Adaptive Reuse
Arlington Project Continues Northern Va.’s Office-to-Residential Trend
Vacant for nearly a decade, the 25-year-old-building, rebranded as Renley, will largely retain its exterior façade while undergoing a complete interior transformation that will create 94 one- to three-bedroom market-rate units.
Northern Virginia’s latest adaptive reuse project is underway in Arlington, as an existing 121,000-sq-ft, six story office building is being transformed into a multi-family residential community.
Vacant for nearly a decade, the 25-year-old-building, rebranded as Renley, will largely retain its exterior façade while undergoing a complete interior transformation that will create 94 one- to three-bedroom market-rate units. Fixed windows will be replaced with operable windows, while the existing plaza will be fitted with additional planters and outdoor seating. Resident amenities will include tenant storage on every floor, a wellness center, coworking spaces, lounges and gathering areas. Select sixth-floor residences will feature 12-ft-deep private balconies.
Renley will also offer more than 5,600 sq ft of ground-floor retail space and 207 parking spaces located in a below-grade garage adjacent to the Virginia Square-GMU Metrorail entrance.
CBG Building Co. is the contractor for the project, which is being led by Gilbane Development.
Scheduled for completion in April 2027, Renley represents one of the first projects to take advantage of Arlington County’s updated adaptive reuse policy, designed to address record-high office vacancies in one of the region’s most densely populated jurisdictions. At the time of the policy’s adoption in November 2024, the county had more than 10.7 million square feet of vacant space, as well as an oversupply of outdated office inventory.
According to the county, the policy prioritizes speed to market by dramatically reducing the time to review and approve adaptive reuse projects. Along with creating incentives for developers to bring underutilized office buildings back to life, it also aims to address the region’s housing shortage.
Other major office-to-residential conversions are underway in other Northern Virginia business hubs. In Arlington’s National Landing area, a nearly 60-year-old, 315,000-sq-ft office building is being transformed into nearly 200 multi-family units, while a neighboring 240,000-sq-ft structure will be reborn as a 344-key hotel. Nearby in Alexandria’s Old Town neighborhood, construction was recently completed on converting a seven-story, 236,000-sq-ft 1980s-era office building into a 199-unit luxury multifamily community.
Near the Vienna Metro in Vienna, ground was broken earlier this year on a $174.6-million office-to-residential project that replaces two vacant office buildings with 76 stacked townhomes, and a 452-unit apartment community. The project will retain the site’s existing 656-space garage.
