Design work is progressing on an approved redevelopment of two empty office buildings on Worldgate Drive in Herndon.
At a work session tonight (Wednesday), the Town of Herndon’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) will discuss the latest plans for an apartment building, stacked condominiums and townhouses that would replace offices at 13100 and 13150 Worldgate Drive.
According to town staff reports, demolitions of the office buildings and about half of an accompanying parking garage on the 10.4-acre site began last fall.
While the overall project received a green light from the Herndon Town Council in March 2024, almost two years ago, final designs for the new buildings still have to undergo a public hearing and secure the ARB’s approval before construction can begin. Town staff are also in the process of reviewing site plans.
Led by property owner and developer BXP, the multifamily residential building will have 359 rental units across five floors with a basement. It will wrap around the remaining half of the parking garage, which would provide 498 spaces, according to a proposed site plan.
“The proposal is guided by a clear objective: to create a building that belongs to its time and place — forward-looking in its expression while remaining rooted in Herndon’s heritage,” BXP Vice President of Development Matthew Bonifant wrote in a message to the architectural review board.
The submitted designs show architectural features and layouts that closely resemble renderings included in the approved development plan, with a mix of brick and fiber-cement cladding proposed for the exterior.
While town staff found the proposal to be in compliance with Herndon’s zoning ordinance, they called for more clarity on the look and materials that will be used for exterior doors, balconies, stairs and gates. They also questioned when a pocket park planned on Wiltshire Court will be installed and took issue with an “extensive use of fiber cement paneling along the Elden Street and Worldgate Drive façades.”
“Staff recommend that these façades be broken up vertically through the use of alternating brick or a similar masonry unit cladding,” the staff report says. “Furthermore, these elevations should be broken up horizontally with elements that delineate a base, middle, and top, such as cornice or eave detailing and varying cladding treatments on the lower, middle, and top floors.”
The 52 stacked condos and 47 townhouses will be built separately by NV Homes, both topping out at four floors. Those residents will all have access to private garages, totaling 198 spaces, per the site plan.
Like the multifamily building, the condos and townhouses will use a combination of brick and fiber-cement cladding for their exteriors. Staff similarly requested more details on the materials planned for the doors, windows, stairs and gates, but they found the different elements of the development to be compatible.
“The revised townhouse and stacked condo designs incorporate much of the same materiality as the multi-family building,” the staff report said. “They also match its contemporary architectural style in both the townhouse and stacked condo designs as demonstrated by the flat parapet roof and the window groupings used for both housing types.”
Town staff didn’t offer a recommendation on either application to the ARB, stating that they’re waiting for the developers to provide more information before taking an official stance.
In addition to reviewing the original development plan, the architectural review board previously discussed the Worldgate Drive project at work sessions on Aug. 6 and Nov. 19 of last year.
Potential construction dates for both the apartment building and the condo and townhouse blocks are listed as “N/A.” FFXnow reached out to both BXP and NV Homes but didn’t receive responses by press time.
