Mars is upgrading its longtime headquarters in McLean.
The candy and pet food manufacturer announced yesterday (Tuesday) that, this August, it will begin a multi-year renovation of the two-story office building at 6885 Elm Street that has served as its global corporate base since 1984.
The renovation will create a “dynamic, pet-friendly workplace” and improve the building’s energy efficiency with the addition of roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels, a geothermal heat pump system, and “high efficiency” light and water fixtures, Mars said in a press release.
“When the Mars Family opened our corporate headquarters nearly four decades ago, it was important that the headquarters remained modest with a purpose to support Associates in markets worldwide,” Mars Vice President of Innovation, Science and Technology Nici Bush said. “We have strived to ensure the design of our renovation honors this spirit and, simultaneously, enhances the Associate experience for those who visit and work in McLean.”
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last October, the headquarters expansion was one of the first development projects to make it through the county’s rezoning process since the adoption of a new comprehensive plan for downtown McLean in June 2021.
At the same meeting, the Board of Supervisors also supported Astoria of McLean, a mid-rise residential building that will replace three commercial buildings, including the Moby Dick restaurant at 6854 Old Dominion Drive, on a site adjacent to Mars’ headquarters.
The Mars project will expand the building up to 126,974 square feet, roughly twice its current size. It will require the demolition of another office building at 6867 Elm Street and move parking to a 205-space underground garage.
Most of the existing surface parking will be replaced with private green space with walking paths and an event lawn for employees. Other planned amenities include “enhanced meeting spaces and a fitness center,” the company says.
As conditions of the development’s approval, Mars offered to upgrade a Metrobus stop on Old Dominion with a new bus shelter, construct a 12-foot-wide shared-use path, add street trees and underground all utilities.
According to Mars, its workforce has grown considerably since it first established McLean as its corporate headquarters in 1984. At that time, it had about 20,000 employees around the world. Now, it has over 150,000 people, including about 150 people based at its headquarters, a representative told the Fairfax County Planning Commission last fall.
A Mars spokesperson confirmed temporary office space has been leased in the McLean area to host employees while the headquarters is under construction. County permit records suggest the company finalized a lease for temporary space at 1676 International Drive in Tysons.
An application for a permit to demolish the office building at 6867 Elm Street was submitted on July 3.
Mars says its headquarters building is expected to reopen to workers in 2026.
The headquarters renovation isn’t the only ambitious project Mars has in the works. The company announced today (Wednesday) that it has signed an agreement to acquire Kellanova, the snack and plant-based food company that spun out of cereal maker Kellogg, for $35.9 billion. Kellanova’s brands include Pringles and Pop-Tarts.
This story has been updated to correct the timing of the Kellanova acquisition announcement and clarify that the new green space planned at Mars’ headquarters will be private, not publicly accessible.
