Changes to Reston Station and Reston Row — mixed-use developments near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station — are barreling towards approval.
At a meeting yesterday (Tuesday), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion to set a July 25 public hearing date for the joint proposals, which would shift approved but unbuilt residential density from one block of Reston Station to Reston Row.
Reston Row is an extension of Reston Station, a nearly 10-acre development at the Metro station. Reston Row includes two office buildings that will be anchored by Puttshack, an indoor mini-golf destination, and VIDA Fitness.
A third building includes 93 condos over a JW Marriott, while an apartment building labeled Building D will be anchored by the restaurant Ebbitt House.
Comstock wants to shift roughly 165 units or 264,000 square feet of space that was not used in Reston Station to the Ebbitt House apartment building. Nearly 10,000 square feet of space would be dedicated for a roof deck on top of another building for Founding Farmers and a future building in a different block on the property.
“Critically, the Applicant is not requesting one single square foot of additional density over and above what was approved and is entitled to be developed when Reston Station and Reston Row are aggregated,” the application said.
The developer argues that shifting the residential density would allow it to deliver workforce dwelling units sooner “than it otherwise would have” and in a better location for the county’s residents, according to the application.
The Puttshack building is set to delivered December of next year, while Building D is expected to deliver in November 2026, according to a board matter introduced yesterday by Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn.
In the matter, Alcorn states that the changes shift density to a “more logical, Metro-proximate, and resident-friendly location at Reston Row.”
From a logistical standpoint, the two separate applications for the project can be voted on concurrently. The July hearing before the Board of Supervisors will be preceded by a June 28 public hearing by the Fairfax County Planning Commission.
A data analytics and intelligence firm is the latest tenant to sign a lease at Comstock’s massive Reston Station project.
Babel Street will lease 10,200-square-feet of space at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza. The company offers advanced data analytics and intelligence for government and commercial clients with an aritificial intelligence-enabled platform. It’s currently located at 1818 Library Street.
Comstock is “thrilled to welcome Babel Street to our roster of tech and IT security office tenants at Reston Station,” the developer’s Chief Operating Officer Timothy Steffan said in a statement.
Having recently signed several new retail and experiential brands including VIDA Fitness, Puttshack, and Ebbitt House, the first ever expansion of the iconic Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., we continue activating the Reston Station neighborhood to be a dynamic mixed-used and transit-oriented neighborhood that provides exciting dining, fitness, and entertainment options for our growing list of corporate office tenants and residents alike.
Babel has other offices in Tokyo, Tel Aviv, London, Canberra and Ottawa.
Roughly 3,000 additional residences are planned at the mixed-use neighborhood, including 420 units currently under construction. Two hotels are also planned, along with a flagship VIDA Fitness and Spa facility, Puttshack, and Ebbitt House — the first expansion of the Old Ebbitt Grill brand.
The development’s tenants are Founding Farmers, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse and Starbucks.
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) A spin-off of the popular, D.C.-based Old Ebbitt Grill is coming soon to Reston.
The business, which is the leading brand from Clyde’s Restaurant Group, will open its second location at Reston Station in 2025, the company announced. It marks the comeback of Clyde’s in the area after the Reston location bid farewell to the community last year.
The restaurant is D.C.’s oldest saloon, first opening in 1956. Envisioned as a “stylish, modern spin” on the original, the Reston location will be called Ebbitt House and include the grill’s menu, including happy hours, a raw bar and seafood towers.
“Reston Station is shaping up to be the most prominent location along the Dulles corridor,” said Jeff Owens, chief financial officer and head of Corporate Development for Clyde’s Restaurant Group. “CRG is thrilled to partner with Comstock to introduce a restaurant brand that is both new and iconic. We are delighted to be returning to the Reston community, where Clyde’s has been a presence for over thirty years.”
Located at 1860 Reston Row Plaza, Ebbitt House will have 300 indoor seats and two bars, along with 125 outdoor seats and another bar on the patio.
