Realize Rosslyn

A two-year community planning effort involving a diverse group of residents, property owners, and business representatives, Realize Rosslyn culminated in a comprehensive vision and plan to transform this economic hub of the County into a more walkable, dynamic, live-work-shop-play urban center and vibrant gateway to Arlington. On July 23, 2015, the County Board unanimously voted to adopt the Rosslyn Sector Plan.

• Adopted Rosslyn Sector Plan

At the Virginia APA chapter’s annual conference in July 2017, the County was honored for their work on the Rosslyn Sector Plan with the Holzheimer Award for Economic Development.

Find out more about implementation.

Plan Highlights

The 25-year plan provides both a vision and a guide to growth and development in the Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District (RCRD).

Some of the plan’s transformative elements include:

• Extending the 18th Street corridor east from N. Quinn Street as a new central spine more effectively linking together destinations in Rosslyn;
• Establishing a new policy for varied building heights to create a dynamic skyline, protect priority public view corridors, allow ample light and air between building, and ensure sensitive transitions to neighboring communities;
• Shifting the balance of Rosslyn’s streets from vehicles to people by widening sidewalks, bolstering the bike network, converting key streets to two-way travel, and removing the N. Fort Myer Drive tunnel beneath Wilson Blvd;
• Building a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge directly linking a future Rosslyn esplanade to the Potomac riverfront, Roosevelt Island and the regional trail system;
• Transforming the Metro station into an open-air plaza between N. Fort Myer Drive and N. Moore Street;
• Rethinking how residents and workers use both Gateway Park and Freedom Park, and extending Freedom Park deeper into the fabric of Rosslyn;
• Completing the planned public Observation Deck in the Central Place office tower, affording expansive views of the Monumental Core and key vistas; and
• Fostering a more balanced mix of land uses with more housing and continued high-density development to support a varied and intensive mix of people and activities.

About

Realize Rosslyn kicked off in 2012 as the first in-depth review of planning in Rosslyn in 20 years. From public workshops, events, and one-on-one meetings to social media and virtual forums, the community worked together in a variety of ways to influence the vision of Rosslyn’s future.

Learn more about the Realize Rosslyn process, scope and timeline.

Documents

All project documents are available online including agendas, meeting notes, presentations, archive news, background materials, and the Rosslyn Plan Framework.

View Realize Rosslyn documents.

Implementation

On Oct. 15, 2016, the County Board approved amendments to the General Land Use Plan, Master Transportation Plan and Zoning Ordinance to implement the vision of the Rosslyn Sector Plan.

Learn more about the amendments.