1.6 Acre Community Gathering Space Animated by Innovative Food & Beverage, Lush Landscaping, Water Features, Public Art and Open Spaces
(Photo credit: Scott Suchman)
JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS) today announced the grand opening on Friday, October 6th for Water Park, National Landing’s newest and most dynamic outdoor dining destination.
JBG SMITH’s completely reimagined 1.6-acre Water Park comprises nine restaurant kiosks operated by emerging local-, minority- and women-led businesses. JBG SMITH has also introduced new water features, public art installations, lush landscaping, ample seating areas and a live performance stage, which combine to create a vibrant urban town square poised to become a community gathering space for years to come.
In addition to the nine eateries that line the park’s perimeter, STHRN Hospitality operates Water Bar on an open-air terrace perched atop a fountain water wall. The restaurant features a raw bar focused menu and extensive cocktail list. STHRN also operates Crush Pizza, featuring New York style pizza, salads, and a curated selection of wine by the glass.
“Water Park is a manifestation of our vision for National Landing as a premier 18-hour community that warmly embraces families, workers, students and visitors of all ages,” said Kai Reynolds, Chief Development Officer at JBG SMITH. “In addition to creating an urban oasis where people can relax, linger and enjoy time spent together, we have intentionally curated Water Park to serve as a celebration of the region’s rich and diverse culinary traditions.”
“STHRN is delighted to be working in partnership with the team from JBG SMITH to bring this incredible property to life. To have an opportunity to repurpose such an important community landmark and revitalize a fundamental part of this neighborhood by creating a warm, engaging space that welcomes such a diverse group of guests is an incredible opportunity,” said Elizabeth Feichter, Partner, STHRN Hospitality Co. “We are excited to bring the delicious taste of Water Bar to life through unique, tasty cocktails and the deeply immersive flavors of the east coast. And by offering our Arlington spin on a traditional New York City slice at our pizza concept, Crush, we think the surrounding neighborhood and visitors alike will be thrilled to visit Water Park at National Landing and discover all we have to offer.”
JBG SMITH has assembled a kiosk lineup representing an exciting blend of cuisines and cultures:
- Brij, a DC-based café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley, whose vision is to bridge people and communities together with proceeds benefiting single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community, and the un-housed;
- Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a plant-based and kosher certified Americana burgers, fries and soda pop shop from chef Margaux Riccio and general manager Shaun Sharkey, the creators of DC’s award-winning Asian fast casual restaurant Pow Pow;
- Cracked Eggery, launched by Potomac native Mike Tabb and his partners as a popular food truck serving inventive egg sandwiches, bowls and tasty sides throughout DC. It now has permanent locations in Cleveland Park and Shaw, where it occupies space in a JBG SMITH-owned building;
- DC Dosa, Bombay-born Priya Ammu’s South Indian street food concept, and her first location outside of Union Market;
- Dolci Gelati, a DC-born gelato shop by Gianluigi and Anastasia Dellaccio serving up 450+ seasonal and artisanal flavors made fresh on a daily-basis as well as a robust coffee/espresso program;
- Falafel Inc., launched by Palestinian American entrepreneur Ahmad Ashkar in Georgetown with a menu of hummus, falafel bowls, sandwiches, and sides, this favored charitable spot has the goal of feeding refugees alongside the World Food Programme;
- PhoWheels, a family-based business from Tuan and Jennifer Vo featuring Vietnamese inspired dishes. Their kiosk will be the first brick and mortar location for the popular DC food truck;
- Tiki Thai, a new outpost of chef Porntipa “Pat” Pattanamekar’s Reston eatery that has been dubbed “Virginia’s first premier tiki bar and Thai restaurant,” offering a wide-range of eats inspired by Thai and Polynesian cuisine;
- Queen Mother’s, Virginia native and James Beard Award Semi-Finalist Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper’s tribute to his mother through his renowned fried chicken concept.
Located at 1601 Crystal Drive, the park will be open to the public daily from 7AM to 10 PM. Vendor hours may vary, additional information can be found at nlwaterpark.com.
Water Park is located within a Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority approved consumption zone. Through this Commercial Lifestyle Center designation, patrons of Water Park’s licensed alcohol retailers can “sip and stroll” within the park’s boundaries.
JBG SMITH worked with design architect Elkus Manfredi and landscape architect Hoerr Schaudt on Water Park, which also incorporates a trailhead building adjacent to the Mt. Vernon Trail equipped with public restrooms and bike facilities.
“We are thrilled for the National Landing community, small businesses and our partners at JBG SMITH as they open the doors to the reimagined and highly-anticipated Water Park, which will be an outdoor culinary destination like no other in the region. Located along Crystal Drive, we’re excited for Water Park to become a signature community gathering place to celebrate our diverse businesses and a centerpiece for continued cultural programming such as Fridays at The Fountain,” said Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, President and Executive Director of the National Landing BID.
Water Park complements JBG SMITH’s broader redevelopment efforts across National Landing, which includes 55 new retailers that will be open by year-end 2024, tripling the number of street level retailers in the neighborhood. JBG SMITH is expected to deliver more than 5,000 new multifamily units, with 1,583 already under construction, and in June, Amazon opened its 2.1 million square foot headquarters that will house the more than 8,000 local employees it has hired to date in the region.
Later this fall, JBG SMITH will open Dining in the Park in front of 2121 Crystal. This novel culinary experience, which will be set among more than an acre of greenery, will house renowned Seven Reason’s chef Enrique Limardo’s new concept, Surreal.
About JBG SMITH
JBG SMITH owns, operates, invests in, and develops mixed-use properties in high growth and high barrier-to-entry submarkets in and around Washington, DC. Through an intense focus on placemaking, JBG SMITH cultivates vibrant, amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Approximately two-thirds of JBG SMITH’s holdings are in the National Landing submarket in Northern Virginia, which is anchored by four key demand drivers: Amazon’s new headquarters, which is being developed by JBG SMITH; Virginia Tech’s under-construction $1 billion Innovation Campus; the submarket’s proximity to the Pentagon; and JBG SMITH’s deployment of next-generation public and private 5G digital infrastructure. JBG SMITH’s dynamic portfolio currently comprises 15.3 million square feet of high-growth office, multifamily, and retail assets at share, 98% of which are metro-served. It also maintains a development pipeline encompassing 9.7 million square feet of mixed-use development opportunities. JBG SMITH’s capital allocation strategy is to shift the majority of its portfolio to multifamily and concentrate its office assets in National Landing. JBG SMITH is committed to the operation and development of green, smart, and healthy buildings and plans to maintain carbon neutral operations annually. For more information on JBG SMITH please visit www.jbgsmith.com.
About STHRN Hospitality Co.
The partners behind Atlanta real-estate and experience consulting firms, Revel and Southern Culinary & Creative, have joined forces to create a full service hospitality consulting, experience design and F+B service operations alliance for unique and/or significant retail projects in North America. Focusing on strategy and development, creative experience design, food and beverage, and events and operations; their knowledgeable team has expertise in creating and executing memorable experiences, specifically how those events, spaces and moments create tangible benefits for corporations, real estate developments, communities and brands. They have collaborated on experience-driven projects across the U.S., from food halls to live music venues, full-scale, multi-day festivals to intimate bars and restaurant venues. With a deep knowledge of the culinary and events fields and decades of working in the hospitality industry, their well-earned connections offer an opportunity to build customized, one-of-a-kind client projects. Follow along with what they are cooking up at www.revelre.co and www.southernculinaryandcreative.com