The move represents a return to the area for the company after Clyde’s of Reston closed in Reston Town Center last year, ending 31 years of business. Other brands in Clyde’s Restaurant Groups include the Tombs, Hamilton Live and Mark Center.
“I have had a strong relationship with the Clyde’s Group dating back to the 1990s and have always felt there would be great synergies between both Comstock and Clyde’s as creators of iconic Northern Virginia real estate locations,” Comstock COO Tim Steffan said. “The addition of Ebbitt House to our already remarkable merchandising lineup further strengthens Reston Station as a ‘first thought’ dining and entertainment destination in Northern Virginia.”
VIDA Fitness is slated to open its flagship facility in Reston in the second quarter of next year, a company spokesperson tells FFXnow.
The facility will open at Reston Row, Reston Station’s newest district near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station. The facility encompasses 50,000 square feet across three levels of an office tower at 1845 Reston Row Plaza.
The company’s Reston location will include an oxygen treatment and recovery strength, a day spa that offers facials, massages, body scrubs, cupping, and CBD oil treatments, a fuel bar and a salon. Other features include locker rooms and sauna rooms.
Reston Row is currently under construction and includes a JW Marriott hotel.
The company has six other locations in the D.C. area.
Comstock is seeking to tweak a critical piece of the Reston Station neighborhood.
With one block at Reston Station complete, the developer is moving towards Reston Row. The team is reexamining its 17.6-acre assemblage to complete the neighborhood in a “more organized, intuitive, and rail-focused manner.”
That’s why the developer plans to reallocated unused density on the block two parcel for a “more logical, transit-proximate location at Reston Row” and the “accelerated production of more workforce dwelling units closer to rail.”
Block two is located on Metro Center Drive and contains a 75,000-square-foot, six-story office building that will remain during the construction project. The parking structure on the site will be redeveloped as an office or residential building.
Comstock hopes to shift unused density from a 180,00-square-foot planned hotel and a 350,000-square-foot residential building to the site.
Set to go before the Reston Planning & Zoning Committee tonight (Monday), the application would shift roughly 360,000 square feet of available but unused density from the planned hotel and residential building to the project, which is approved for nearly 1.4 acres of mixed-use development.
Comstock will not build a planned nearly 167,000-square-foot hotel at Reston Station, because it would “interfere” with Founding Farmers’ outdoor seating and the overall experience of the plaza.
The developer also says it no longer makes sense to build a 280-foot-tall residential building on block two next to a 140-foot-tall office building.
Instead, Comstock hopes to bring 165 units or 280,000 square feet for a 425-unit residential building directly opposite the BLVD at Reston Station on block two.
Remaining density would be allowed for a roof deck on top of the building for Founding Farmers and other improvements, along with an unspecified “future building” on block two. Ground-floor retail is still planned on the base of the building along Reston Station Blvd.
“With all 35 of the formerly disparate parcels within the Reston Station and Reston Row properties now consolidated and included in the Reston Station Neighborhood, Comstock has much more flexibility to reorganize all of the pieces to maximize its rail proximity and plan the highest and best use of the whole,” the Jan. 13 amended application says.
The application does not add additional density and only requires reallocation.
The developer behind Reston Station and Herndon’s stalled downtown redevelopment has turned its sights to Tysons.
Comstock is seeking to replace the massive Koons Chevy and Chrysler dealerships at 2000 and 2050 Chain Bridge Road near the Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) interchange with a “vibrant, mixed-use, multi-block neighborhood,” according to a new application.
Submitted on Oct. 27 as part of Fairfax County’s Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) process, which considers possible land use changes to the comprehensive plan, the proposal says the new development would be 85% multifamily residences and about 15% retail. Open space and amenities would also be provided.
“The Nominator respectfully suggests that this infusion of residential mixed use is needed to redress the balance of uses in Tysons, specifically in the office-heavy area in and around the Greensboro Metro Station Transit Station-Mixed Use area,” DLA Piper Senior Land Use Planner Brian J. Clifford said in a statement on Comstock’s behalf.
