The redevelopment of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center (7054 Haycock Road) in Idyllwood is back on the table.
The Falls Church City Council on Monday night (July 25) approved a resolution terminating the university’s 40-year lease and allowing the city to sell the land to Converge West Falls LLC, part of developer Rushmark Properties.
Advanced by Virginia Tech’s board in April, the exchange revives plans to build a new school of design, headquarters for construction company HITT Contracting and more at the North Virginia Center campus by early 2021, which suddenly fell through.
“Virginia Tech has a long history in Falls Church and we are excited about this new chapter,” said Michael Stow, director of media relations for Virginia Tech. “This vote takes us one step closer to partnering with HT Contracting to create a world-class smart construction research center, and means the community will benefit from a vibrant, mixed-use district that will transform its environment.”
According to a city staff report, the Northern Virginia Center is a 101,000-square-foot office building on a large 7.4-acre site in Fairfax County but is owned by Falls Church, which has since leased a portion of the land to Virginia Tech. In 1995
Under a new deal Falls Church has with Virginia Tech and Rushmark, the city can sell the entire site to the developer for $25 million. The resulting development should include:
- A 240,000-square-foot HITT Corporation headquarters building, including at least 40,000 square feet for Virginia Tech’s National Smart Construction Center.
- 440 residential units with ground floor retail
- Construction of West Falls Station Blvd through the station, among other road improvements
The project still has to go through several stages to reach completion. First, Virginia Tech must get the governor’s approval to transfer the proposed land to the city, and then Rushmark must submit the plans to Fairfax County.
“Virginia Tech will continue to occupy the space without paying any rent to the city until the final closing date, which is March 31, 2025,” according to the staff report. The deals are expected to close earlier than that, coming within 30 days of approval of the county’s zoning and site plan.
The Northern Virginia Center renovation began taking shape in 2018 after Virginia Tech received an unsolicited proposal from Rushmark. The university It announced plans to partner with HITT Contracting in 2019, but announced on February 28, 2021 that they had “mutually decided not to move forward.”
The news created some uncertainty in Fairfax County, which has been revising its comprehensive plan for the West Falls Church transit station area to allow for more development.
The Board of Supervisors approved a new plan last September that proposed more than 1 million square feet of mixed-use development in the parking lot of the West Falls Church Metro station.
The application from development group FGCP-Metro LLC — which includes Rushmark — is being reviewed by county planners. No public hearing date has been set.
The county is conducting an active transportation study for the area in hopes of addressing residents’ traffic and safety concerns before all of the proposed development comes online.
Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, whose district includes the West Falls Church TSA, told FFxnow that he was “pleased” with the Falls Church City Council’s vote and is hopeful that any redevelopment application for the Northern Virginia center will comply. General plan of the region;
If implemented, the HITT project will be key to providing critical transportation improvements and advancing the vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented community planned around the West Falls Church Metro Station. In addition to creating vibrant communities, taking advantage of development opportunities around metro stations is important to support and grow the county’s economy. Keeping HITT Construction headquartered in Fairfax County and locating the proposed National Smart Construction Center at this location will contribute to the county’s long-term economic success.
Image via Google Maps
