly taller than The Bartlett, which is also 22 stories but just 264 feet. That's because The Bartlett is an apartment building while these towers would hold offices, which typically have higher ceilings, according to the report.

Amazon.com officials held an invitation-only meeting earlier this month to show Arlington area officials, business leaders, detractors and others what the first HQ2 building in Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard — or, "National Landing," as they're calling it — will look like, according to a previous WBJ report.

The online retail giant has already leased hundreds of thousands of square feet of space in south Arlington, and company officials say they expect to fill over 400 positions by the end of 2019 with a goal of 25,000 high-paying jobs over the next decade-plus. Amazon announced last November that Arlington had been chosen as the location of its second headquarters — a second site in New York was abandoned after local protests.

The selection of northern Virginia to host Amazon's HQ2 means billions of dollars in investment and 25,000 workers moving into the neighborhood, Amazon says, however critics note that Virginia offered more than $800 million in incentives and skyrocketing rents in the area could get significantly worse.

The Washington Post reported hundreds of workers would probably be moved into 1851 S. Bell Street or 1770 Crystal Drive.

"We are proud that Amazon has selected National Landing for a major new headquarters," said Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol in a statement at the time of the announcement.

National Landing refers to a neighborhood that includes both Crystal City as well as Pentagon City and neighboring Potomac Yard in Alexandria.

Northern Virginia was one of 20 areas on the e-commerce giant's short list when it was released. But experts had long focused specifically on Crystal City as a likely landing spot due to its proximity to Reagan National Airport, its highly educated and diverse workforce, the fact that most of it is owned by one developer (JBG), and other factors. The fact that Virginia is considered a business-friendly state reportedly also weighed into the decision.

Additional reporting by Deb Belt/Patch