(Updated at noon on 3/31/2023) The Fairfax County Planning Commission has indicated it will support the possibility of redeveloping the AT&T campus in Oakton, but many residents remain concerned about increased density and traffic.
At a meeting last Thursday (March 23), the commissioners took a unanimous, preliminary vote to prioritize a review of the redevelopment of a 33-acre tree-lined site right off Chain Bridge Road in Oakton.
This comes as the county considers dozens of nominations submitted last fall for land use changes as part of its ongoing Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process.
The current proposal for 3033 Chain Bridge Road would convert it into “residential mixed-use development” with a mix of market-rate, affordable, and senior housing, along with office space and “community-serving” retail, restaurants and grocery stores.
The campus and 440,000-square-foot main building on the site were first constructed in 1981 to act as AT&T’s corporate offices. While the building was once nearly fully occupied, the workforce assigned to the campus had dwindled even before 2020, but the pandemic accelerated the trend.
The building is now less than 10% occupied and there are about 1,150 unused parking spots taking up close to 50% of the site, Cooley LLP lawyer Mark Looney told the commission on behalf of EYA, the development partner of the property owner.
(Correction: The article previously identified EYA as the property owner as well as the developer. County records identify the owner as Oakton NLA LLC.)
AT&T sold the site in 2013, but still leases the building. The campus also has a large open space, a central lawn, and “stands of mature trees.”
The property’s current underuse, deteriorating physical condition, the neighborhood’s need for amenities, and location near I-66 makes it appealing for redevelopment, the developer argues.
The proposal calls for an “appropriately-scaled mixed-use neighborhood destination” with townhomes, several mid-rise multifamily residential developments, parking garages, and space for office and retail uses. It also seeks to maintain open, park, and tree-lined spaces.
The county’s comprehensive plan currently says any further development on the site “should be within the approved intensity and compatible with existing development,” meaning the AT&T building, though the area to the immediate south has an option for mid-rise multifamily housing.
While EYA’s proposal aligns with the county’s goal of increasing housing, a number of residents who spoke at the meeting shared their concerns that adding such a large development would overwhelm the neighborhood.
Increased traffic, pedestrian safety, overcrowding of schools, and the continuing loss of open space and trees were repeatedly brought up. Read More
