A little off topic but here is the official press release. Several more high-rises on the way.... ARLINGTON, Va. - The Arlington County Board today approved a site plan that will reestablish the true center of Clarendon by redeveloping two of its most important commercial blocks while preserving two historic buildings. "This is one of the most significant site plans ever approved in Arlington," said Arlington County Board Chairman Christopher Zimmerman. "We are pleased that negotiations with the developer and the community produced a project that will foster a true sense of place in Clarendon." The proposed Clarendon Center, bounded by Wilson Boulevard, North Highland Street, 11th Street North and North Garfield Street, lies within the Clarendon Metro Station Area. The project combines office space, ground-floor retail and a residential tower. First Project to Comply with Clarendon Sector Plan The Clarendon Center is the first project to comply with the newly adopted Part I of the Clarendon Sector Plan and associated policies. It is the first Clarendon project to use the new preservation incentives, applying them to keep intact both the Underwood Building, built in1939, and Old Dominion Building, built in Art Deco style in 1941. The site plan includes preservation of the Underwood Building on the North block, with the addition of a 97,860 square-foot, six story office building and 15,725 square feet of new ground floor retail space. On the South block, the Old Dominion Building will be preserved, and two towers - one a 244-unit, twelve-story residential tower and the other a nine-story, 84,395 square-foot office tower - will be added. They will be separated by a landscaped second-level courtyard. Some 38,333 square-feet of ground floor retail will be added. The developer, Saul Centers, Inc., expects to break ground late this year on Phase I, the South block, with a completion date of late 2008 or early 2009. Phase II, the North block, is expected to break ground in late 2008 or early 2009, with a completion date of 2010. Relocation of retail businesses Typically in redevelopment proposals, developers commit to working with Arlington Economic Development to resolve business displacement issues. For this project, in addition to this commitment, Saul Centers has proposed a retail tenant relocation program unique to Arlington. To encourage existing tenants to remain within the project, Saul Centers has offered retailers within the current building on the North Block an option to relocate to new space at a subsidized rent in the South Block after its construction.