A concept plan in the application depicts a single multi-level retail building on one block and another with four residential buildings. Heights range from 175 feet to 400 feet, increasing as the buildings get closer to Route 7.
Comstock says the adjacent interchange where Chain Bridge (Route 123) passes over Route 7 needs to be replaced with an at-grade intersection. The developer argues that would allow Boone Blvd to be extended into the Koons property across Route 123, stating that the road can’t be constructed as currently planned by the county.
“The proposed location of the Boone Boulevard/Route 123 crossing is too close to the steep slope of Route 123 as it heads south from this interchange and would create an inherently dangerous situation,” the application says. “There simply isn’t enough distance to add a major intersection at the location depicted in the Comprehensive Plan’s street grid maps.”
The 14-acre property consists of two parcels that have been developed with the Koons dealership since 1975. Fairfax County property records show that Home Depot purchased the Chevy dealership for $30 million on Jan. 8, 2021.
The site was previously owned by Sherwood Tysons LLC, a company belonging to descendants of Tysons namesake William Tyson, according to the Washington Business Journal. The Chrysler portion of the dealership is owned by an affiliate of the Caldow family, which is also related to Tyson.
With the owners’ consent, Comstock intends to consolidate the two parcels. The Tysons Comprehensive Plan designates them as residential mixed-use — where housing should make up 75% or more of the overall development — and transit station mixed-use, which calls for a mix of retail, office, residential and other commercial uses, leaning toward 65% office and 20% residential overall.
The application argues more residential development is needed around the Greensboro Metro station, which is currently 70% office space despite a reported 20% vacancy rate.
“With the office market in a state of flux thanks to the COVID-driven changes in work location and commuting patterns, maintaining an office-heavy focus in this area risks delaying significant investment in redeveloping the existing auto dealership,” Clifford wrote.
Clifford’s statement describes the plan amendment application as a “placeholder” while county officials reevaluate the current and future mix of land uses in Tysons. Comstock declined to comment on the proposal for now, saying it “would be happy to discuss this down the road at a later date.”
The Koons redevelopment is among 75 SSPA nominations that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will weigh for possible acceptance on Tuesday (Dec. 6). Other sites up for consideration include Fallfax Center in Idylwood and Reston’s two golf courses.
“It is the Nominator’s intention to proceed to rezoning as quickly as possible and overlap that rezoning with as much of the Evaluation Phase of the SSPA process as is practicable,” Clifford said.
A new kind of tech-inspired mini-golf experience is coming soon to Comstock’s Reston Station.
Puttshack, which describes itself as an upscale and tech-infused experience with global food and drink signed a lease at 1850 Reston Row Plaza. The 29,000-square-foot lease is part of phase two of Reston Station’s development.
“With Reston Station’s line-up of emerging and established tech companies on site, the transit-oriented neighborhood was an immediate draw for our tech-driven mini golf concept,” Puttshack President Dave Diamond wrote in a statement. “Puttshack will become a must-visit destination for a one-of-a-kind experience encompassing mini golf, exceptional dining, and lively entertainment.”
Here’s more from Comstock on the lease:
Puttshack Reston will be a major entertainment destination for D.C. metro area residents and visitors alike. The more than 29,000 square-foot space will feature four highly competitive, tech-driven nine-hole mini golf courses powered by the brand’s leading patented Trackaball™ technology, which elevates the game experience by keeping track of your score for you as you play. Additionally, a new game component currently in the final stages of development will be featured in the space.
The game play is matched by an innovative, globally inspired dining menu and signature hand-crafted cocktails, as well as world-class hospitality with a high-energy, upscale vibe. The new play-filled, immersive indoor space will feature multiple bars in addition to private event spaces for exclusive parties and business outings.
The company has two locations in the country. Additional locations in Boston and Miami are opening later this month. Sites in Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scottsdale, St. Louis, and a second location in Atlanta are all anticipated to open next year.
Puttshack will open at Reston Station in 2025.
Market conditions remain unfavorable for the redevelopment of Downtown Herndon, a public-private partnership that is led by developer Comstock and the town.
