Skyline live/work project moves forward
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| The redeveloped Skyline project would have a more inviting entrance. |
The plan to transform three mostly vacant office buildings in the Skyline Center to live/work units is moving forward. The Fairfax County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for July 15.
The three buildings, at 5201, 5202, and 5203 Leesburg Pike, would have a total of 720 units that the tenants could use as a residence, office, or both. That’s the same concept at Mission Lofts at 5600 Columbia Pike, also in Bailey’s Crossroads. Both projects are developed by Robert Seldin, CEO of Highland Square Holdings, with financing from the Wolff Co.
Seldin’s land use attorney Mike Van Atta of McGuire Woods, told the Mason District Land Use Committee last week that the Skyline project will transform Bailey’s Crossroads into an “innovation corridor” by spurring economic development.
If the county approval process goes smoothly, Seldin hopes to start construction by the end of the year and start delivering the first batch of units in the first quarter of 2022.
Related story: Mission Lofts is signing up tenants
The three building were 95 percent occupied and valued at $195 million at their peak. Then when the Department of Defense and military contractors moved out in 2012, following the Base Realignment and Closure process, the bottom fell out. The property is now 95 percent vacant and is worth just $27.5 million.
Those buildings aren’t likely to attract many new office tenants, but Seldin believes they have strong potential as residences and places for small business startups. That’s in line with the Fairfax County policy adopted in 2017 encouraging vacant commercial buildings to be repurposed for other uses.
Related story: E-loft projects offer flexible units for living or working
Seldin envisions the live/work concept at Skyline will attract one or two-person households, teleworkers, and people with a home-based business. Being able to work at home means entrepreneurs would only have to rent one space instead of two.
The units would most likely be 700 to 900 square feet, Seldin said. Most of the units would have one bedroom; some would have two bedrooms and a den. Rents haven’t been determined but could be in the $2,000 to $2,800 range.
The project will include 43 workforce dwelling units, with rents affordable to households earning less than 120 percent of the area median income.
Related story: More details emerge on Skyline revitalization project
Seldin is considering including some age-restricted units that would carry a home occupancy license. That would allow retired people to have a consulting or other business in their apartment.
Each unit would have its own HVAC system and 50 percent more power than the typical apartment. The building would be refitted with operable windows. There would be 1,370 parking spaces.
The ground floor in each building would have tenant services, conference rooms, and retail or other commercial uses.
The grounds would be landscaped with a park area added to the top of the parking garage and a green wrap-around park connecting the buildings and courtyards. The current landscaping is “meant to be viewed, not meant to be experienced,” Seldin said. His plan calls for “a more active, inviting space” where people will want to gather.
2 responses to “Skyline live/work project moves forward”
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It will be interesting to see how this horrible 1970s planning without a major metro transportation link will be transformed. It was a bad idea 50 years ago and has burned itself out because of the lack of connectivity to the rest of the metro area by GOOD mass transit. I look forward to it being revived. Bottom line, BoS needs to get off their duffs and get Mason decent, efficient and reliable mass transit, more bike lane alternatives and people out of their planet choking cars.
I agree this redevelopment effort is a hopeful sign.
But generally our BOS is working very hard on new development and are too busy paying back all the developers for their campaign contributions by approving more of the same type of development all the while "minimizing" public input. The developers have completely indoctrinated the staff and their little cabal is "incentivizing" the dollar amount of how much development staff approves rather than the quality of what they are developing. Then we end up with huge boxes for people to live in and all the shoddy construction is paid for later by the HOA's so the developer gets to walk away with more money to give back to the BOS to keep them in office. So we end up with unaffordable housing near Metro when the people who need Metro the most are those who need affordable housing. And God forbid one Supervisor disagree with another, God knows that wouldn't happen in our feudal system where the Lord of the Manor gets the final say on what happens in their own Fiefdom.
Or when housing is approved that is a bit lower priced it is approved under the flightpath at Dulles Airport so the people who can't afford to buy a home in Fairfax County will be able to afford one of these, never mind their children will be deaf by the time they are 3 or will get sick from the particulate matter showered upon them every day by the flight overhead, and they pat themselves on the back for approving more "affordable" housing.
While no one disagrees with "streamlining" a process which was indeed cumbersome, this has gone well beyond process "streamlining" even though this is the term they still use. This is ongoing indoctrination with the developers in charge, make no mistake.
This is truly government by the developer for the developer and meanwhile most of the public is completely unaware their rights are being taken away from them every day in Fairfax County. They don't want that pesky public to be involved with Land Use at all. When this happened in the '80's people went to jail. Somehow our BOS thinks crawling into bed with the developers is ok since this is the dream of our pro-development county attorney, I say it is epic corruption and we need to clean house because the people are not being represented by our elected officials.