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.
Construction of Phase 2 of the Silver Line extension into Loudoun County is nearly 76 percent complete, according to a quarterly update by Capital Rail Constructors.
At a Wednesday meeting, the lead contractor on the project told the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority that the project is on track. By 2020, officials hope to open the second phase of the line, which brings 23 miles of track past Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County.
Precasting work at the Reston Town Center Station will be completed by February. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing outfitting will continue through the fall of this year while roofing will finish by June.
Concrete work has been completed at the North Pavilion and precasting is almost finished. The breakdown of pedestrian bridges, provided by Capital Rail Constructors, is below:
Metal decking at the Herndon Station is complete as work on mechanics, roofing, skylights, elevators and the track continues. The concrete structure and utility work surrounding the South Pavilion has also been completed.
Most workers involved in the project — 58 percent — are from Virginia while 26 percent are from Maryland.
Photos via handout by Capital Rail Constructors
If you’ve traveled down Sunset Hills Road or the Dulles Toll Road recently, you may have noticed the north-side pedestrian bridge for the future Reston Town Center Metro station has been installed.
Once construction is complete, the hulking structure will allow pedestrians to access the Silver Line station from the north side of the Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Airport Access Highway, according to information provided by the Dulles Metrorail Corridor Project.
The installation took place in the late-night hours of Oct. 13-14.
Construction work on Phase 2 of the Silver Line, which will extend the Metrorail from Reston to Ashburn, was reported earlier this month to be about two-thirds done. The line is expected to be opened to the public in 2020.
Photos courtesy Dusty Smith/Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
(This article was edited at 4:30 p.m. to clarify information about the size of the potential store.)
Citing a pair of unnamed sources, the Washington Business Journal reports that grocery chain Wegmans has signed a letter of intent to put an urban-format store near the future Reston Town Center Metro station.
According to WBJ, the store would be built in the future Reston Crescent development, a 36-acre plot of land in the northwest corner of the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive. That’s across from Reston Association headquarters.
In May, the WBJ reported the Western New York-based chain was looking at a 23-acre property assemblage on Association Drive, near the intersection of Sunrise Valley Drive and Soapstone Drive. Among factors that may have burdened a deal for that site is the proposed Soapstone Connector, which would cut through the property.
The new report states the upscale grocer has committed to Reston Crescent developer Brookfield Properties. The store would be small for a Wegmans, similar in size to the store approved for Tysons at 80,000 square feet. (On its website, Wegmans says its stores range in size from “75,000 to 140,000 square feet.”)
Currently going through the County approval process, the 36-acre property is scheduled to be redeveloped to add up to 2,260 dwelling units, 1.18 million square feet of office space, up to 125,000 square feet of retail, and potentially a 160-room hotel. Six parks are also included in Brookfield’s plan. The WBJ report indicates a deal with Wegmans may mean the site plan will require a redesign to accommodate the grocery store.
There are more than 90 Wegmans stores in six states, ranging from Massachusetts to Virginia. The company has plans to open a store in DC soon, as well as for expansion into North Carolina.
Wegmans’ website shows two confirmed future locations in Fairfax County:
- AÂ Chantilly location, at Route 28 and Westfields Boulevard, is scheduled for a 2018 opening
- The Tysons location, at the future Capital One Center near I-495 at Route 123, is listed as a “future site”
The nearest current locations are in Sterling (Dulles 28 Center) and Fairfax.
Colts Neck Tennis Courts Closed — Drainage work and resurfacing at the courts will have them closed for about a month. [Reston Association/Twitter]
More Work on Toll Road This Weekend — Overnight work is planned tonight through Monday between Fairfax County Parkway and Reston Parkway, as crews continue construction of the Reston Town Center Metrorail station in the median of the Dulles Access Highway. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
Free Smoothie for National Flip Flop Day — Tropical Smoothie Café (11684 Plaza America Drive) is giving a free Sunshine Smoothie to anyone who comes in wearing flip flops between 2 and 7 p.m. today. Blaire from “The Jack Diamond Morning Show” will be there as well. [Mix 107.3/Twitter]
Teen Star Talks About Growing Up in Reston — Jacob Sartorius says he faced a lot of bullying in school. The 14-year-old is becoming a sensation, though, with 14 million followers on the app Musical.ly, 7 million followers on Instagram and more than 2 million subscribers to his YouTube channel. [Asbury Park Press]
Boston Properties’ plans for a 28-acre site between the W&OD Trail and Sunset Hills Road would provide a connection between the Reston Town Center Metro station and RTC itself.
