Housing development proposed to replace offices behind Herndon’s H Mart

Herndon Corporate Center could become the latest local office park to give way to a new housing development.

Reston-based developer Stanley Martin Homes is looking to replace three of the four office buildings at 1145-1175 Herndon Parkway with condominiums and townhouses, according to an application set for a Herndon Board of Architectural Review public hearing tonight (Wednesday).

Located directly behind Elden Street Marketplace, the shopping center anchored by H Mart, Herndon Corporate Center was built in 1986 and consists of one-story, brick office buildings that total 135,756 square feet of rentable space, per its website.

If its plan is approved, Stanley Martin would demolish all of the existing office buildings except for the one at 1165 Herndon Parkway, whose current tenants include the Score Foundation and a National Guaranty Purchase Center run by the Small Business Administration.

“This fourth office building will remain for an undetermined period of time,” Tamsin Himes, a lead planner for the Town of Herndon, said in a staff report, noting that the untouched building is under different ownership than the rest of the office park.

According to submitted project renderings, the developer plans to construct 56 two-over-two condo units on the eastern side of the property adjacent to Elden Street Marketplace. The rest of the site will be filled with 55 three-floor townhomes.

Proposed open space amenities include a plaza with outdoor seating by the development’s entrance on Herndon Parkway, an asphalt trail with exercise stations along the northwestern perimeter, a tot lot near the condos, and two smaller seating areas.

A site plan for the development was approved on June 23, according to Stanley Martin’s presentation.

In her report, Himes said staff “is supportive” of the project but hasn’t made a recommendation yet, because it’s seeking clarification on a few items, such as which of the several submitted color schemes and elevations will actually be pursued.

“Staff believes that a valuable conversation can be had with the applicant regarding the design items mentioned above,” Himes wrote.

Tonight’s public hearing will likely be continued to Nov. 15 “given the need for additional materials and additional time for review,” town staff said in a memo.

Dubbed “Park Place,” this would be Stanley Martin’s third development in the Herndon area. The company also built the Liberty Park neighborhood in McNair, and construction began this spring on the Overlook at Dulles Tech condos near the Innovation Center Metro station.