The development plans that are in the pipeline in Tysons propose radical changes to the area, removal of surface parking lots, construction of high rises, street level retail, and human scale infrastructure but no neighborhood of Tysons will see as great of a change as Tysons East.
The district of Tysons East, one of the eight designated Tysons development districts, is characterized today by its isolate office park campuses for major corporations, and aging low rise residential and office buildings, some of which have been abandoned. At its core is the McLean metro station, the catalyst for the changes anticipated. Tysons East, unlike other TOD districts within Tysons is separated from the rest of the growing region, due to being bordered by both the Beltway and Dulles Toll Road. However, the plans that have been approved for the district show it rising and growing as a major commercial business district in its own right.
The vast majority of land in the Tysons East district will be redeveloped. The notable exception being the Scotts Run stream valley park which will be revitalized and left undeveloped. The district will be home to the regions tallest commercial building, Capital One Tower, proposed to be 470′ tall. A new main street retail hub will take shape at Scotts Run Station, Market Street, sitting atop what is currently an abandoned low-rise office building within a field of parking.
The transformation can and will be rapid (in development terms) due to the limited constraints of existing conditions in the area. Unlike more developed portions of Tysons like Central 123 and Central 7, utilities and developed superblocks are not obstacles it will need to navigate. The area is currently seeing significant construction, with 3 separate site plans already under construction: MITRE Building 4, Garfield Parcel, and Capital One’s sitework for their headquarters tower.