The developer for a dramatic reshaping of the Tysons Corner Center plans to refine the gargantuan proposal before sending it back to Fairfax County planners, with the hope of seeing approval in December.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission last week delayed a vote on whether to recommend the project to the Board of Supervisors, which has the final say on approving the first major overhaul of Tysons Corner timed with the construction of Metrorail.
Critics say the proposal doesn’t go far enough in addressing impacts to the area’s already clogged road system. The McLean Citizens Association is pushing for the developer, Macerich, to hold off until numerous road improvements in Tysons Corner are finished.
They also want Macerich to wait until the Tysons Land Use Task Force completes a vision of the area’s future in the county’s comprehensive plan, a document that guides land policy.
The current proposal would bring 1,350 new homes, 200,000 square feet of retail and a 300-room hotel over 10 to 15 years on the approximately 80-acre property on Route 123.
The developer is planning a number of “refinements” to its original submittal, related to affordable housing and how it manages traffic, said Antonio Calabrese, an attorney with Cooley Godward who represents Macerich.
“Clearly, transportation is a topic of legitimate concern in Tysons,” he said.
But he doesn’t anticipate being able to satisfy the McLean Citizens Association, saying the group “at its core” is opposed to the mall redevelopment.
Not so, said association official John Foust, who heads a subcommittee that focuses on the mall expansion.
“That is not correct, that we’re opposed to it just outright,” he said. “Our concern is it’s going to generate an enormous amount of traffic and the transportation network is not in place to handle that traffic, as required by the comprehensive plan.”
