TYSONS (Virginia) | Development Thread

[ardecila]

This, on the other hand, is awesome. The design is ambitious and it uses the ground plane very well, framing plazas, sheltered outdoor space, etc.

Reminds me of a modernist Reston Town Center, which is about as urban as you can get in a new development with no independent businesses and only one category of housing (luxury).

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Here are some renderings of the Reston Station development that is currently under-construction, courtesy of the architecture firm Hickok Cole, at the end of Phase I of the Silver line at Wiehle Avenue in Reston.



Here is the firm's website for more images: http://www.hickokcole.com/great_desi...boards_19.html

[TysonsEngineer]

Originally Posted by ardecila

What a crappy plan. I thought we all learned that elevated plazas are a shitty idea. Not as bad as fully-enclosed malls and skybridges, but still urban kryptonite. There won't be any easy way to access it - all huge staircases and well-hidden elevators - so people will avoid it and we get one more dead plaza.

The elevated system also biases all development toward huge developers who can afford the cost of massive podiums. Consequently, there will be no small buildings and probably no independent businesses. Please tell me the rest of Tysons won't be built this way.

I am here to relieve your fears. The Macerich and Lerner plans are the only ones being built under old standards (the others are still being held up by BoS for approval). The idea of skywalks and elevated plazas that arent incorporated into the pedestrian network is not allowed by the new comprehensive plan for any new projects. So the 40 million new square feet of development in zoning will NOT have this standard of design, and will incorporate more typical urban design practices of first floor retail, improved streetscapes, more appropriately sized street sections, etc.

I actually had a chance to discuss in a meeting with Cityline their concepts for Arbor Row which is coming to Westpark (pending BoS approval next month). They specifically said they are not trying to compete with the mall for credit leasers of the retail. They have much smaller retail spaces, most of which are under 5000sf except for a few restaurants, and the concept is to have retail that supports residential users (small businesses like dry cleaning, food, local stores) and will be far more affordable per SF than mall rates.

The point being, the guys who have been working for 5 years to get their rezonings tweaked into the new urban concept are going to be coming out with some FAR better practices and developments.

If you are interested in that project you can find some info on it;

cityline-discusses-their-vision-for-the-future-with-residents/

and with the development plans

Development plans are linked in this article

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by ardecila

What a crappy plan. I thought we all learned that elevated plazas are a shitty idea. Not as bad as fully-enclosed malls and skybridges, but still urban kryptonite. There won't be any easy way to access it - all huge staircases and well-hidden elevators - so people will avoid it and we get one more dead plaza.

The elevated system also biases all development toward huge developers who can afford the cost of massive podiums. Consequently, there will be no small buildings and probably no independent businesses. Please tell me the rest of Tysons won't be built this way.

The raised plaza will be built over an existing access road that serves the parking garage that is behind the hotel building. Considering the raised plaza will have direct access from the mall, which is one of the more vibrant shopping centers in the region, I don't think there will be access problems.

[TysonsEngineer]

I have a few new photos of progress in Tysons (via TheTysonsCorner.com website of course).

Tysons tower has built its crane and is going vertical. Macerich is looking for an 18month delivery period so mid 2014 likely. Gonna be tough to keep construction on pace through 2 holiday seasons.

Ascent by Greystar is rising very fast, looks like about 2 stories per month in structural construction. Again mid 2014 delivery



As far the news front. This month will be a big one for a couple of big projects. Capital One is looking to get approval from the planning commission tonight. Also the planning commission will give its final recommendations to the Board of supervisors tonight. So that is some big news.

Also later this month and early october Arbor Row (a really great ambitious project along Westpark which really wants to start construction) will be looking for approval from Planning commission and eventually BoS. There wont be much obstruction of that project since they aren't crying foul about tax rates like the capital one project did (the reason the decision was deferred to tonight instead of last month).

I'll try to check in from time to time to update anyone who follows this thread on updates (would love for some support of our news site also if any of you guys also are interested in other goings on in Tysons).

[202_Cyclist]

Expansion of Capital One’s headquarters in Tysons Corner is approved

By Corinne Reilly
September 25, 2012
Washington Post


Image courtesy of the Washington Post.

"The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a massive expansion of Capital One’s corporate headquarters in Tysons Corner — one of the first major projects to win rezoning under a two-year-old master plan that aims to transform Tysons from a sprawling office park to Fairfax’s own urban downtown.

