In May MRP (not to be confused with Meridian who owns the SAIC campus) broke ground on their 11-story office which will headquarter LMI along Jones Branch Drive. Due to the topography of the site, situated on an embankment of the Express Lane ramp, the earthwork for the project was an endeavor of its own.
After three months it looks like the building foundations are ready at the structure will soon start rising along the adjacent 495 right of way.
The pros of the project are that LMI, instead of leasing, has agree to purchase a portion of the building and ensuring a growing business and employment center will remain in Fairfax and Tysons for many years to come.
The cons are it is not particularly close to metro. It is situated on a corridor of other major employers (Hilton, Freddie Mac, and Gannett) which also lack transit and have over the past decade pushed the infrastructure along Jones Branch Drive to the brink. Lastly, the land use is especially unambitious and indicative of the old Tysons. In other words, if this project had to go in for approval today, it wouldn’t stand a chance in meeting the requirements of the Comprehensive Plan amendment. Unfortunately, it is a by right project, long ago approved for its use. Instead of bringing a mixed use element, it will be another far setback office building in an office park on steroids.
In many ways the next 3 years will embolden the argument against business as usual in Tysons. This single use office will end up only 2 blocks away from the Hanover Company mixed use development at Arbor Row (at the intersection of Jones Branch and Westpark). One will be a dead zone at night, with all the internal building amenities that define a “class A office” but with none of the elements that actually provide employee satisfaction: walkable lunch choices and varied commute options.
Keep in mind, this project is still better than most traditional office park models. It is located along a road with 6 different bus routes that include the circulator around Tysons, as well as connections to locations as far away as Burke, Reston, and Arlington. As far as land use, the location is more responsible than simply picking a greenfield in a suburb which is trying to retain its suburban nature. And, as is the case with all new construction, the tax revenue which will come from this building to the County (likely around $1 to 1.5 million annually) will help fund schools, police and fire, and over all reduce the county reliance on residential taxes.
We’ll see if the balance in Tysons starts shifting more from these by right projects: CVS, Tysons Tower, Ovation, and LMIs headquarters to better mixed use projects in line with the Comprehensive Plan like Ascent, Hanover, and Scotts Run Station.