The county is officially courting feedback on the feasibility of a proposed arts center at Boston Properties’ Reston Next development.
Proffers negotiated by the county and the developer call for a 60,000-square-foot arts center and performing arts venue at the development.
Public meetings are planned from February through April to review the feasibility of the project. Architecture firm Grimm + Parker plans to review feedback and determine an estimate cost for the center.
“Community members, arts organizations and educators should plan to attend a session aligned with their perspective and give input regarding community needs and expectations for the facility space elements and functions,” Reston Community Center wrote in a Jan. 24 announcement about the public engagement period.
A breakdown of the meeting schedule is below:
Monday, February 14, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Kickoff Meeting. RCC Hunters Woods.
Monday, February 28, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Focus Group: Performing Arts. RCC Hunters Woods.
Monday, March 14, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Focus Group: Visual Arts. RCC Hunters Woods.
Monday, March 28, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Focus Group: Arts Education, Schools, Equity/Opportunity Neighborhoods. Zoom platform.
Monday, April 4, 2022, 6:30 p.m. General Wrap-up. Zoom platform.
Participants should RSVP by emailing [email protected].
Reston Next, formerly known as Reston Gateway, is located next to the Reston Town Center Metro Station. The development will be anchored by Volkswagen Group of America and Fannie Mae.
The arts center was part of a proffer agreement approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2018. Block J, which is near the intersection of Sunset Hills Road and Town Center Parkway, is expected to house the facility.
A feasibility study must be completed by the summer of 2022.
Image via handout/Fairfax County Government
Boston Properties’ CEO Doug Linde says that Reston’s urban market is dramatically outperforming other areas.
In a quarterly earnings call, Line said that the community’s urban market core is under 10 percent vacant, bringing in starting rents in the high 50s and 60s gross.
The company’s Reston Next Project — which is welcoming anchor tenant Fannie Mae this month — has secured rents starting in the low 60s. The company takes up roughly 700,00 square feet of space. Volkswagen will also move into that project.
Reston Town Center also secured several leases this year. While the company did not disclose the name’s of the latest tenants, Boston Properties signed a 20,000-square-foot lease with a new theater operator.
Last week, the company also completed a 20,000-square-foot fitness operator.
He also said three other leases for restaurants are “close to execution.”
Last month, the company confirmed that Open Road Distillery, Hammer & Nails, and Compass Real Estate signed leases and are slated to open next year.
So far, the company has declined to comment further on the leases.
The glass skyscrapers towering next to the Dulles Toll Road and over Sunset Hills Road have begun welcoming their largest tenant, according to Boston Properties President Doug Linde.
Formerly called Reston Gateway, the development has offices for Fannie Mae and Volkswagen Group of America next to the Reston Town Center Station. On Oct. 19, approximately 285,000 square feet of the project was placed in-service, according to property owner and developer Boston Properties.
Fannie Mae takes up most of the office space, 703,000 square feet, at the renamed Reston Next office complex, and the federally created corporation is consolidating its operations from three Reston locations to save $250 million.
Fannie Mae and Volkswagen fill up the vast majority of space with 15- and 20-year leases, respectively, but Linde told investors on an Oct. 27 earnings call that they’re still looking to lease 160,000 square feet. According to Boston Properties, the development called for approximately 1.1 million square-feet available for offices.
The comments came as the company remarked on the benefits of office space as compared to remote work, even though businesses are reevaluating their office needs amid a pandemic-fueled shift in telecommuting.
Reston Next is 85% leased, and despite the significant vacancy in northern Virginia, parts of Reston are under 10% vacant and continue to “dramatically outperform,” according to the company.
Boston Properties refused to comment on the new buildings. Fannie Mae was unable to respond to questions before this article published.
Construction of the project began in 2018.