The decision, which was widely expected, came a year and a half after the financial-services giant submitted its application. Capital One owns 26 acres in Tysons near the McLean station on Metro’s Silver Line, which is scheduled to open in late 2013.

Although it will be years before most of it is built, the plan includes 3.1 million square feet of office space, four high-rise residential buildings with as many as 1,200 units, a hotel, 100,000 square feet of restaurants and retail, as well as parks, playgrounds, plazas, bicycle routes, parking structures and new streets. All of it will surround Capital One’s existing corporate headquarters, eventually spanning several blocks..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...258_story.html

[dgreen]

It's been a while since I drove by Merrifield, but I was in the area recently. The Mosaic District is coming along and the new Target looks pretty interesting. And, did I see about 4 cranes on the north side of 29 right next to the Dunn Loring Metro? A lot going on.

Connecting Merrifield to Tysons with streetcar or light rail would be nice.

[202_Cyclist]

I rode my bike out to Reston last Sunday and the Parc Reston apartment complex on Reston Parkway was demolished and in the process of being cleared. Two 14-story condo buildings are planned for this site.

Parc Reston Ready to Clear Way for Towers
http://reston.patch.com/articles/par...y-for-towers#c


Image courtesy of the Reston Patch.

[202_Cyclist]

Is Washington becoming a Tysons suburb?

By Jonathan O'Connell
October 21, 2012
Washington Post

"Is the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States and the free world, becoming a suburb of the economic powerhouse a few miles west?

With the growth of Tysons Corner ... err ... Tysons, Fairfax County leaders seem to think so.

Fairfax County business leaders gathered in a conference room at Gannett’s headquarters last week to discuss “the new city centers” envisioned around the Silver Line Metro stations being built."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...829_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Fairfax Board approves Cityline Partners' Arbor Row in Tysons

Washington Business Journal
By Michael Neibauer
November 20, 2012

"The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously backed another massive Tysons development — Cityline Partners' Arbor Row.

The 2.6 million-square-foot project, which had earned high praise from both county planning staff and the Planning Commission, is planned for 20 acres along Westpark Drive. It is expected to include 1.1 million square feet of office space, three residential buildings with as many as 1,180 units, a 250-key hotel, roughly 60,000 square feet of ground floor retail, 4,000 parking spaces and 4.4 acres of park space.

"Not only does the project promote connectivity and accessibility as well as provide a number of community amenities to the area, but it also represents significant progress in realize the vision of Tysons that was set forth by the board two years ago," Board Chairwoman Sharon Bulova said in a statement issued after the vote..."

http://www.bizjournals.com/washingto...-cityline.html

The developer's website has more renderings and information about the project.


Image courtesy of Cityline Partners.


Image courtesy of Cityline Partners.

[202_Cyclist]

The Fairfax County Planning Office has posted the site plans and renderings for the redevelopment of the Reston Spectrum property. This is currently big-box stores and a large surface parking lot, directly across the street from the Reston Town Center.

Warning before you click on this link-- the file is huge (62M).

http://ldsnet.fairfaxcounty.gov/ldsn...wf/4400816.PDF

[202_Cyclist]

Tysons Corner, on the verge of a do-over


Bill O'Leary/WASHINGTON POST FILE PHOTO - Lunch-time traffic is seen in Tysons Corner on International Drive.

By Corinne Reilly
January 2, 2013
Washington Post

"The first thing to go was the parking lot behind the Container Store. And if all goes according to plan, more lots will be bulldozed — as will dozens of mid-rise office buildings, hotels and car dealerships.

Two years after Fairfax County adopted a radical, four-decade plan to redevelop Tysons Corner, it is finally beginning to happen, block by block, building by building.

Inspired by the decision to run Metro’s new Silver Line through Tysons, the county essentially is undertaking a do-over, one that seeks to replace much of what stands today with an urban, vibrant, walkable, downtown built around residents and rail. It is a monumental task that has never been done on such a grand scale. And there is no turning back..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...029_story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Town Center Parking Lot May Be Developed
Boston Properties has bid to buy surface lot at New Dominion Drive. Is more mixed-use development next to Spectrum Center on the way?

By Karen Goff
February 14, 2013
Reston Patch

"The 4.5-acre undeveloped land Boston Properties is seeking to buy at Reston Town Center is the surface parking lot at Fountain Drive and New Dominion Drive, a commercial real estate source says.

That would make the parking area ripe for mixed-use redevelopment that may tie in with the planned major redevelopment at the adjacent Spectrum Center.

