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Fairfax County supervisors unanimously advanced a plan Tuesday, May 19, to replace an aging Tysons office building with 304 apartments, reshaping a prominent gateway into the area.
The Board of Supervisors approved rezoning the 4-acre property at 1950 Old Gallows Road and accepted its conceptual development plan. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchick said collaboration among the development team, county staff and the community produced a much stronger project than initially proposed.
The joint proposal from Insight Property Group and Southern Management calls for a residential building of up to six levels. Southern Management previously used the existing eight-story office building as its headquarters.
The 304 apartments will include 51 workforce dwelling units. Plans also feature a signature park at Gallows and Gallows Branch roads.
Located between lower-density homes south of Gallows Road and Tysons’ more intensive development, the property was rezoned into the Planned Tysons Corner Urban District. The district is intended to help transform aging office parks into mixed-use developments.
County staff and the Fairfax County Planning Commission supported the proposal. No members of the public spoke at the May 19 hearing.
Road and pedestrian changes planned
The developer agreed to improvements for drivers and pedestrians around all four sides of the property, including connections to The Flats at Tysons condominiums under construction to the west.
Scott Adams, a McGuireWoods land-use attorney representing the development team, described the transportation planning as a puzzle in which every adjustment generated more questions.
Palchick said she hopes the changes will help reduce traffic speeds on Gallows Road. Vehicles will enter and leave the property only from Old Gallows Road.
The existing parking garage will remain and serve future residents.
A remnant of Worthington Heights
Along with the office building, the parcel contains a former single-family home now used as a dentist’s office. The house is among the last traces of Worthington Heights, a residential community gradually replaced by commercial, retail and multifamily development in this section of Tysons.
Both structures will be demolished. Commemorative panels will preserve the property’s history, while elements of the house’s design will be incorporated into the new urban park.
Adams said the development team sought a distinctive design because of the site’s importance as an entrance to Tysons.
The completed project will contain 314,000 square feet of development, with a floor-area ratio of 1.79. The building will be limited to 95 feet in height.