Northern Virginia’s latest adaptive reuse project is underway in Arlington, as an existing six-story, 121,000-square-foot office building is being transformed into a multifamily residential community.
Vacant for nearly a decade, the 25-year-old building, renamed the Renley, will largely retain its exterior facade while undergoing a complete interior transformation that will create 94 one- to three-bedroom market 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 each floor, a wellness center, coworking spaces, lounges and meeting areas. Select sixth-floor residences will feature 12-foot-deep private balconies.
Renley will also offer more than 5,600 square feet 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 larger office vacancies in one of the region’s most densely populated jurisdictions. At the time of policy adoption in November 2024, the county had more than 10.7 million square feet of vacant space, as well as an excess of obsolete office inventory.
According to the county, the policy prioritizes speed to market by dramatically reducing the time to review and approve adaptive reuse projects. In addition to creating incentives for developers to bring underutilized office buildings back to life, it also aims to address the region’s housing shortage.
Other large office-to-residential conversions are underway in other Northern Virginia shopping centers. In Arlington’s National Landing area, a nearly 60-year-old, 315,000-square-foot office building is being transformed into nearly 200 multifamily units, while a neighboring 240,000-square-foot structure will be reborn as a 344-key hotel. Nearby, in Alexandria’s Old Town neighborhood, construction was recently completed on a seven-story, 236,000-square-foot 1980s office building in a 199-unit luxury multifamily community.
Near Vienna Metro in Vienna, ground was broken earlier this year on a $174.6 million office-to-residential project that is replacing two vacant office buildings with 76 stacked townhouses and a 452-unit apartment community. The project will retain the existing 656-space garage.