According to the latest edition of The Fairfax Newsletter, the 3.94 million-square feet of mixed-use development that is proposed for the site would include up to 1.69 million square feet of residential space, up to 1.67 million square feet of office space, up to 509,000 square feet of hotel space, and up to 185,400 square feet of retail/restaurant space. Construction would take place on nine blocks, in two phases. A 1.56-acre central area — designed to “invoke the successes” of places like the Mosaic District — is also proposed for the property.
A pedestrian bridge is proposed over Sunset Hills Road to connect the property to the future Metro station, with a “Gateway Plaza” that may include retail and a “noteworthy restaurant.” In addition, extension of Library Street from Reston Town Center to Reston Gateway is proposed; however, that would require approval from both the county and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, as it would cross the W&OD Trail.
The property currently is the home of two office buildings, Reston Corporate Center I and II, which would be demolished to make room for the new development.
The site, a portion of which is currently being used as a parking area for Metro construction, is part of the Reston Planned Residential Community (PRC) District. Under a proposed amendment to the PRC zoning ordinance, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors could approve the development to include population density in excess of 50 dwelling units per acre, which is the current cap.
The plans for the property call for between 1,502 and 1,688 units.
Images via Boston Properties
Nearly four dozen major redevelopment projects have been proposed in Reston in the past two years, and residents need to be aware of how much change that means for the community.
That was the message of Larry Butler, Reston Association’s senior director of parks, as he addressed directors during their meeting Thursday. Butler shared information about some of the largest potential redevelopments that remain on the horizon. Butler’s information came from a map that was provided to him recently by the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.
“When I received it, I was fascinated,” Butler said. “Some of these, most people have not seen.”
Butler specifically shined the spotlight on five projects outlined on the DPZ map.
- Reston Gateway Commons, to be bordered by Town Center Parkway, Sunset Hills Road and the W&OD Trail. The 23-acre plot, proposed for development by Boston Properties, is between the future Reston Town Center Metro station and RTC itself. In the pre-application process, Boston Properties is proposing 3.94 million square feet of residential and retail, along with a 1/3-acre park. It could have as many as 1,688 dwelling units.
- Campus Commons, located on the south side of the Dulles Toll Road near the southeast intersection of Wiehle Avenue and Sunrise Valley Drive. The rezoning application, which is in process, would add four new residential buildings and four parks. This could add up to 1,100 dwelling units on the 11.6-acre property.
- A major property assemblage on Association Drive, near the intersection of Sunrise Valley Drive and Soapstone Drive. This 23-acre plot, which is in the pre-application phase, is rumored to be sought after by grocery chain Wegmans. The design shared by Butler with the board shows a grocery store on the south side of the property, bordering Sunrise Valley Drive, among its numerous retail and residential buildings. Butler said nothing has formally been submitted to the County on the project, but “there are clearly discussions going on that there’s a general concept plan that has been drawn up for this.”
- The redevelopment of Isaac Newton Square. Butler said the proposal remains in the pre-application phase and there is no preliminary information available yet.
- Reston Crescent, located in the northwest corner of the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive. Currently going through the County approval process, the 36-acre property — which Butler called a “monster development” — would be redeveloped to add up to 2,260 dwelling units, 1.18 million square feet of office space, up to 125,000 square feet of retail, and potentially a 160-room hotel. Six parks are also included in the plan from developer Brookfield Properties.
A total of 44 redevelopment proposals appear on the map provided by DPZ.
“The main point to highlight is there is a lot of activity going on,” Butler said. Â “This gives you an idea of the volume of activity that is happening here in Reston.”
As director of parks, Butler noted that the revised Comprehensive Plan calls for three fully lighted athletic fields near the TSAs — something absent from the redevelopment proposals.
“In none of these have we seen a ballfield,” Butler said. “I think we need to drum up a little interest in this … to define locations on some of these major assemblages where these things can occur.”
John McBride, RA’s land-use attorney, said it is impressive to see so many developers willing to invest in the community; however, he added, Restonians need to make sure they remain informed on each application and remain engaged with Fairfax County throughout the approval process.
“It’s a lot of work to get up on these applications, [but] public input is so important,” McBride said. “You are listened to by senior County staff and all of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors members and planning commissioners only when you do your homework [and] you’re reasonable.”
None of the properties highlighted by Butler in the proposal lie within the purview of Reston Association, meaning any meeting with the Design Review Board by a developer would be as a courtesy only.
