Plans to transform most of the Lake Fairfax Business Center in Reston into a mixed-use neighborhood are heading to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for a final vote.
Developer EYA secured a supportive recommendation from the Fairfax County Planning Commission last Wednesday (Oct. 14) after its legal representative confirmed that any lingering disagreements with county staff can be resolved by the time the rezoning application reaches the board next month.
“There are a couple conditions we’re already working on,” Mark Looney, a land use attorney with Cooley, told the commission, pointing to some “miscommunication” about what staff was looking for from the future Sunset Hills Road streetscape as one concern that’s being addressed.
“Ms. [Katelyn] Quinn and I talked this morning and have resolved that,” he added, referring to the county planning staff coordinator who has been handling the application. “We’ll finalize the language between now and the board, but we’re confident we can deal with that.”
Quinn agreed that the remaining questions around the development proposal are “resolvable” after Planning Commission Chair Phil Niedzielski-Eichner noted his preference for taking care of any issues before advancing zoning applications to the Board of Supervisors.
EYA is seeking to replace emptying office buildings on approximately 49 acres of the 88-acre business park at 1780 Business Center Drive with 1,017 residential units — including a 385-unit multifamily building, three condominium buildings with 132 units, and 500 townhomes — accompanied by 27,900 square feet of retail and amenity space.
The Board of Supervisors adopted a comprehensive plan amendment in August allowing residential and retail uses on the property, but the more detailed development plan and a rezoning of the site from an industrial district to planned residential mixed-use development still need to be approved.
Though area residents who spoke at a public hearing on Sept. 23 expressed support for the redevelopment, the planning commission deferred a vote in the hopes that the developer could address some remaining concerns, including around the potential impact of noise from a neighboring data center on the future homes.
According to Quinn, EYA submitted updated development plans and proffers, or conditions, in early October that made progress on addressing staff’s issues. The changes included:
- A removal of plans for an alternative final streetscape for Sunset Hills Road in favor of a design more in line with the county’s Reston Design Guidelines
- A reduction in parking spaces for Land Bay D/E1 — where stacked townhomes are proposed — from 79 to 59 spots
- A relocation of three affordable dwelling units (ADUs) from traditional townhouses to the stacked townhomes, while adding three workforce dwelling units (WDUs)
- Removal of unpermitted structures in a resource protection area (RPA), addressing stormwater management concerns
- A commitment to additional plantings in the RPA
- The addition of an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp for a planned pocket park in Land Bay D/E1
The developer also provided a noise analysis on Oct. 2 that found that the low-frequency hums emitted by the data center will be less noisy than the traffic on adjacent roadways.
The revisions didn’t fully address all of the issues raised by staff. A recommended midblock pedestrian crossing is still missing, for example, and county staff oppose the inclusion of balconies for the townhomes that would hang over private alleys “because of ownership and maintenance concerns,” according to an Oct. 9 memo.
In addition, EYA hasn’t committed to monetarily compensating the county in lieu of providing an athletic field. The developer intends to fulfill that requirement by providing 3.96 acres in Land Bay E2 to the county for a future public school, but it’s also seeking the option to buy the land back if the Board of Supervisors decides not to move forward with a school on that site.
Despite those reservations, county staff still recommended approval of EYA’s applications.
“While we do have recommendations to improve the project, on balance, the development is still meeting the comprehensive plan,” Quinn said.
The planning commission had also postponed its vote to give the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee an opportunity to weigh in. The advisory group ultimately discussed and endorsed the project at its Sept. 28 meeting.
Paul Thomas, who was appointed to represent Hunter Mill District on the planning commission on Aug. 25, thanked EYA for agreeing to talk to Reston Association and the Reston Town Center Association about the possibility of the future townhouse residents becoming members.
“Also — the big one for me — thank you for including a proffer about basically being a good neighbor,” Thomas said. “The construction scheduling and having a project manager for that, working with Public Art Reston of course, doing your part for the grid of streets … and having improvements to the workforce and affordable dwelling units are all very much welcome.”
The Hunter Mill commissioner also recognized the Reston P&Z committee, Fairfax County Park Authority and county planning staff, and his predecessor, John Carter, for the work they put into a “complex case.”
The planning commission’s vote recommending that the Board of Supervisors approve the rezoning application came with an abstention from at-large commissioner Timothy Sargeant, who declined to weigh in since he wasn’t present for the public hearing.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on EYA’s plans on Nov. 17.
“It’s been a difficult one,” Niedzielski-Eichner said of the development proposal, “but it’s the right kind of project for the right location, and I admire both staff’s work on it to make a better project and appreciate EYA’s efforts to respond to the county’s interest on this.”
