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Fairfax County is asking residents to help shape programs and services at a new Tysons community center exclusively serving people 50 and older.
The Arbor Row Center is expected to open this spring on the ground floor of The Mather’s southern building at 7929 Westpark Drive. The Department of Neighborhood and Community Services will present information and collect feedback during three meetings:
- Thursday, Jan. 23 at 2:30 p.m. at the Lewinsville Senior Center, 1613 Great Falls Street in McLean
- Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in a virtual meeting
- Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in a virtual meeting
Links to the online sessions are available on the county’s public-input webpage for the project. The page also features a questionnaire seeking opinions about potential classes, social activities, amenities and services. Responses will be accepted through Feb. 7.
The center will include an adjoining outdoor area. Its future home opened to residents last September, following the March 2024 debut of The Mather’s northern building.
Mather agreed to provide the public community center as a condition of Fairfax County’s 2019 approval of the development. The senior living community brought 293 apartments for adults 62 and older to Tysons.
The Mather also has park space open to the public and 14,000 square feet of retail space, although no retail tenants have been announced.
The property is part of the 19.5-acre Arbor Row neighborhood along Westpark Drive, which includes the Nouvelle Apartments and the Monarch condominium building. In May, Fairfax County approved Renaissance Centro’s proposal to construct another condominium building where an office building had previously been planned.
As Tysons grows, the county has sought to expand public facilities for the area’s increasing population. An analysis commissioned by the Tysons Community Alliance estimated that Fairfax County spends about $188 million on Tysons infrastructure and services, while the area produces $342 million in local tax revenue.
Several Tysons facilities, including the Scotts Run Fire Station and urban parks, have been delivered through developer proffers. Under that system, developers provide improvements or funding intended to offset the effects of their projects.
At its final meeting of 2024, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved modest increases in the rates used to determine developer contributions toward schools, parks, public transportation and other needs in Tysons.