Despite numerous delays to the opening of the Silver Line expansion, builders continue to bet on Reston.
In January, we examined the work going on south of the Silver Line. Fairfax County has approved new developments across the board from Wiehle Avenue to Monroe Street, at density levels never imagined at the turn of the last decade.
This year, construction continues on some of the biggest and tallest buildings ever seen in this area. Here is a quick preview of what developers are working on in North Reston.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Lake Fairfax
The Lake Fairfax Business Center is already lightly developed as a business and industrial park. One of the businesses hidden in the back, Thompson Hospitality, is improving its property with a five story, 138 room hotel. Approved in 2018, the approximately 70-foot tall hotel will be Hilton branded and is planned to be completed this fall.
Eventual plans for the business park include a street connection to Michael Faraday Drive that will enhance access to the hotel.
Tall Oaks
Formerly a small strip anchored by a Giant supermarket, construction is ramping on a residential addition to the Tall Oaks neighborhood. Stanley Martin is building a cluster of four-story townhomes and two-over-two townhome-style condos. Much of 2019 was spent demolishing the existing shopping center, and the site appears to be ready for grading.
Two recently remodeled retail buildings remain on the site. Future plans for the development include two low-rise multifamily buildings that will contain a total of 70 condominium units.
Faraday Park
Michael Faraday Drive has been the center of construction east of Wiehle Avenue for a couple years now. 2019 saw the delivery of the Lofts at Reston Station, as well as the groundbreaking of Faraday West, the first building in the Faraday Park development. The seven-story residential building at around 80 feet tall is well into construction, and already visibly taller than any other building in the surrounding blocks. The second building (Faraday East), a similarly massed apartment building currently being built up against an existing parking garage, is planned to match its neighbor in height and design. A mirroring double row of townhomes will divide the neighborhood in two.
These initial construction projects should be important for the overall development of the surrounding blocks as they are taking the first overall step towards completing the future street grid that will connect the residents and businesses to Wiehle Avenue and the metro station less than half a mile to the west. Once the ongoing construction is finished, a portion of the future Reston Station Boulevard will run from Michael Faraday Drive east to Sunset Hills Road. Faraday Park is planned to open this Fall.
Another construction project on Michael Faraday Drive is commencing across Sunset Hills. Demolition is commencing on the property adjacent to SkateQuest, planned to be the home of a four-story storage facility.
1750 Presidents Street
Described as the final improvement to the original Reston Town Center property, this seventeen-story office building is topped out at over 200 feet and should be ready to be occupied this spring. Leidos signed a full-building lease in 2018 and will be consolidating their corporate presence in Reston into this new construction.
Reston Station
Years before the opening of the first Silver Line phase, Comstock Companies had their eyes set on developing the county-owned lot north of the Dulles Airport Access Road. At that time, the character of the surrounding area was largely the same as it is now: suburban office parks with acres of surface parking throughout. The speculative proposition to build dense was a vote of confidence in the Silver Line, before any evidence that such a development would work. In a partnership with Fairfax County, Comstock has spent nearly ten years now developing that park-and-ride lot into a massive mixed-use center. What started as an underground parking garage to serve the Metro Station has continued to build up high above the plaza which once housed only pop-up shops.
The word “massive” is appropriate in this instance due to the land use of the seven acre complex surrounding the metro plaza. While many developers would distribute the habitable space into taller, more slender structures, Reston Station’s four high-rise buildings are massed close together, and although two of the buildings have many setbacks, they do not do much to reduce the square footage as the heights increase. In fact, the distinct trophy tower facing the East (designed by Helmut Jahn) defies convention by increasing the space on each floor. The massing problem is further complicated by the need to build much of the office building parking above-grade.
As a result, the block of buildings resembles an actual block, massive and bulky, when viewed from most directions. The development remains mostly open from the north, and might stay that way, as Comstock has no public plans to increase the height of the Founding Farmers restaurant building that faces Reston Station Boulevard. The rezoning approved by the county, however, would allow them to construct up to 21 stories of hotel or residential uses there if they desire.
Might be a bit of a moot point though, as in January the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the latest amendment to the next phase in the Reston Station development, dubbed the “Promenade District,” which will be built on the block between Reston Station and Sunset Hills Road. The massing of this phase will roughly mirror Reston Station, creating a square of tall buildings arranged around two inner plazas. Groundwork should begin later this year for the signature building, a 300 foot tall Marriott Renaissance hotel topped by condominium units.
Reston Gateway
Reston Gateway has been under construction now for over a year and the ambitious expansion of Reston Town Center is finally starting to take shape. The largest development underway in Reston is also one of the largest developments in the Washington area, and seems set to redefine the Reston skyline from all directions. The current “superblock” is being split into three or four smaller blocks, each of which will be home to some of Reston’s tallest high-rise buildings.
Clark Construction is currently finishing up the shared parking podium for two office towers (buildings “A” and “B,” for now) at the corner of Town Center Parkway and Sunset Hills Road. The exact floor count seems to vary by source, but including the 6 above-ground parking levels, the county supervisors approved up to 35 and 28 stories for buildings A and B respectively. However, the initial plan for 1.22 million square feet gross floor area was later adjusted down to 1.06 million, which means that one or both buildings could be a couple stories shorter.
Still, both buildings are on track to be taller than any other building in miles, and Fannie Mae has agreed to lease the majority of the office space, making this project a slam dunk for Boston Properties, which owns the site and most of the rest of Reston’s urban core. The buildings will be smartly situated across the street from the Silver Line, which will probably open before the scheduled completion in 2022. As one of the only properties adjacent to the metro station, Reston Gateway should be the principal use case for this metro stop.
It took a bit longer to get this article out, but that wraps up the major ongoing projects in town. Expect updates on all these developments throughout the year as they progress and deliver.