Tysons West developer downsizes plan for residential building next to Sheraton hotel

As it seeks to convert the former Sheraton Tysons Hotel into housing, the developer of Tysons West has scaled down its intentions for a residential and retail building on the vacant neighboring lot.

In a new plan submitted to Fairfax County on Friday (March 31), JBG Smith proposes building a five to eight-story mid-rise with up to 265 dwelling units and 5,000 square feet of retail space, reducing the overall square footage to a maximum of 268,000.

Adjacent to the Cox store and Basic Burger buildings, the 2.18-acre property at 8740 Yard Street is bounded to the west by Cornerside Blvd, to the north by Ashgrove Lane and to the east by Route 7 (Leesburg Pike). It’s currently being used as a gravel parking lot.

“The Applicant’s proposal will result in the provision of a new multifamily building within close proximity to the Spring Hill Metro station, and in the installation of a variety of new urban parks and associated amenities for future residents and members of the public,” Walsh Colucci lawyer Robert Brant wrote in a March 29 statement of justification on JBG Smith’s behalf.

Known as Building C, the site was first approved in 2013 as a five to six-story building with up to 450,000 square feet of space, including up to 400 residential units and 50,000 square feet of retail.

The maximum height of 85 feet will remain the same as the original development plan for Tysons West, which envisioned nearly 1.8 million square feet of development across five buildings between the Dulles Airport Access Road and Westwood Center Drive.

Two of the existing buildings — the Sheraton and the shopping block filled by Walmart, District Taco and others — were set to be retained until Marriott International closed the hotel in April 2020.

“Given the proposed adaptive reuse of Building E into a naturally affordable multifamily building, and the retention of its structured and surface parking, revisions to the approved design for Building C are required,” Brant said.

As part of Building C, the developer says it will construct part of a new private street called Yard Street from Cornerside Blvd to the entrance of a two-level parking garage at the bottom of the building. The garage will have 269 spaces total, according to the plan.

Yard Street will eventually provide a “right-out only” exit onto Route 7.

Other amenities include a 2,700-square-foot “pocket” park on the opposite corner of Cornerside and Ashgrove, and a 7,000-square-foot urban plaza on the site’s southwest corner. The 0.2 acres provided fall short of the 0.7 acres of park space recommended based on the county’s standards.

At full build-out, Tysons West will have 2.5 acres of park space, including a publicly accessible, recreational park proposed next to the Westwood Village condominiums as part of the Sheraton conversion.

A private courtyard for residents will also be provided inside Building C, according to the application.

In addition, the developer has offered to make streetscape improvements on the north side of Ashgrove Lane — including 6-foot-wide sidewalks and 8.5-foot-wide landscape panels — and construct a 10-foot-wide trail along the building by Leesburg Pike.

“Approval of this FDPA will continue to implement the County’s vision for Tysons by expanding upon the supply of residential housing and advancing its transformation into a transit-oriented mixed-use neighborhood,” Brant wrote.