ALEXANDRIA, VA. — USAA Real Estate Co. has acquired a 621,774-square-foot office complex located in the Crystal City submarket of Alexandria, near Washington, D.C. Known as Potomac Yard, the property comprises two 12-story, Class A towers.
One Potomac Yard contains 315,231 square feet, and Two Potomac Yard contains 306,543 square feet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the main tenant, leasing all of One Potomac Yard and approximately half of Two Potomac Yard. Government agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers and Agency for International Development lease almost all of the remaining space. Private company Thales also leases space in the complex.
With the EPA as the primary tenant, it is no surprise that both properties feature several sustainable components. The buildings put an emphasis on creating an ideal indoor habitat with high-efficiency ventilation systems, low-VOC interior materials and carbon dioxide monitors tp adjust the amount of fresh air entering the building. The buildings also feature abundant daylighting. Low-flow fixtures also provide water savings of more than 30 percent. Both buildings achieved LEED-Gold certification upon their completion in 2006. One Potomac Yard also received Energy Star certification in 2007 and 2008, and the LEED for Existing Buildings – Gold certification in 2008. The project was the first to achieve the LEED-Gold for New Construction certification in Virginia and remains the only LEED-Gold and Energy Star property in Crystal City.
USAA acquired the property on behalf of its US Government Building Fund. The seller was a an affiliate of JP Morgan Strategic Properties Fund. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
— Coleman Wood