More residents are starting to move into The Mather Tysons with the recent completion of a second building.
The senior living community at 7929 Westpark Drive opened its 18-story south building in early September, adding another 114 independent living apartments to the 179 units delivered with the initial north building in March.
Open to people 62 and older, the south building is already about 94% sold, and the north building is just under 90% sold, according to Mather CEO Mary Leary.
“We’re thrilled to have the full community open now with the south building opening,” Leary told FFXnow. “We had 52 apartment homes commenced in September, meaning they signed their agreement and they’re ready to move in or they may have moved in during the month.”
During a tour of the Mather on Monday (Sept. 30), FFXnow encountered some residents in the process of moving in, while others were settled in, playing games of mahjong in a living room or working out in the fitness center.
The main amenity added with the opening of the south building is Sora, a lounge on the 17th floor with an outdoor terrace and a kitchen where the Mather’s chefs will give cooking demonstrations. That floor also has a guest suite where visiting family and friends of residents can stay.
Both buildings are joined by a five-floor podium that includes the lobby and ground floor, the third floor where most of the 38,000 square feet of private amenity space is located, and a life center with 16 assisted living apartments, 20 memory-support suites and 42 skilled nursing suites.
In addition to the aforementioned rooftop lounge, living room and fitness center, residents have access to four different restaurants, an indoor swimming pool with an infared sauna and whirlpool, and an art studio. A library offers books curated with the help of Fairfax County Public Library, George Mason University and the Vienna bookstore Bards Alley.
Leary says wellness was a priority for Mather when developing its programming in Tysons and its other “life plan communities.” The fitness center has equipment designed to allow “extremely smooth” movement and reduce the chances of injury, and a hydroponic garden managed by residents provides fresh greens and herbs that are used by the restaurants.
“Everyone’s focused on health and wellness these days, and they’re looking at improving longevity, so living longer but also living healthier,” she said. “Many of the people…are moving in because they see this as an opportunity to become more active and engaged within their community.”
That desire for community engagement extends outside the Mather’s walls, according to Leary. The placement of outdoor private amenities, including garden plots and an event lawn, alongside publicly accessible park space allows residents to interact with other community members who may stop by to use the dog park, badminton and bocce courts or see a concert on the lawn.
“We’ve seen residents walking their dogs and meeting up with other people from the neighborhood who have dogs as well, and I’ve seen some folks playing bocce, residents of the community and neighbors,” Leary said. “I think that has been a really important driver of people wanting to live here at the Mather.”
Some of the development’s anticipated public benefits are still to come. The south building’s ground floor will include a community center expected to open in February 2025, and talks are underway with tenants to fill 14,000 square feet of retail space.
Under a “very unique” partnership with Fairfax County’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, the community center will be open to Mather residents and anyone 50 and older who’s a registered member of the county’s senior centers, Leary says. The center will be staffed by the Mather.
While she couldn’t name specific tenants yet, Leary told FFXnow that Mather is “working on some agreements that I think will bring some unique services and amenities to the neighborhood.”
“This is a very walkable area, so there are lots of retail spaces popping up along the boulevard,” she said. “We’re excited to bring additional services and retail to this area.”
Approved by the county’s Board of Supervisors in 2019, the Mather joins the Nouvelle Apartments and Monarch, a 20-story condominium building, in Arbor Row. Monarch developer Renaissance Centro got a green light in May to build more condos instead of an office building that was previously approved for the 19.5-acre neighborhood.
