Construction of Skyline live/work project well underway

These office buildings are being turned into live/work units.

Renovation is moving along quickly on the three vacant office buildings at the Skyline Center that are being converted to residential units tenants can use for living, working, or both.

The first group of about 60 to 70 units will be ready for leasing in July 2022, says Robert Seldin of Highland Square Holdings, which is co-developing the project with the Wolff Co. He expects all of the buildings to be available by June 2023.

The Skyline project is similar to Mission Lofts on Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads, which Seldin also developed, but is much bigger and will have more amenities. The three Skyline buildings will have 675 units, compared to Mission Lofts, a single building with 165 units.

Mission Lofts, also an office-to-residential conversion, is 93 percent leased, Seldin says. Almost all of the tenants are using their units for living and working at home. Only eight units are used for just residential or just office uses.

Amy and Robert Seldin of Highland Square Holdings in a future live/work unit at Skyline.

When the building was planned, he anticipated more of a mix of uses but by the time it opened in summer 2020, the pandemic was in full swing and many employees were forced to work at home.

Amenities for tenants at Skyline include a bowling alley; a virtual game room with a huge screen; a maker space that can be used for ceramics, woodworking, or other projects; treadmills with desks for multitaskers; a pet salon; a communal social kitchen; and conference rooms. Non-tenants can use those facilities if they become members.

Related story: First tenants move into Mission Lofts, a unique project in Bailey’s Crossroads

There will be commercial space on the ground floor, most likely related to food service.

Outdoors, Seldin is planning a fire pit, kitchen, decks, and a playground for adults with large swings. The grounds will be totally redone in a way that ties the three buildings together and invites social gatherings.

The Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol are visible from the 14th floor.

Tenants of all three buildings will be able to access the large Target and the Onelife Fitness facility across the street via an underground tunnel. Tenants will have free membership to the gym.

Apartments will have one, two, or three bedrooms. Rents haven’t been determined yet.

So far, all the windows have been replaced, and the electrical and plumbing systems have been installed.

Among the advantages of converting office buildings to residential uses, Seldin says, are high ceilings, large windows, double walls between units, and plenty of underground parking.

Related story: Planning Commission recommends approval of Skyline project

“What’s great about Skyline is its primacy in the market,” he says. “Skyline Center is the place around which everything in this area revolved. People lived or work here. Now that the office business has changed, it will have the same impact for this evolved way of living and working.”

Seldin is planning four other live/work projects in Northern Virginia – although not in Mason District – but isn’t ready to announce the locations yet.