Tysons Luxury Condo Tower Gets Approved By Fairfax Government

Reston-based Renaissance Centro has finally got the green light to build a condo tower in Tysons, after a conflict with the Fairfax County government over the inclusion of affordable housing.

The company founded by Albert H. "Sonny" Small Jr., the son of DC development legend Albert Small, received approval to build a 25-story, 14-unit condo building, with 6k SF of ground-floor retail at Arbor Row, a more than 2M SF Cityline Partners West Park office park redevelopment project. This will make it the first condo project built in the area since the county approved the Tysons Plan, a guide for long-term land use aimed at changing the area into a more walkable, mixed-use neighborhood, reports the Washington Business Journal.

In the deal, Renaissance Centro has proffered to give up 20% of its units as workforce development units, of which only 65% are guaranteed to be actual places for people to live. Renaissance must build the WDUs within Tysons but not necessarily at the Arbor Row site.

Approval for the project stalled when the Fairfax County Planning Commission insisted the Reston-based developer, the contract purchaser of the Arbor Row condo pad, add WDUs to the project itself. Renaissance Centro pushed back by asking to donate cash to the Fairfax affordable housing fund instead of including affordable housing, and the Board of Supervisors agreed.  

Among other projects, Renaissance Centro has built more than 1,000 condos and apartments at Reston Town Center. [WBJ]