Arlington County officials are preparing to spend millions of dollars on Crystal City during the next five years as the Army’s plan to relocate thousands of area workers has threatened to sap the life from the neighborhood.
Roughly 13,000 workers are expected to vacate Crystal City offices and workplaces during the next half decade as part of the military’s “Base Realignment and Closure” plan.
Those lost jobs, coupled with the neighborhood’s aging buildings and automobile-centric layout, have spurred county plans to allocate roughly $90 million over the next five years to revamp Crystal City’s roads and parks.
“Attracting and retaining economic activity in Crystal City will require significant investments in streets, transit, and open space improvements,” according to county budget documents.
The influx of county cash would pay for street improvements, including pedestrian walkways and bike lanes; park construction and improvements; and the building of a streetcar at Potomac Yard.
The county plans to pay for those improvements with a combination of local, state and federal dollars, as well as private funding contributions. Area officials hope the investments will usher in a thriving “post-BRAC era” that will lure thousands of new jobs and residents to Crystal City.
Local leaders recognize that to rebuild the neighborhood, they first will have to reshape the public’s perception of Crystal City.
Angela Fox, president of the Crystal City business improvement district, said revitalizing the neighborhood will require a concerted effort from both the private and public sectors.
Fox said private companies are interested in creating new marketplaces for Crystal City and its residents, but the county has to act first.
“To make these new marketplaces work, you need the partnership of the county to redo and expand the infrastructure so that it can handle the increased capacity,” Fox said.
She added that before those improvements could take place the county must establish clearly defined development goals.
“Things move slowly until you have a formalized plan,” Fox said.
The county established a tax force in 2006 to create a long-range plan for Crystal City. That plan is scheduled for approval in the summer.
