Tysons Demo

Inviting Destination

Tysons Demonstration Project
@ Tysons West

The Georgelas Group is proud to have been selected by Fairfax County to develop the “Demonstration Project”. The two primary objectives of the demonstration project are: to inform the comprehensive plan, and to illustrate what a future development may look like under the new comprehensive plan. Through a collaborative partnership the Georgelas Group and Fairfax County have created a project that reflects five years of planning and hundreds of community meetings.

The Tysons Demonstration Project has been created to illustrate how a project could be developed using the Draft Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner. Once adopted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors the new comprehensive plan will enable a pedestrian friendly, connected, urban and truly Transit Oriented future for Tysons Corner. As you browse through these pages, it is hoped that you will come away with an understanding of the new vision for Tysons Corner. Click here to read the recent TIME MAGAZINE article

Destination Creation

Metro Pavilion
Kiss and Ride
Community Amenities
Parks and Recreation

The Vision

The Demonstration Project and the Draft Comprehensive Plan For Tysons Corner have a compelling vision for the future Tysons Corner. A future that creates a community where there is currently none; a place to live, work and play where there is currently a workday-only reality; a place connected to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area via the newest link in the nation’s best public transit system.

Destination Creation

When the 1st Phase extension of Metro is complete, there will be four new stops in Tysons Corner. Locations include one at the intersection of Leesburg Pike Rt.7 and Spring Hill Road where the Demonstration Project is located. www.dullesmetro.com

Transit Oriented Design

Fully integrated with the future Tysons West Metro station, the demonstration project is designed to leverage the arrival of rail with an inviting entertainment district including shops, restaurants, theaters, hotels, apartments, and offices just steps away from rail. A convenient Kiss and Ride facility is also being incorporated that gives neighbors convenient metro access.

The Vision

The vision for our project is to create a destination which will be not only inviting but also give a sense of comfort and friendliness. From the moment of your arrival, we want Tysons Demo to feel like a vibrant community in which you will feel like staying. Central to crating a sense of place will be attention to detail on our part. We have kept all constituents residents, office workers and visitors in mind while planning the layout of our buildings and spaces.

Good Urban Planning

Good Urban Planning today is first and foremost responsive to the impact of a project on not just the immediate community but, the broader environment. It isn’t enough to merely design projects that appeal to the eye. While certainly aesthetically pleasing design should remain an important objective, how that design functions with community objectives and the world at-large, has become equally if not more important.

Transforming Tysons

At top of the list of vital needs to transform Tysons is the creation of a Grid of Streets. The Task Force recognized the importance of creating these streets but also acknowledged that it would be challenging to accomplish. By having brought together under its control over 28 acres of property surrounding the Tysons Metro West station, the Georgelas Group is in a position to ensure that key portions of the Grid of Streets as envisioned for the area get built.

Professionals and Consultants

Working with our team of renowned Architects, Engineers, Landscape professionals and consultants, we aim to ensure that all aspects of the flow of pedestrian traffic is given priority such as restaurants having plenty of sidewalk space for tables while allowing for a friendly pedestrian experience. Similarly, we are designing our open and public spaces in a manner that is inviting, flexible in uses and environmentally responsible.

Mixed Use Project

A good mix of uses is critical to the success of a new urban destination. With a proper mix of shops, galleries, restaurants, hotels, office, residential, and theatres the demonstration project will create a place that is vibrant for 18 hours day. Currently, Tysons Corner shuts down after five PM making the evening rush hour extremely congested. A good mix of uses coupled with the arrival of rail will mitigate the traffic congestion problems that plague Tysons today.

The United States has 5% of the world’s population, 30% of the world’s automobiles and contributes 45% of the world’s automotive CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions are widely acknowledged to be the leading cause of increasing the rate of global warming. With a heightened sense of urgency, policy leaders all around the world are addressing growing concerns about the direct impact planning and zoning ordinances have on climate change.

As it has grown over the past several decades from a rural farming community to a robust metropolitan area, Fairfax County has experienced a rapid population growth bringing with it among the busiest road networks in the US. Much of this growth has outrun the ability of the State and County to keep up with infrastructure improvements. When climate change was less of an issue, adding lanes to congested roads to relive traffic was given priority over investments in more costly public transportation alternatives. The net result has been sprawling growth across the metropolitan area and traffic congestion that has strained the capacity of the road network in the County. After decades of planning the anticipated arrival of mass transit to Tysons Corner brings with it a welcome opportunity to alter the course of growth in the County.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed a Tysons Land Use Task Force consisting of 34 citizen members of varying backgrounds and tasked them with a mission to help develop a plan for Tysons which would fully leverage the arrival of mass transit. The Task Force deliberated for over four years and in September of 2008, delivered a vision for transforming Tysons Corner.

This vision, which was shaped with guidance from the Board of Supervisors and active participation of County citizens through extensive outreach including multiple public charrettes, when fully implemented, will result in a vibrant Tysons that is urban, pedestrian friendly and with a great deal less emphasis on the automobile and far more on alternate forms of transportation. To learn more about the draft comprehensive plan please visit Fairfax County: (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpz/tysonscorner/)