A rendering of The View at Tysons. Image by Gensler.

The tallest building in the region can be built, now that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning application for The View at Tysons. The View project is a towering six-building, mixed-use compound that will include offices, apartments, and a nearby connection to Metro.

The Iconic Tower, which is part of the cluster of buildings that comprises The View, will be 600 feet, making it the tallest in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. However, only the first 400 feet will be occupiable, and the remaining 200 feet are “design height.” The $1.5 billion project by Clemente Development also includes a performing arts center and green and public space.

The next-tallest building in the area is the Washington Monument, which is 555 feet tall. After that, Tysons Capital One Tower at 470 feet is the tallest skyscraper, and is the only other building in the Washington region above 400 feet tall. The tallest building in Maryland is the Transamerica Tower, in Baltimore, which stands at 529.01 feet. The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center is 508.1 feet.

Rendering of public space in The View at Tysons. Image by Gensler.

Tysons is an “edge city” which has the goal of becoming a bustling urban center—one that reduces single-passenger automobile trips, is walkable, and is public transit-friendly. The View at Tysons is important in part because of its proximity to the Spring Hill Metro station.

“The project was developed around that concept [of Metro accessibility],” said Kevin MacWhorter, an associate at DLA Piper. He oversaw the project’s land use issues and helped it get approved by Fairfax County staff with help from his colleague Antonio Calabrese, a partner at DLA Piper.

Developers hope the building will increase ridership, MacWhorter added. He says the building process for The View won’t interrupt or impede Metro service.

Due to its height, The View was a heavy lift to get through the Fairfax County board. Things like the architecture, sustainability features, the green space and park space, publicly accessible areas, and streetscapes all have to adhere to the guidelines in Tysons’ comprehensive plan. The project was initially submitted to the county in 2017, and went through several changes before it was submitted again in April of 2018.

“That’s really when it started to look more like the application that was ultimately approved,” MacWhorter said

Layout of the View at Tysons. Image by Gensler.

MacWhorter said the firm reached out to community members (including residents of the Rotonda, one of the oldest apartment buildings in Tysons) and others in Tysons and Fairfax County, to get their input. “It was really a very collaborative process that ultimately led to this final design,” MacWhorter said.

While rezoning has been approved, it remains to be seen when construction will actually start. A site plan must be submitted, which MacWhorter expects to happen in early 2020, followed by another lengthy review process of about eight to 10 months. The first phase of the project will include the hotel building and the 455-foot office tower on the corner of Tyco Road and Route 7.

“Now that the rezoning it approved all engines are go, and we expect to move quickly,” MacWhorter said.