Another office complex in the Dulles Toll Road corridor is being targeted as a candidate for redevelopment as housing.
The owner of the office buildings at 1835 and 1851 Alexander Bell Drive in Reston filed a rezoning application with Fairfax County late last month that proposes turning the 7.45-acre site into a townhome community.
The potential development would feature up to 144 units, including 50 “conventional” townhouses and 94 stacked townhouse units, according to a May 28 statement of justification from Wire Gill attorney David Gill.
“The existing office buildings are heavily under-leased,” Gill wrote on the property owner’s behalf. “The previous owner spent over a decade unsuccessfully marketing the building and was unable to retain a financially viable number of leases. Our Proposal represents the best opportunity to advance the overall mixed-use vision of the Reston [Transit Station Areas].”
Located just south of the toll road near Sunrise Valley Drive and the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail, the office complex consists of one 4-story office building constructed in 1985 and a 3-story office building constructed in 1987.
Both buildings were acquired by the current owner, an affiliate of Northpoint Realty, in November 2024 for approximately $13.6 million — roughly half of the $36.5 million that the previous owner paid for them in 2006, according to Fairfax County property records.
Even though the north side of Sunrise Valley Drive remains dominated by offices, the application highlights the proximity of the W&OD Trail, Sunrise Valley Elementary School and residential neighborhoods to the south to argue that the site would be appropriate for housing.
“This will create a mixed-use TSA which will enhance the sense of community and reduce the need to travel long distances for employment and/or services,” Gill wrote.
Gill is also representing Felice Development Group on a separate application submitted last month to redevelop one of the Coppermine Commons office buildings (13851 Sunrise Valley Drive) in the Herndon area with housing.
Proposed amenities for the Alexander Bell Drive development include internal pedestrian paths and 26,070 square feet of park space, including a central green. Each side-by-side townhouse would have four parking spaces — two in a garage and two in the driveway — and 42 common-area parking spaces are provided.
Fairfax County planning staff haven’t officially accepted the rezoning application for review, but Northpoint nominated the site for a comprehensive plan amendment earlier this year.
Following recommendations from the planning commission and staff, the Board of Supervisors authorized a study of the proposal — which would allow up to 20 dwelling units per acre — on June 10 as part of the county’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which lets developers and property owners suggest land-use changes.
The Alexander Bell Drive nomination was one of several SSPAs focused on Reston added to a staff work program. Most of those proposals, including the one from Northpoint, have been incorporated into a Reston TSA Study that already included 10 proposed amendments from 2023.
Building image via Google Maps