Map courtesy Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning via Reston Association
Tower Crane To Be Removed Next Weekend — Crews will remove a tower crane from the median of the Dulles International Airport Access Highway between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Reston Parkway overpass, June 2-5. The crane has been working on the future Reston Town Center Metro station. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]
VideoBlocks Moving to Arlington — After announcing last year that the company would be moving from Reston to Arlington, subscription stock video service VideoBlocks has settled on a location. [Washington Business Journal]
Fairfax 275 Committee To Meet Here — The 275th Commemoration Steering Committee will meet at Lake Anne Brew House on June 1, celebrating the county’s official anniversary month and gearing up for the Historically Fairfax: 275th Celebration Fair, June 17. [Facebook]
Church Celebrating Centenarian’s Birthday — Virginia M. Calloway, the oldest member of the Heritage Fellowship Church on Fox Mill Road, will turn 104 on June 4. [Reston Connection]
Metro’s Art in Transit Program is recommending the vision of a Colorado-based artist to become the motif of the future Reston Town Center Metro station.
Last week, the program unveiled the proposal of Joshua Wiener as its pick for the public art installation at the station’s walkways over the Dulles Toll Road. Wiener’s designs, which are shown on his personal website, consist of powder-coated aluminum sculptures of a bassist, a horn player and a drummer, as well as flowing red and teal ribbon designs down the corridors.
Wiener’s proposal was chosen over two other finalists. The program received 45 total submissions for the project. The Art Review Panel included the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, the Arts Council of Fairfax County, Public Art Reston and other Virginia-based visual art professionals.
According to the Art in Transit Program, the public art initiative benefits Metro as a whole by:
- Creating attractive transit facilities
- Building livable communities by creating public spaces that reflect the artistic, cultural and historic environment
- Creating economic opportunities for artists, engineers, fabricators and other professionals
WMATA’s Customer Service Operations and Security Committee approved the proposal at its Thursday meeting. The full WMATA board will vote on it this summer. Upon board approval, WMATA will enter into contract with Wiener to develop, fabricate and install the artwork.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is overseeing construction of Phase II of the Silver Line, is funding the public art effort. The project’s funding is capped at $250,000.
Phase 2 of construction on Metro’s Silver Line is more than 56 percent complete, according to information released today by the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is overseeing construction of the 11.4-mile Phase 2 extension of the Silver Line from Reston through Dulles Airport to Ashburn. Engineering and design work on the phase began in July 2013, and the project is expected to be complete by 2020. All told, the stretch will include six rail stations; nine entrance pavilions and pedestrian bridges; aerial guideways through Dulles Airport; and 89,000 feet of track.
“Bad weather never really stopped us,” project vice president Charles Stark is quoted as saying regarding construction efforts in recent months.
Station wall work is currently underway at the future Reston Town Center station, while structural steel installation for the vault roof has begun at the future Herndon station, also located in Reston. In addition, piers for pedestrian bridges are being put up. All needed pier caps have been poured, along with 76 percent of deck spans. Construction on the rail yard at Dulles Airport is 46 percent complete, according to project officials.
Work also began in December on a new Herndon Metro parking garage, a county project.
Phase 2 of the Silver Line was originally projected to be completed by late 2018; however, design modifications later pushed that date back.
Photos courtesy Capital Rail Constructors/Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Feb. 23 as the approval process for the Reston Town Center Metro station continues.
The special exemption application for the south entrance pavilion of the station calls for modifying a zoning ordinance that requires 15 percent open space to require only 5 percent. According to the site plan:
“The applicants state that the boundary for the SE area is highly constrained in order to avoid adverse impact to future development of adjacent properties and to ensure that the development of the proposed mass transit facilities remain in harmony with the adjacent development. The site design and layout is consistent with the design of the other entrance pavilion areas along the Silver Line.”
The new station’s entrance pavilion is slated to look nearly identical to the pavilion at the Wiehle-Reston East station.
The Metro station was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last year. It is part of Metro’s Silver Line Phase 2, with a projected opening date in 2020.
If recommended, the Board of Supervisors will hear the special exemption application on March 14.
Graphics via project site plan
Another giant crane will set up in Reston later this week as construction on the Reston Town Center Metro station continues.
The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project says crews will be assembling a tower crane in the median of the Dulles International Airport Access Highway (DIAAH) between the Fairfax County Parkway overpass and the Reston Parkway overpass. That will affect lanes on both the access highway and the Dulles Toll Road.
Construction will take place Friday, April 29 through Monday, May 2.
The crane will be used for construction of the Silver Line’s future Reston Town Center Station, which is scheduled to bring Silver Line service to the spot in 2020. Read More
