FOX 5 tours construction of Amazon's HQ2 facility underway in Arlington

Amazon opened its doors to the headquarters, which will be going up at the newly renamed National Landing, to show off their work on Wednesday and FOX 5 came along.

ARLINGTON, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - FOX 5 is taking viewers inside the construction of Amazon's new HQ2 facility in Arlington for the first time ever.

Amazon opened its doors to the headquarters, which will be going up at the newly renamed National Landing, to show off their work on Wednesday and FOX 5 came along.

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The tour showed both what the buildings look like and what they will do. Phase one's Metropolitan Park is a $2.5 billion development with a pair of 22 story office buildings on a 2.1 million square foot site.

There will also be a two-acre public park that will serve as the centerpiece. Amazon is building an additional indoor event space the community will be able to use as well.

Construction on HQ2 started in early 2020 and is on schedule to have phase one completed in 2023.

"Our plan right now is on track, it’s a 2023 delivery for Metropolitan Park to be open and ready for business, and not just this 18-hour community as it relates to this park but for the retail as well," says Director of Amazon Global Facilities Joe Chapman.

"Timber is a remarkable material in that it’s a natural carbon sink. It uses and stores more carbon in it than it expels so by building with timber we’re able to take advantage of that," says Brian Earle with ZGF Architects.

Amazon announced three years ago that Arlington County had won a nationwide competition to house HQ2. The company says once it opens, it's committed to bringing 25,000 jobs to Arlington.

Right now, 3,500 employees are assigned to HQ2. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tells FOX 5 the project will transform the state's economy.

"Affordable and accessible childcare, affordable housing, all of these things work together," Northam says. "And as the Governor of Virginia – getting ready to turn the keys over to Governor-Elect Youngkin – I’m turning the keys over as Virginia is in very good shape right now!"

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Amazon says HQ2 will house some of the most "green" buildings in the world. Electric power will come from a new solar farm in Pittsylvania County and the buildings are designed to exceed Paris Climate Agreement goals.

Phase two, with its iconic helix structure, is set to open sometime in 2026.