At a Herndon Town Council meeting earlier this month, Town Manager Bill Ashton II said Comstock remains committed to pausing the development for up to two years. Currently, Comstock is unable to approve financing for the project and conditions remain economically unfavorable for the project to proceed.
The redevelopment seeks to transform five acres of land into a mixed-use project. The cost of the $101 million project increased by $25 million due to materials, labor, and workforce restrictions caused by the pandemic. It’s unclear what the current estimate is.
Comstock announced the project pause in mid-July.
“They want to be ready to go the moment they think the economy is right for them to move,” Ashton said at the Oct. 11 meeting.
He said Comstock stands to lose money on the deal if they proceed as is. Ashton also emphasized that town officials meet biweekly with Comstock for status updates on the project.
Ashton noted that the redevelopment project is governed under the Virginia Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002, bringing different conditions and requirements from a typical design-build contract.
The town’s comprehensive agreement with Comstock was amended in 2020. Ashton II said the agreement contains protections that would kick in if the project does not proceed.
“If nothing is happening within two years, the deal could unwind,” Ashton said.
The redevelopment of downtown Herndon by Reston-based developer Comstock has been officially been put on pause.
But Fairfax County’s commitment to provide $6.2 million remains unchanged, according to the county.
The plan would redevelop nearly 5 acres of land into a mixed-use project with 273 apartments and roughly 17,000 square feet of retail. An arts center and a 726-space parking garage are also part of the project.
“The market pause has delayed when those payments are expected to be made between the County and the Town due to the construction delays pushing out the previously mentioned payment triggers. The overall obligation remains in place for the County to provide those payments to the Town when those phases are met,” said Scott Sizer, catalytic development division manager of the Fairfax County Department of Economic initiatives.
The county offered two pledges for the public-private partnership. The first agreement of $1.2 million — approved in 2018 — kicks in when Comstock and the Town of Herndon have contributed at least $1.2 million in value for the construction work.
Sizer says that’s expected to happen after building construction begins.
The second agreement states that the county’s contribution of $5 million will happen after the first residential structure gets its first occupant. The payment — which will likely take place at the end of site construction and the beginning of operations of the apartments — will include annual payments over five years, Sizer said.
A spokesperson for Comstock told FFXnow that no timeline is currently available for when the project might begin.
The project, which was expected to break ground nearly two years ago, could be on pause for up to two years, the town stated in July.
The cost of the $101 million project increased by $25 million due to issues related to materials, labor, and workforce restrictions caused by the pandemic, according to town officials.
In addition to support from the county, Comstock will receive $2.5 million in fee reductions and $1.9 million in real estate tax breaks through an ordinance that was established after the town approved the project.
The project has been marred by delays since its inception. Groundbreaking was originally planned for December 2019.
Reston Station is expanding near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station.
Comstock Holding Co., the Reston-based developer behind the project, acquired roughly eight acres — the largest swath of undeveloped land — in the Midline development, according to a company release.
A pair of three-story office buildings will be demolished to make for the redevelopment of the site primarily fronting Wiehle Avenue. But Comstock is exploring other changes, including improving the development’s connectivity to the Metro plaza.
Located on the east side of Wiehle Avenue from Sunset Hill Road to the Dulles Toll Road, Midline is a 1.8-million-square-foot, mixed-use development with 1.2 million square feet of residential space, 250,000 square feet of office and 250,000 square feet of planned retail.
Comstock’s leasing team is already working with several potential retail anchors and plans to begin development next year.
“Our plans for the acquired portion of Midline include a mix of uses, including office, residential, and retail, to compliment the recently built townhome and multifamily sections of the community,” Comstock COO Timothy Steffan said. “This natural integration of additional surrounding areas into the Reston Station neighborhood will further enhance access to Reston’s only Metro Station and improve the neighborhood experience for all who live, work, and play in Reston.”
So far, the initial phases of the redevelopment plan include townhouses, condominiums and apartments. Roughly 30% of the project will be reserved as public open space.
