The Connection

It’s been 23 years since the Dulles Suburban Center had a thorough review. But all that’s about to change, as a study has just began to document what’s there now and review recommendations for potential land-use changes and development in the future.

The Dulles Suburban Center is comprised of some 6,300 acres along the western edge of Fairfax County. They’re adjacent to Dulles International Airport along the Route 28 and Route 50 Corridors. Herndon is to the north, with residential uses to the east and south. This area is also one of the county’s largest employment centers, containing an estimated 78,000 jobs and more than 31 million square feet of office/industrial space.

So on March 29, Supervisor Kathy Smith (D-Sully) hosted a community meeting in the Sully District Governmental Center so the public could learn more about the study. Clara Johnson, with the Planning Division of the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning, explained the details.

“We want to hear your thoughts about this area,” she said to those in attendance. “Tell us its challenges and what you’d like to see there in the future. Originally, it was primarily planned for industrial uses, corporate headquarters, office buildings, hotels and warehouses. Residential uses comprised about 12 percent of the total development.”

Between 1996 and 2015, there was an increase of more than 30 million square feet of development there. Office use, with nearly 15 million square feet of growth, accounted for 45 percent of the total growth. Residential development increased by almost 9 million square feet.

Next came more than 4 million square feet of industrial and industrial flex space, followed by more than 3 million square feet of retail and hotel uses. Meanwhile, some of the buildings contributing to the 4-percent growth in governmental and institutional uses in that area were the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum Annex), the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office), Westfield High School, Cub Run REC Center and the county police training facility.

“Today, there’s over 50 million square feet of development there,” said Johnson. “And office use has

overtaken the other types of development.” It comprises 40 percent of the land use there, followed by industrial/industrial flex at 23 percent and residential at 22 percent.

Currently, an estimated 65 million square feet may still be developed there. The majority of it is south of Route 50, in and around the Westfields Corporate Center. Combined with the more than 50 million square feet of already-developed land, that would be some 115 million square feet total.

However, in large areas of the Dulles Suburban Center, existing zoning districts allow industrial and office uses, while the county’s Comprehensive Plan — the official blueprint for future development — promotes a mix of residential, office, retail and hotel uses.

In addition, other matters must also be taken into consideration, including environmental and noise issues. The Dulles Suburban Center extends across two watersheds; and with the land’s proximity to the airport, residential development in some sections may be incompatible with high levels of aircraft noise.

Kristin Calkins, with the county’s Department of Transportation, discussed the transportation network serving the area. In 2013, she said, drivers in the Dulles Suburban Center were waiting no more than 55 seconds at a stoplight.

“Some areas are worse,” she said, but noted that improvements will make things better. “Now Route 50 has been widened and there’s a new bridge over Walney Road,” said Calkins. “In the future, Route 28 is planned to be 10 lanes, with the ninth and 10th lanes HOV, and I-66 will be improved. We’re also planning for bicyclists and pedestrians. And at no cost to the county, we can add in bike lanes when VDOT repaves a road.”

“From now until the end of May, we’re asking people to suggest changes to the county guidelines [for this area],” added Johnson. “This will help determine how we’ll move forward with the study. And in early June, we’ll be able to share the ideas people proposed.” Send input to DPZDullesSubCenter@Fairfaxcounty.gov.

Virginia Run’s Ted Troscianecki asked Johnson to give him some examples of commercial uses, plus industrial vs. industrial flex. She said retail sales are commercial uses; granite sales and car-repair places are industrial uses, and karate studios and tire shops are categorized as industrial flex.

Meeting attendees then broke into small groups to discuss their likes and dislikes regarding the Dulles Suburban Center, plus its challenges. Lewis Grimm of Franklin Farm wanted the “awkward boundaries, especially toward the southern part,” to be smoothed out.

And he said two major landowners — the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Loudoun County — should also be part of this study and the decisions made. Grimm said they should be involved “to see how all the pieces — and their future plans — fit together.” Johnson said that could be done and was glad he suggested it.

Grimm likes the area’s proximity to the airport and diverse mix of land uses, but decried its lack of a “sense of place or town-center equivalent” and “huge office vacancy.” And Mark McConn of Centreville’s Bull Run Estates, acknowledged that property owners along the Route 28 Corridor provided the money for development along that corridor. He also likes the large grouping of parks, but wanted the rail system that was previously promised.

Former Sully District Planning Commissioner John Litzenberger liked the potential to broaden the county tax base with new development. “Smart, coordinated planning will enable the area to serve not only Fairfax County, but Northern Virginia as a whole,” he said. However, he disliked the “terrible road congestion; it’s been level F for too long.”

One challenge, said Litzenberger, will be to “preserve commercial/industrial uses to protect residential development from aircraft noise and potential aircraft crashes. Another is the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, which could ignore Fairfax County’s recommendations.”

At-Large Planning Commissioner Jim Hart noted the potential difficulty of “providing and/or preserving affordable housing, mitigating impacts from Loudoun County growth and [overflowing] school capacity if we add more residential.”

And Steve Harrell, a Chantilly small-business owner, wanted consistent support for local businesses, plus “more commercial development, rather than industrial, along Route 50. But not more than the residents can support, or these businesses will go out of business.”

Centreville’s Jim Neighbors likes the “great parks and schools,” but disliked the limited transit. “The Silver Line is way up north,” he said. “You’ve got to get in your car and drive, and bike use is questionable. And there’s too much reliance on the government for jobs.”

Bill Keech Jr., likes employment centers such as the Westfields Corporate Center which his father helped create and he still runs. But, he said, “We need to incentivize the vacant commercial space.” And he dislikes that “there’s no north-south transit connections, and traffic at the I-66/Route 28 intersection prevents further commercial growth in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.”

Then, after Johnson introduced the study to the April 19 meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee, two panel members said the 2013 transportation data the county’s using for that area needs to be updated.

WFCCA’s Carol Hawn said the completion of the Route 50 widening and the roundabout now at the Pleasant Valley/Braddock roads intersection must be taken into account. While the Route 50 improvement is beneficial, she said, the roundabout is proving problematic for Centreville residents, as well as large, commercial vehicles which have gotten stuck in it.

And WFCCA’s Chris Terpak-Malm said Willard Road at Walney was just improved and reopened. Therefore, Hawn told Johnson, “If you really want us to have input, it needs to be based on accurate information.”