Amazon Buys a Greenhouse

Chris Beytes

With the construction of the now-famous Seattle Spheres, we learned that online retailer Amazon has a passion for plants. Now they’re at it again, at their new second HQ location in Arlington, Virginia, where the two-phase project will have so much interior and exterior plant material that they’ve actually bought their own greenhouse to grow the stuff, says FFXnow.com (Fairfax County local news).

Wrote the news outlet, “According to plans submitted to the county, Amazon hopes to convert Meadow Farms Nurseries and Landscapes in Great Falls into a greenhouse to provide a ‘permanent operation to provide for the continuous maintenance of the extensive landscaping elements’ at HQ2. The concept is called Project Wren.”

Pictured: A rendering of Amazon’s vision for the
HQ2 location in Arlington, Virginia.

Phase 1, known as Metropolitan Park, includes two 22-story buildings and 2.5 acres of open space. More striking is phase 2, PenPlace, whose signature building is “The Helix.” PenPlace will include 3.2 million sq. ft. of office space and 94,500 sq. ft. of retail.

Why buy a greenhouse operation? Because Amazon wants a “Year Five on Day One” experience when it comes to the size and quality of interior and exterior plants. The greenhouse will have five to 10 employees producing interior plants, trees and shrubs, hanging baskets, and green walls.

As for Meadow Farms, they told FFXnow that they’ll be consolidating their operations at their other locations in Leesburg, Herndon, Chantilly and Fredericksburg. GP