Annandale, a “suburb of Tysons Corner,” has potential for major growth

“Annandale is in effect a suburb of Tysons Corner,” says Gerald Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. As Tysons becomes more urbanized—and attracts major corporations—Annandale is poised to attract some of the smaller subcontractors that that will follow, he told local business leaders at an Annandale Chamber of Commerce luncheon April 8.

For example, if Fairfax County succeeds in attracting Northrup Grumman, the aerospace giant is most likely to chose Tysons Corner for its new corporate headquarters. But satellite companies and Northrup employees may chose to relocate to nearby communities, and “that’s the opportunity for Annandale,” he says.

Gordon says Northrup Grumman is expected to make a decision by the end of the month. Fairfax County isn’t providing a monetary incentive, like other jurisdictions, but does offer infrastructure improvements to attract major employers. “Montgomery County is throwing $20 million at Northrop. That’s desperation. We don’t have to,” he says, noting that Fairfax County offers a good quality of life and that is enough of an incentive.

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is a state-chartered independent agency that promotes Fairfax County as a business location to stimulate job growth and build the commercial tax base. Based in Tysons Corner, the FCEDA has offices in San Francisco; Bangalore, India; Frankfurt, Germany; London; Seoul; and Tel Aviv. Fairfax County has companies with headquarters based in 38 countries.

By 2030, the population of Fairfax County is projected to increase by a quarter of million people, Gordon says, but “don’t ask me where they’re going to live. We’re going to have growth. There’s no way to stop it,” he says. The currently population is just over a million.

Gordon believes new business growth is essential to increase the tax base for the county to support schools, parks, libraries, and all the other services we need. Fairfax County contributes over 25 percent of all the income taxes in Virginia, he notes, and for every dollar we send to Richmond, we only get back 19 cents.

Noting that Fairfax County now has more jobs than D.C., Gordon says, “that makes Fairfax County the downtown and D.C. our suburb.”

And Annandale could be a good place for new growth, particularly as Tysons Corner becomes more urbanized. [By the way, isn’t it about time we drop “corner,” which harkens back to the community’s rural past, and just call it Tysons?]

Annandale has the unique position of being “at the confluence of several major highways,” Gordon says. Plus, Annandale has nice neighborhoods and a good quality of life, which makes it more appealing to a lot of people than the Tysons area.

But there’s a major obstacle to growth here. “There’s not sufficient office space in Annandale for dramatic change,” Gordon says. And there isn’t likely to be a lot of office building development—outside of Tysons and the growing Westfields area—until the vacancy rate, now at about 14 percent, comes down to about 6 to 7 percent, he says.

While some see the lack of mass transit in Annandale as an obstacle to growth, Gordon says, mass transit would change the community’s character and not necessarily in a good way. “Annandale has a charm about it that” that makes it an attractive location. “Mass transit would change that.”