Crystal City Dominion Energy Substation Improvement and Expansion

Dominion Energy completed a comprehensive study of its Crystal City substation in 2019 and determined that new switchgear dimensions are larger than the existing equipment and will not fit at its current location and meet fire safety codes. Constructing a taller building in place of the existing one is not feasible without causing a significant number of electrical outages in the area, given the electric work immediately below the foundation.

Installing new switchgear to the north of the site, as well as to the east of the site facing South Fern Street, presents several other construction challenges, including underground utility lines, an underground oil containment vault near the northern driveway of the substation, and a sanitary sewer line that would need to be relocated. All of these obstacles present difficulty in safely working on the existing site.

Developing the new switchgear on the adjacent Arlington County property west of the substation has the least pre-construction challenges and risk during construction. This scenario would not interfere with underground work, gives greater clearance to meet fire code requirements, and will allow the timely construction of the new switchgear in a way that allows Dominion Energy to meet demand and make needed connections.

Dominion Energy is offering to swap a nearby site in exchange for the County’s site adjacent to the existing substation. The proposed land exchange does not involve monetary compensation, though staff has calculated the value of the Dominion Energy exchange parcel to be higher than the County exchange parcel. In addition, Dominion Energy will dedicate in fee simple a portion of South Hayes Street right-of-way that currently exists as an easement.

Though the Dominion Energy exchange parcel is smaller in size, it presents a wider range of improvement options given site constraints that limit development potential of the County exchange parcel. Additionally, the Dominion Energy exchange parcel was flagged as an acquisition opportunity in the Public Spaces Master Plan in order to expand Virginia Highlands Park.

Given its proximity to Virginia Highlands Park, the Dominion Energy exchange parcel (at 18th Street South and South Ives Street) would likely be used to expand park amenities onto this site. If acquired by the County, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) would lead a community planning process to generate specific ideas for its future use. Once funding is secured and the County acquires the property, DPR will provide more information on the time frame for the planning process.

Prior to the County undertaking a process to determine the public use of the Dominion Energy exchange parcel, Dominion Energy has requested to use it for its off-site construction staging associated with the substation expansion on the County exchange parcel. The County will license back the site to Dominion Energy.

Depending on the outcome of the process to determine the public use of the Dominion Energy exchange parcel, the County will need to undergo some environmental remediation to address some minor contaminants found on the site. The County obtained an environmental site assessment conducted by its environmental contractor. The study found that the site has minor, non-hazardous contamination in some spots, similar to other parcels that the County has acquired in the Crystal City area given the history of land use in Crystal City. Necessary remediation is dependent upon the County’s future use of the site. Additional revenue from the construction staging license could be used to offset anticipated remediation costs once the substation expansion construction concludes.

Dominion Energy’s current substation is split-zoned C-O-2.5 and RA7-16. The adjacent County exchange parcel, which is also zoned C-O-2.5, would not meet the minimum lot requirements within that zoning district once it is subdivided from the larger County parcel, which spans further west of South Hayes Street.

Staff is exploring the possibility of joining the two lots through a resubdivision to permit the proposed expansion and associated substation use, and recommending rezoning the RA7-16 portion of Dominion Energy’s existing substation to C-O-2.5 to harmonize the land uses in the area.

Staff is exploring potential amendments to the recently adopted GLUP Public Facility Map to generally identify this and other substation facilities within Arlington. This approach would require action by the County Board, beginning with an October 2020 advertisement and later adopting the GLUP amendment.