In recent years, multifamily developers have increasingly looked for creative ways to catalyze residential development, accelerate the lease-up of newly constructed buildings, and activate spaces that might otherwise remain vacant as projects move toward stabilized occupancy. 

One approach gaining traction is the use of temporary or “pop-up” hotels, which allow completed residential units to accommodate short- and extended-stay guests during a building’s initial lease-up period before ultimately transitioning to permanent residential occupancy. 

On May 16, 2026, the Arlington County Board approved a request by Jefferson Apartment Group to temporarily permit 125 residential units at 1901 N. Moore Street in central Rosslyn to operate as hotel units during the initial lease-up of the newly constructed 27-story 420-unit residential building. 

With building construction nearing completion, the approved temporary hotel use provides an opportunity for Jefferson Apartment Group to activate a portion of the building while residential leasing is underway. It will also generate additional activity for Rosslyn’s restaurants and retailers, and put units that might otherwise remain vacant during the building’s initial lease-up period into productive use. 

Jefferson Apartment Group is partnering with Placemakr to operate the temporary hotel. Originally founded in Arlington as WhyHotel in 2017, Placemakr pioneered the pop-up hotel model locally and has since grown into a national hospitality company.  

Importantly, the approval represents an evolution of Arlington’s approach to temporary hotel uses. This application was the first of the County’s temporary hotel approvals to incorporate a more comprehensive set of operational safeguards intended to ensure compatibility between hotel guests and permanent building residents.  

These measures include 24-hour on-site hotel management, guest screening, occupancy limitations, and ongoing reporting requirements. Hotel and residential operations will be separately managed while coordinating on overall building operations. 

The project provides another example of Arlington adapting its land-use tools to changing market conditions—allowing a temporary and compatible use that can help bridge the period between construction completion and stabilized residential occupancy, support Rosslyn’s continued vitality, and preserve the building’s ultimate residential purpose.