Published in the Washington Business Journal. By Michael Neibauer.
Gaslight Square Phase 3 Groundbreaking Ceremony
Jim Abdo has saved his best for his last Arlington job.
“This is the top of the pyramid for us,” Abdo, president of Abdo Development, said Tuesday during a groundbreaking event for the third phase of his Gaslight Square condominium development in Rosslyn. “It’s our last site in Arlington. It’s the completion of two city blocks.”
Abdo’s Gaslight Square — so named for the gas-lit lanterns that line the pedestrian mews between its buildings — sits on a square block bounded by Clarendon Boulevard, North Queen Street, North Quinn Street and 16th Street North. Immediately to the east are the Wooster and Mercer lofts, also from Abdo.
The properties are roughly the same distance from both the Rosslyn and Courthouse Metro stations, which means, as Abdo likes to say, you can walk down the hill to Metro in the morning, and down the hill from Metro in the evening.
Gaslight Square’s $27 million third phase, consisting of 37 units, will appear from the outside like the first two 40-unit buildings, but with upgrades that Abdo said will take the property “to the next level.” Those include interior design and "flow" changes and upgraded finishes. For the bi-level penthouses, it will mean direct elevator access to either floor, where only the lower level of the penthouses in the first two phases are elevator accessible.
The buildings feature large, private rooftop terraces with views of Courthouse, light from front to back, 21-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, open floor plans, full-size washers and dryers and very few common areas, to keep the condo fees to a minimum. The frames are constructed of concrete and steel, which costs more but ensures the buildings "endure the test of time," Abdo said.
"It's not an acronym going on this building," he said. "It's my name. It's my family name."
Units in the third phase are listing from $799,900 for an 1,158-square-foot one-bedroom to $1.55 million for a 1,992-square-foot, two-bedroom penthouse. While delivery is roughly 14 months away, Miriam Fernandez, vice president of real estate marketing firm McWilliams Ballard, brought a signed contract to the groundbreaking. She’s already sold multiple units in Phase 3, including two penthouses.
“The first phase, we liked it so much that my wife and I bought a place here,” said Davis, who expects to be under construction within two weeks. “Love it. We’ve got wonderful neighbors. I can attest to the quality of construction.”
Sandy Spring Bank provided the financing for the last phase of Gaslight Square. Akseizer Design Group is the interior designer and Reston-based Architecture Inc. is the architect of record.
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