A pair of office buildings built in Herndon’s McNair area at the turn of the millennium may soon be replaced with hundreds of homes.
The developer Mandrake Capital Partners is seeking to build 240 townhomes and 18 multifamily units on roughly 12 acres of land at the southwestern corner of the Dulles Technology Drive and Sunrise Valley Driver intersection, according to an application submitted to Fairfax County on Sept. 13.
“The proposed development will provide additional housing opportunities in the Dulles Suburban Center, while creating appropriate transitions to ensure compatibility with the surrounding area,” DLA Piper real estate attorney Brian Winterhalter said in a statement of justification for the applicant.
The county will have to rezone the property at 13600 and 13650 Dulles Technology Drive to allow the residential neighborhood. Located south of the Innovation Center Metro Station, the site is developed with two five-story office buildings constructed in 2000.
According to the application, the Valley Drive Village project will deliver “much needed additional housing” while removing the existing, “underperforming” office uses. Current tenants appear to include the software company Cisco and Learning Tree International, per Google Maps.
Network Realty Partners, which acquired the site last December, says on its website that the buildings known as Dulles Technology III and IV are 83% leased.
In its application, Mandrake Capital Partners — going by the name MCP Dulles Tech Center — says the intensity of development is intended to complement nearby mixed-use areas, including the growing Arrowbrook Centre and the Liberty Park neighborhood.
A series of urban park spaces will provide a buffer from surrounding development and “create a number of opportunities for the community and guests to engage with each other, while ensuring all residents have outdoor amenities proximate to their homes.”
The design is also intended to create a noise barrier to allow public open spaces and community areas to be used by residents.
“On the whole, this proposal serves multiple objectives including creating pedestrian connectivity, providing additional housing opportunities, enhancing stormwater management, and create new street connections,” the application says.
Vehicles will access the development from a new grid of streets to connect to Dulles Technology Drive and Sunrise Valley Drive.
The application contends that townhomes meet an “important” need in the housing market, noting that the Innovation Center Metro Station area has an abundance of multifamily residential units but fewer townhouse units.
The proposal hasn’t been officially accepted for review by county planners yet.
