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The first phase of Amazon\u2019s $2.5 billion second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, has finished construction and is now open to the public, the company <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>announced on May 22<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Metropolitan Park features two 22-story buildings and includes more than 2.1 million square feet of space, a 2.5-acre community park and 50,000 square feet for retail businesses, according to the release.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Phase One was developed by Bethesda, Maryland-based REIT JBG Smith and built by Bethesda-based contractor Clark Construction.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While Amazon is touting the completion of Metropolitan Park, it comes amid a tumultuous real estate climate for the conglomerate \u2014 the company has pulled back on the expansion of its fulfillment network, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>slowing down warehouse construction<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. The company also <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>paused construction in five office towers<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> in Bellevue, Washington, while holding off plans for a sixth.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n HQ2\u2019s future plans have also been affected \u2014 in March, the company announced it was <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>holding off on Phase Two\u2019s groundbreaking<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, known as PenPlace.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n John Schoettler, Amazon\u2019s vice president of Amazon\u2019s global real estate and facilities, told Construction Dive in an email that the delay was a result of an abundance of space at Metropolitan Park.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always evaluating space plans to make sure they fit our business needs and to create a great experience for employees, and since Met Park will have space to accommodate more than 14,000 employees, we\u2019ve decided to shift the groundbreaking of PenPlace (the second phase of HQ2) out a bit,\u201d Schoettler said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The company hasn\u2019t announced Phase Two\u2019s groundbreaking timeline, but it has until April 2025 to begin construction under its building permit, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>according to the Washington Post<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n