Arlington County condemns, clears former Key Bridge Marriott building
ARLINGTON, Va. - One of the most prominent buildings you see when leaving D.C. and heading into Arlington has officially been condemned.
Arlington County leaders say the property formerly known as the Key Bridge Marriott has become a health and safety concern, and officials worked on Friday to clear the building of any people.
"Quite frankly the building is really uninhabitable and it’s unfit to have any humans inside of it," Arlington County communications official Ryan Hudson tells FOX 5.
Crews including, Police officers, firefighters, emergency management officials, health and human services personnel, began going through the more than 500 rooms in the building to make sure it is clear on Friday morning.
ARLINGTON, VA - MONTH DAY: Authorities block off the now-vacant Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on March 24, 2023. The hotel, which ceased operations during the pandemic, had become a home for unhoused people squatting in the proper
By the afternoon, officials say they cleared out five people, and connected them with the services they may need.
The move to clear the building comes after the fire department responded to a call a few weeks ago about people experiencing homelessness living inside the building.
"Our immediate next steps are securing the building to make sure that folks don’t have access to it again in the future," Hudson says. "So that’s gonna look like the building’s being boarded up, putting fencing around the perimeter, and we’re also going to have 24 hour security on-site."
ARLINGTON, VA - MONTH DAY: Police and other authorities stage in the parking lot of the now-vacant Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on March 24, 2023. The hotel, which ceased operations during the pandemic, had become a home for unho
The building was sold in 2018 to Woodridge Capital Partners. In 2020, the county board approved plans to partially demolish and renovate the existing hotel while also constructing two new residential buildings.
The following year, Marriott ceased operation at the hotel and the building was closed in preparation for development.
Despite the sale and the ceasing of operations, the current owners have not begun the redevelopment project.
ARLINGTON, VA - MONTH DAY: Workers install security doors as authorities clear out the now-vacant Key Bridge Marriott hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on March 24, 2023. The hotel, which ceased operations during the pandemic, had become a home for unhou
FOX 5 reached out to the Woodridge Capital Partners for comment on the project, but have not heard back yet.