Proposal seeks to boost visibility, presence of Reston’s North Point Village Center

The owner of Reston’s North Point Village Center is exploring ways to make the center more competitive and visible in the community.

Developer Lerner Corporation submitted a proposal to Fairfax County on Oct. 19 seeking its permission to update two monument signs that clearly identify the shopping center and incorporate tenant signage within existing monument signs.

The center at 1452 Reston Parkway is anchored by Giant Food and hosts 27 other suites, including Baskin-Robbins, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks. But Lerner says the limited visibility to passersby is challenging for those businesses.

“The visibility of these tenants from outside of the center is severely restricted due to the existing, mature vegetation surrounding and within it and the retail tenants being at a lower grade than the surrounding roads,” Connor Breed, a Cooley real estate associate representing Lerner, wrote in a statement of justification for the application.

The new monument signs would identify some of the shopping center’s tenants, which often turn over. The center is also challenged by having only one anchor tenant — a grocery store that must compete with Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods and Safeway on or nearby Reston Parkway alone.

“If North Point Center hopes to compete with other local shopping centers, its current lack of clear notification that it includes commercial uses and what tenants are available must be resolved,” the application continues.

The existing monument signs were approved in 1994.

“By bringing North Point Center’s monument signs into line with the expectations of existing and prospective commercial tenants, the shopping center will be better able to serve the needs of Reston’s residents and visitors and will be primed for long-term success,” Breed wrote.

The proposal is in the early stages of the county’s review process and has not yet been formally accepted for review.

The 134,000-square-feet village center is almost fully leased, according to a site plan from Lerner. A Body Fit Training studio is expected to open next year, and one 1,200-square-foot suite designated for specialty retail remains available for leasing.