The redevelopment of the Key Bridge Marriot is moving ahead, but some County officials are concerned about parking and impervious space at the site.
The rendering of new buildings on the Key Bridge Marriott site( Image via Arlington County)
Earlier this month at a Transportation Commission meeting, project representatives submitted their plans to partially demolish the 582-room hotel and create a new 449-room hotel, bordered by a 150-unit condominium building to the east and a 300-unit apartment building to the west above the existing parking lot. The representative added that the redevelopment would include a "slew of interior changes" to the hotel.
The project will also involve the addition of a new bike path that connects to the Key Bridge, near where renovations were made to the Custis Trail last year. While the new bike path received widespread praise, some officials on the Transport Commission had some reservations about the project. Chair Chris Slatt said that he still wanted a Bikeshare station added and also wanted to see a lower parking ration on the site, partly to allow for less impervious surface area.
“There’s work that can be done on circulation areas of the site to make them less impervious,” Slatt said. “It really feels like there’s a lot of pavement [and] a lot of sidewalks. I look down at this plan view and I expect to see a lot more of those tree circles than I do.”
The project will also be discussed at a meeting on Thursday, Jan 30 by the Site Plan Review Committee. It will then go back to the Transportation Commission for a vote and later to the full Planning Commission and finally the Arlington County Board for approval.
Charity W. is a professional and skilled writer with a diploma in Mass Communication. When she is not glued to her computer screen, Charity spends her time reading, traveling, and watching movies. She is an expert on Arlington Virginia and keeps current with local events and occurrences.
