West Falls Church Transit Station Area

McLean group urges county to fund West Falls Church Metro pedestrian upgrades

Published January 6, 2023 at 10:15AM

Haycock Road bridge over I-66 (via Google Maps)

A proposed shared-use path on Haycock Road over I-66 is among several pedestrian and bicycle projects in the West Falls Church Metro station area that the McLean Citizens Association believes Fairfax County should prioritize for funding.

The organization, which routinely weighs in on issues affecting the greater McLean area, approved a resolution on Wednesday (Jan. 4) endorsing 19 projects recommended by an advisory group that the county convened to study the West Falls Church Transit Station Area’s (TSA) active transportation infrastructure.

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Report recommends Haycock Road diet, ‘slow streets’ and sidewalks for West Falls Church Metro area

By Angela Woolsey

Published December 7, 2022 at 2:15PM

A new report recommends pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the West Falls Church Transit Station Area (via Fairfax County)

The pedestrian and bicycle network around the West Falls Church Metro station in Idylwood is uncomfortable to use in some places and nonexistent in many others, a newly released report found.

The West Falls Church Active Transportation Study confirms community complaints that local roads are unsafe and inadequate for current residents, let alone the influx of newcomers anticipated with 1.8 million square feet of new development planned in the transit station area (TSA).

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Office building planned for Virginia Tech campus could be powered by solar panels

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 29, 2022 at 3:00PM

A solar panel array has been proposed on the future HITT Contracting headquarters building at Virginia Tech's Idylwood campus (via Fairfax County)

A massive array of solar panels could provide cover for the office building that developer Rushmark Properties and the construction company HITT Contracting are planning to build at Virginia Tech’s campus near the West Falls Church Metro station.

In a final development plan recently submitted to Fairfax County, the two companies — collectively known as Converge West Falls LLC — propose installing a photovoltaic array canopy on top of the building, which will house HITT’s corporate headquarters and laboratory space for Virginia Tech’s planned National Center for Smart Construction.

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West Falls Church developers will detail plans at meeting this month

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 4, 2022 at 11:00AM

A rendering of the proposed development outside the West Falls Church Metro station (via WMATA)

If the proliferation of major developments planned around the West Falls Church Metro station is making your head spin, an upcoming community meeting may provide some clarity.

The developers seeking to redevelop the Metro station property and expand Virginia Tech’s nearby Northern Virginia Center campus will present their proposals and answer questions at an informational meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

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County seeks more input on West Falls Church Metro pedestrian and bicycle safety

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 30, 2022 at 2:15PM

The West Falls Church Active Transportation Study area (via FCDOT)

The general public’s last chance to weigh in on Fairfax County’s ongoing study of the bicycle and pedestrian network in the West Falls Church Metro station area will come later than anticipated.

Two community meetings that had been scheduled for next week will instead be held on Oct. 26 and 27, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation announced yesterday (Thursday).

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New plan submitted for Virginia Tech campus redevelopment near West Falls Church Metro

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 27, 2022 at 11:00AM

Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia Center in Idylwood (via Google Maps)

A developer has officially filed plans with Fairfax County to bring housing, retail, and new office and academic facilities to Virginia Tech’s campus in Idylwood.

As a joint entity named Converge West Falls LLC, real estate investment firm Rushmark Properties and the construction company HITT Contracting have proposed replacing the existing Northern Virginia Center at 7054 Haycock Road with a 283,000-square-foot office building, up to 440 residential units, and a 2,000-square-foot retail pavilion.

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West Falls Church development plans will require major Metro parking cuts

By Angela Woolsey

Published September 26, 2022 at 1:30PM

A rendering of the proposed development outside the West Falls Church Metro station (via WMATA)

Metro anticipates reducing the parking capacity at its West Falls Church station by over 700 spaces in order to accommodate a planned redevelopment of the property between I-66 and Haycock Road.

Under review by Fairfax County, the project would replace the Metro station’s surface parking lots with 24 acres of mixed-use development, including up to 900 residential units, 110,000 square feet of office, and 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

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Virginia Tech campus redevelopment finds new life with possible Falls Church sale

By Angela Woolsey

Published July 27, 2022 at 2:15PM

Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia Center in Idylwood (via Google Maps)

A redevelopment of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center (7054 Haycock Road) in Idylwood is back on the table.

The Falls Church City Council authorized agreements on Monday night (July 25) that will terminate the university’s 40-year lease for the 2-acre parcel and allow the city to sell the land to Converge West Falls LLC, an entity of developer Rushmark Properties.

Countywide

Morning Notes

By FFXnow.com

Published May 11, 2022 at 7:30AM | Updated May 11, 2022 at 9:30AM

Under the virtual shark tank at Reston Station (photo by Marjorie Copson)

Austin Transit Leader Named New Metro General Manager — “Metro on Tuesday tapped the chief executive of a Texas transit agency to lead the system through safety and pandemic-related challenges that have frustrated riders and strained public transportation…Randy Clarke, 45, will replace Paul J. Wiedefeld, who announced in January that he would retire on June 30″ [The Washington Post]

Fairfax County Firefighter Gets Funeral Procession — “Tuesday marked the final farewell for Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Captain Kimberly Schoppa, who died last month from occupational cancer. Her line-of-duty funeral included a procession and escort to the church, with her flag-draped casket onboard a fire truck and then carried inside by the Honor Guard.” [ABC7]

News

Revised plan shares more details of West Falls Church development

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 17, 2022 at 10:30AM

A rendering of the West Falls Church Metro development's proposed Building D (via Fairfax County/Hord Coplan Macht)

Plans for the massive development in the West Falls Church Metro station area were revised to provide new details on three of the project’s five buildings.

Known as FGCP-Metro LLC, developers EYA, Rushmark Properties, and Hoffman & Associates have partnered with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to build more than 1 million square feet of residential, office and retail space on 24 acres of land currently occupied by parking.