Developer Plans to Build Reston’s Tallest Building

Reston Town Center is ready to get a new gateway in the form of a 23-story, trophy class office tower being planned for 1760 Reston Parkway by RTC Partnership. The 330-foot building has already been approved and would be 125 feet taller than anything currently in Fairfax County.

The 420,000 square foot project would replace an existing 61,000-square-foot office building at, often known as the Town Center Office Building.

RTC already has approval for mixed-use office and retail project.

Richard Whealen, managing partner of the ownership group, said the building’s distinctiveness should set it apart from other offices nearby, some starving for tenants.

“Despite the fact that office vacancies are relatively high along the Dulles Toll Road corridor, the time is right for a high-end office tower in Reston,” Whealen said in a press release.

The plans have attracted increased attention because of the property’s prominent location on Reston Parkway at Bowman Towne Drive, where Fairfax County planners have called for a signature office structure. The building’s design is more contemporary than many other Reston buildings.

RTC recently retained HOK, the largest U.S.-based architecture and engineering firm, to do “some refinement and enhancement” to the original design from Reston-based architect, Polleo Group.

Polleo has designed residential projects such as the mixed-use Spectrum development in Reston and Kennedy Row, a multifamily residential project on East Capitol Street in the District.

The design incorporates a six-story lobby atrium at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Bowman Towne Drive.

The first five floors would consist of retail and parking, with offices on the 18 stories above. On the sixth floor, the developers plan an outdoor 38,000-square-foot terrace (and green roof) that they envision featuring outdoor seating from a restaurant on that floor.

“Hopefully these features will attract a high-end restaurant that could have both indoor and outdoor seating with a striking view of the Reston Town Center and surrounding properties,” Whealen said.

The site is currently home to a five-story, 61,000-square-foot office building that Whealen bought more than 10 years ago.

The board approved the redevelopment plan in 2012, as Whealen fended off opposition from some neighbors and county staff who argued the proposed office tower is too tall and dense for its immediate surroundings.

The site is less than a mile from the planned Reston Town Center Metro station.

RTC has not announced a firm construction timeline, giving the company flexibility to begin demolition on the existing building.

The developers will join a handful building speculative office projects in Northern Virginia or planning them for coming months. In Tysons Corner, Lerner Enterprises has begun an office project and Macerich Group plans to begin one soon. In Rosslyn, Monday Properties is building a speculative office tower in Rosslyn and the JBG Companies plan one.

Like those projects, RTC envisions 1760 Reston Parkway as a property that will be accessible to Metrorail. The Wiehle Avenue station, on the Silver Line, is expected to be complete in 2014 and is a 10- or 15-minute walk from the property.

One of Whealen's key supporters was Reston founder Robert E. Simon, who died in September at the age of 101.