The parking lot is currently owned by Beacon Capital Partners. According to a report from the CoStar Group, the 4.5-acre lot will sell for about $27 million ($6 million per acre)..."

http://reston.patch.com/articles/tow...y-be-developed

The Restonian blog also has a post about this.
At Reston Town Center, Will They Pave a Parking Lot and Put Up a Paradise (of Mixed-Use Bollardy Goodness?)
http://www.restonian.org/2013/02/at-...they-pave.html

[202_Cyclist]

Here is a photo of the Avant residential building that I took two or three weeks ago when I biked out to Reston. This is located right at the Reston Town Center, near the Rolls Royce office building.



Here is a website for the development: http://liveavantapts.com/ .

[202_Cyclist]

Fairfax County officials examine selling air rights to pay for Silver Line

March 31, 2013
Washington Examiner
By Liz Essley


Image courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

"Fairfax County officials are considering a potential solution for reducing tolls on the Dulles Toll Road: selling the right to build apartments, offices or retail on top of future Silver Line stations.

Tolls on the Toll Road are set to climb in the coming years as officials use the revenue to pay for 75 percent of the second phase of the Silver Line, which will extend from Reston to Loudoun County.

Project and county leaders are hoping that selling the air rights above the Silver Line's stations and the toll road could be a way to offset the costs to drivers..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/fairfa...rticle/2525819

[Cirrus]

435' building proposed. This will be the tallest in the DC region.

Originally Posted by BeyondDC

Tysons Corner skyscraper will be region’s tallest

A proposed skyscraper in Tysons Corner will be 435 feet tall, making it the tallest in the DC region, and first to breach the 400 foot threshold. The building is proposed as part of the SAIC redevelopment, adjacent to the Silver Line’s Greensboro Metro station.

[TysonsEngineer]

I still think the most impressive plan (though not as far as architecturally) will be Arbor Row. That project specifically seems to get the idea of public space/landmark ground level design/and architecture that fits in. It must have been tough for them to remain subdued in their proposed heights, but 15-22 stories is still significant in Northern Virginia.

This SAIC proposal is more big building, than focused urbanist design. None the less, it is a huge improvement in comparison to the 1200 space parking lot out there today.

[202_Cyclist]

JBG's new vision for Reston Heights West

By Michael Neibauer
May 14, 2013
Washington Business Journal

"The JBG Cos.' new vision for its planned Reston Heights West mixed-use community, featuring a more mid-rise look over the previously approved tower-heavy design, is looking like a shoo-in for Fairfax County approval.

Reston Heights West was first approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2008 for 498 residential units, 245,000 square feet of retail and nearly 430,000 square feet of office in six buildings. In the amended plan, the numbers remain roughly the same, but the site has been completely re-imagined.

Citing changes in market trends and community interest in a more neighborhood-like scale, JBG has proposed a new blueprint that "allows for a new grocery and neighborhood retail into pedestrian-friendly, urban-type streetscape with mid-rise residential above..."

http://www.bizjournals.com/washingto...ghts-west.html


Image courtesy of Urban Turf: http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blo..._reads515/7066

[202_Cyclist]

Wegmans negotiating deal to open near Silver Line in Tysons Corner

By Jonathan O'Connell
Washington Post
6/26/13

"Wegmans is negotiating a deal to open a store as part of the Scotts Run Station South development in Tysons Corner, according to sources close to the discussions.

According to the sources, who were not authorized by the parties to speak publicly, the store would be on Colshire Drive, just off of Route 123, a short walk from the McLean Metro station that is currently under construction.

(The site plan for Scotts Run Station South is here.)

Wegmans, based in Rochester, N.Y., has traditionally built stores of well over 100,000 square feet with large surface parking lots. But in Tysons — where it would have the opportunity to serve McLean — the grocer is considering a smaller, urban format of 80,000 square feet..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...f9c6_blog.html

[zbaums]

Here's a few photos from last week. . . There are a few shots of the new Tysons Tower with some glass going up, and in one picture you can see a new Silver Line station almost complete. I included some renderings from the Tysons Tower website. Also I threw in a few pictures of my office building, because it's gorgeous, and a panorama I took in the new Tesla showroom in Tysons mall. This place is really building up, and fast.

[shakman]

Hopefully the Tesla will be my next car. I visit their Tyson's store every time I walk into Tyson's I. The last time I was there, this past Wednesday, the vehicle in the background was black.