Timeline still unknown for redevelopment of downtown Herndon after revised plan submitted

RestonNow.com August 23, 2023 at 2:20pm

Downtown Herndon redevelopment project banner (staff photo by Fatimah Waseem) — Downtown Herndon is slated for redevelopment into a mixed-use community (staff photo by Fatimah Waseem)

Little remains known regarding when the $101 million redevelopment of downtown Herndon will officially begin.

Comstock Companies, the Reston-based developer leading the project with the Town of Herndon, declined to provide information on the timeline of the delayed project, including an anticipated groundbreaking — even after the company recently submitted a revised site plan.

The project will transform nearly 5 acres of land into a mixed-use community with 273 apartments and roughly 17,000 square feet of retail. A new arts center and a 726-space parking garage are also planned.

But the project — which was supposed start construction more than two years ago — is now more than a year into a two-year pause requested by Comstock last summer. That means it has to break ground by April 2024.

A Comstock spokesperson told FFXnow that the company does not have “any updates” on the project. A spokesperson for the Town of Herndon also said no information is available on the development timeline.

Comstock recently submitted a revised development plan for the project, which was put on pause last year due to what the company said were market constraints. Since then, few details have been released to the public.

The new site plan doesn’t include substantive changes from one approved by the town back in May 2019.

Anne Curtis, a spokesperson for the town, told FFXnow that the site plan revision was a necessary step for the company to update its designs to meet the current building code.

“Building permit drawings must be consistent with the site plan drawings. What was submitted was a revision of the site plan that incorporates design changes needed for compliance with the latest version of the building code,” Curtis wrote in a statement.

The town continues to roll over roughly $4 million that was previously appropriated for parking in the redevelopment, which will involve nearly 4.7 acres of land bounded by Elden, Center and Station streets. The town has continued to carry over this amount into the next fiscal year as part of the reappropriation process, Curtis said.