When Georgelas Group received a partial approval for a portion of their landmark project Spring Hill Station in late 2011, construction was anticipated to begin shortly thereafter. With once partner, now full proprietor, Greystar Management taking full control of the property, along with financing provided by JP Morgan Chase & Company, it appeared we would see the first TOD high rise coming to the Route 7 corridor. It came as a bit of a surprise that Greystar has actually broken ground, unceremoniously, and is now moving forward with construction of the residential tower.
The building, originally developed under the label F1, will be tucked between the existing Georgelas office park, planned to remain, and a 1-story commercial retail center which includes Ethan Allen, Starbucks, McDonalds, and the Container Store. The existing road along the Georgelas office park will be expanded to accommodate the new mixed use property, and designed in accordance with the Tysons Corner Urban Design Guidelines. The 300′ Building F1 will include 404 varying units, and based on the anticipated name of the new road, Condominium Avenue, will likely add permanent residential options to Tysons Corner.
With the construction already begun, the building will be shortly behind the opening of the Silver Line metro in late 2013. This phase is only the first step in a multi-year development, Spring Hill Station, which will transform the intersections of Spring Hill, Route 7, Tyco, and Greensboro into an urban region with wide walkable plazas, vibrant retail options, and 16 separate high rise mixed use buildings ranging from 200 to 400’. The project has lofty goals of converting the currently under-utilized industrial warehouses, strip malls, and massive surface parking lots into a new arts district for the growing city. With the possibility of well over 10,000 residents living all within a half mile of the new metro and the retail lined and improved Tyco and Spring Hill Road this development has a more than likely chance of achieving its vision.
Spring Hill Station will be located between the existing Harris Teeter along Westpark Drive and the new grocery style Wal-Mart across Route 7, being constructed currently with the Tysons West Promenade project providing all the comforts of suburban life within walking and biking range. The two projects will have the benefit of having direct access to both the Silver Line metro station at Tysons West and the pedestrian bridge system proposed to allow crossing of Route 7 without fear of losing one’s life.
Spring Hill Station will bring new housing options to a region which currently is surrounded by largely unaffordable houses within McLean, Vienna, and Great Falls. This should help attract younger professionals into the city who might not be able to otherwise purchase these homes. While politicization of the quota set affordable housing units has drawn the ire of critics, the creation of diverse unit types within multi-family construction will provide a much greater assistance to younger purchasers and renters than any mandate. When faced with either purchasing a $1 million plus home in McLean or purchasing a still pricey $400,000 townhome in Reston and Herndon, many younger buyers and downsizing boomers may see the benefits of living within walking range of metro and, for a lucky few, their offices.
Tysons Corner’s future has been a compromise between those who want to leave it as a work only destination, avoiding public contribution to infrastructure, and urbanists who believed that all restrictions on height should be removed, requiring additional contributions towards smart growth goals. No one received exactly what they would have hoped with the Comprehensive Plan, but it is clear that these new residential and mixed use developments will be far better, and more profitable tax revenue sources, than the existing parking lots and strip malls which have turned Tysons Corner into a nightly ghost town for the past two decades.
For more information on the Spring Hill Station project see the concept development plan on Fairfax County’s Government webpage