High-rise housing with public, urban park proposed for Tysons’ Arbor Row

With the region’s office market still in flux, the developer behind Arbor Row in central Tysons will bet on housing instead.

Cityline Partners recently submitted a proposal to Fairfax County asking to swap an office building that had previously been approved for the neighborhood’s Block C2 for a residential high-rise with ground-floor retail.

“This proposal to develop Block C2 with a high-rise residential building with ground floor retail/service uses and significant park space will progress Arbor Row into a more complete and vibrant neighborhood,” land use lawyer John McGranahan wrote in a statement of justification on the applicant’s behalf.

Encompassing 19.4 acres along Westpark Drive near Tysons Galleria, the plan for Arbor Row was originally approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2012. It calls for eight blocks of development, including the completed Nouvelle apartments.

Construction is underway on the Monarch condominiums and The Mather, a two-building senior living facility.

Cityline’s current application focuses on Block C2, which was approved to host an 180-foot-tall office building with up to 275,650 square feet of space, including retail and service uses. A public park with an urban plaza and recreational amenities was also envisioned on a portion of the block.

The new proposal retains the public park commitment but replaces the office building with a 23-story, 270-foot-tall residential tower. The high-rise’s 275,650 square feet of space would consist of up to 240 dwelling units and up to 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail or service uses.

The application estimates that the change to housing will result in 2,070 fewer average daily vehicle trips on weekdays compared to what the offices would’ve generated, so a reduction to the 475 parking spaces in the currently approved plan has been requested.

Under the proposal, Block C2 will deliver 1.8 acres of a 3-acre public park. The remainder is being built as part of The Mather.

While some of the planned amenities remain the same, including an urban plaza facing Westpark Drive, a playground, a lawn area, pavilions and public art, the new application swaps tennis and basketball courts for a large putting green, two pickleball courts, and an “outdoor fitness circuit,” citing increased demand in the county for pickleball.

It also proposes covering a previously open-air parking garage.

“This eliminates an awkward element of the approved plan and creates a more cohesive park plan,” McGranahan wrote. “It also facilitates connections to the public park spaces on [the Monarch and Nouvelle], which previously were blocked from the signature urban park by a tall retaining wall.”

In addition to the public park, the revised development plan includes private terraces for residents and their guests:

On the south side of the building, a pool deck and an amenity area featuring seating areas, outdoor grilling stations and dining elements, and a multi-functional lawn will be provided. On the north side of the building, the lower level roof terrace may provide additional passive outdoor spaces, and/or provide outdoor space for use by a street level retailer/restaurateur.

Though the application was filed by Cityline Partners, developer Renaissance Centro is under contract to buy the 2.9-acre parcel at 7925 Westpark Drive, according to the Washington Business Journal. The Bethesda-based firm is also building the Monarch.