The Key Bridge Marriott, vacant since July 2021, has become home to squatters and crime, and Arlington County has officially declared it a public nuisance. The County now intends to raze the building if the property’s current owner does not address problems outlined in a new Notice of Violation issued May 17.

That notice orders the owner, KBH LLC, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Woodridge Capital Partners, to immediately secure the building against entry and subsequently raze it. If the owner fails to follow the timeline outlined in the notice, the county will raze it.

Arlington County condemned the building in March 2023, and has already assumed responsibility to secure it against entry.

The Key Bridge Marriott, at 1401 Langston Blvd., sits prominently on the Virginia side of the Key Bridge and was purchased in 2018 by Woodridge Capital Partners. In 2020, the developer received county approval to demolish the 12-story building and construct two residential towers. Financial hurdles for its new owner sidelined those plans.

Since then, there have been sweeps to clear the building of squatters, a fire and a shooting of an intruder by a security guard.

Ahead of razing the building, Arlington County is taking immediate steps, including additional fencing, lighting and security cameras, additional security guards on site, increased police patrol, cleaning, maintenance and trash removal.

The county will also have outreach teams to offer services to anyone found living on the property.

The Key Bridge Marriott opened in 1959, and until its closing, was Marriott International’s longest continuously operating hotel, opening two years after Marriott made the shift from food service and restaurants to the hotel business.

Marriott’s first hotel, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel, was also in Arlington, on Jefferson Davis Highway overlooking the 14th Street bridge. It closed in 1988.