Fairfax County has received an official plan for the proposed redevelopment of the Lake Fairfax Business Center in Reston.
EYA Development hopes to “revitalize” the suburban commercial campus by replacing several mostly vacant office buildings with housing that it anticipates will encourage more around-the-clock activity, taking advantage of the property’s proximity to the Wiehle Metro station, according to a rezoning application submitted on Friday, Jan. 31.
“Only through a reimagining of the Center and a transformation to a mixed-use environment will Lake Fairfax Business Park be able to better compete in the Reston and broader Fairfax County marketplaces,” land use attorney Mark Looney said in a statement of justification. “This reimagining will also make it more of an asset to its existing neighbors and surrounding communities.”
EYA first presented a concept for redeveloping the Lake Fairfax Business Center as a ” village-style mixed-use community” in 2022 as part of the county’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which allows the public to “nominate” properties for changes in the comprehensive plan that guides future land use and development.
The proposal was one of several office-to-residential pitches accepted for Reston sites. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors prioritized a Reston Transit Station Area study to review the 10 authorized nominations after approving a new Reston Comprehensive Plan in September 2023.
The comprehensive plan currently recommends office, industrial and institutional uses on the Lake Fairfax Business Center site, so an amendment is needed to open it up to mixed-use development.
While working with county staff on a draft amendment, EYA has filed a development plan that envisions 886 residential units — including approximately 325 rental apartments, 56 condominiums, 325 side-by-side townhomes and 180 stacked townhomes — on 10 parcels totaling 49.37 acres along Business Center Drive and Wildlife Center Drive.
The existing Lifetime Fitness gym, Homewood Suites hotel, Reston Montessori School and data center building at 1780 Business Center Drive will remain, as will the nearby SkateQuest ice rink.
However, the office space that dominates the campus is currently 65% vacant. If approved, the redevelopment will start with the buildings at 1769-1771, 1760 and 1761 Business Center Drive as well as the National Wildlife Federation headquarters at 11100 Wildlife Center, which are “all vacant with no leasing prospects,” Cooley wrote.
The new housing will be most dense at the center of the site and step down approaching the existing Equestrian Park residential neighborhood to the east.
Across Wildlife Center Drive from the Lifetime Fitness building will be a 7-story, 85-foot-tall multi-family building with a 1-acre, publicly accessible “community green” that could host community events, fitness and recreational amenities, public art and rain gardens to manage stormwater.
“This central park will provide a destination and hallmark open space,” the application says. “This central park will be connected by linear parks spanning the Property to Sunset Hills, inviting residents and visitors alike into the community and to Lake Fairfax Park.”
Other smaller park spaces will be provided, including a second community green in the stacked townhouses proposed on Land Bay H (currently 1768 Business Center Drive). The land bays with the two community greens won’t be delivered until the second phase of development, according to the submitted plan.
The 15 pocket parks scattered throughout the development will be connected by a shared-use path that will also provide access to Lake Fairfax Park to the northeast and the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
In addition, a 4-acre parcel in the northeast corner of the business park will be set aside for public use — possibly an elementary school based on “extensive conversations” that EYA has had with Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, Fairfax County Public Schools and “other stakeholders.”
Proposing to provide a total of 1,753 parking spaces, including a 413-space garage for the main multi-family building, the developer commissioned a traffic study that found the redevelopment will reduce vehicle trips compared what’s in the existing comprehensive plan, particularly during rush hours.
While not formally accepted by the county yet, the rezoning application is the result of “extensive community engagement,” including five meetings with area residents and community organizations so far, according to Cooley.
“The Application is the product of incorporating the feedback received in those meetings with the Applicant’s vision to revitalize the Property with a mixture of uses in a vibrant community,” he wrote.
