Unless you are an office worker at Gannett, USA Today, or Hilton headquarters you likely don’t traverse Jones Branch Drive very often. Some might be surprised by the relatively walkable and almost bucolic atmosphere. The only thing missing, as many residents in North Tysons know all too well, is something to walk to during non-work hours.
The new construction of 7940 Jones Branch, which includes the headquarters for LMI, will likely not improve that situation. While the proposed building will include first floor restaurant space, it is being sited similarly to the near by Gannett Headquarter, setback from the road with significant site lawn area, not necessarily in line with the vision of the comprehensive plan. The project predates the new comprehensive plan, and therefore does not require some of the urban elements and T.O.D. concepts that create a fully mixed use project.
That being said, the project will still bring a new business to a transit accessible area of Tysons (at least by bus) as well as some mixed use in the form of a new restaurant. The project is also located directly adjacent to the new Express lanes ramp at Jones Branch, which will provide a decent traffic mitigation for employees who want to avoid Tysons and 495 traffic. The property actually has two buildings proposed ultimately, the last being a proposed hotel building, however no indication has been made if that building will be started any time soon.
The parcel doesn’t look like much yet, as earth work operations are still in full swing, but with an ambitious schedule for opening in late 2014/early 2015, I suspect there will be a huge push for vertical construction in the next few months. The end result will be an 11-story office/restaurant building overlooking 495 and filling a gap in the skyline along Jones Branch. The project will cost $120 million and provide 300,000 square feet of office in total, of which 160,000 square feet will be solely for the headquarters of LMI. We’ll try to keep up with construction progress photos as the building begins to take shape.