Apartment building at Dulles Station approved, giving development its final piece

The final piece of a massive mixed-used project near the Innovation Center Metro station is officially on track for approval.

At a Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting on Nov. 2, the commission unanimously gave developer DSVO Dulles approval to complete the development of just under three acres of mostly undeveloped land at 2310 Dulles Station Blvd.

The proposal is the last remaining undeveloped portion of the larger 58-acre Dulles Station development.

The applicant’s land use representative Mike Van Atta, a land use planner with the firm McGuireWoods, said the proposal was an “appropriate end-cap” for the overall development.

The plan includes a mixed-use apartment building with 510 units and seven stories. roughly 21,000 square feet of open space is proposed on the site, which would be flanked by townhouse-style units on either side of pedestrian mews. Retail is proposed on the ground floor of the building.

“It’s also the final piece of the puzzle for the completion of Dulles Station,” Van Atta said.

The developer elected to move forward with one of two separate development options for the building, which was previously approved in 2017 for either a mid-rise or high-rise building. The latest proposal favors a mid-rise building.

The approval came after discussion about the implication of the development on area schools.

Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina asked staff and the developer to examine if and how the county school system is prepared to handle students generated by the overall project, adding that the latest approval could bring at least one classroom full of elementary school students to the system.

“It would be good to know that we’ve committed to take a look at where we stand elementary school-wise,” Cortina said.

Hunter Mill District Commissioner John Carter also questioned why the development plan calls for single ramps instead of double ramps for pedestrians as they enter and exit the development.

Referring to challenges with pedestrian connectivity at The Boro in Tysons, Carter said that single ramps don’t do an efficient job of managing traffic.

“It sends people right out to the intersection with no regard to which way the traffic is coming,” Carter said.

He conceded that, while this was a “small point,” the overall application was “well worked out.”

Dranesville District Commissioner John Ulfelder noted that the overall application was consistent with previous approvals, the county’s zoning ordinance, and comprehensive planning documents.

“I like the straightforward applications. This one is,” he said.