McLean Crossing developer goes back to drawing board with new plans for retail, senior housing

A mixed-use project approved nearly a decade ago near the McLean Metro station is making a comeback, expanding the amount of retail sought and potentially bringing a long-desired athletic field.

The Washington Business Journal reported Friday (Dec. 10) that developer LCOR is revising its 21-acre McLean Crossing project, increasing its retail component from the 50,000 square feet approved in 2013 to potentially three times that amount.

“LCOR anticipates that we will be able to advance our next phase of projects in late 2023,” LCOR senior vice president Josh White said in an email to Tysons Reporter, stating that the “renewed vision” includes a variety of uses to “establish a genuine neighborhood atmosphere in a submarket seeking an identity, of which retail is a major component.”

Located along Anderson Road at the Chain Bridge Road intersection, the project was envisioned in 2013 as a redevelopment of the Commons of McLean apartments, but only one of the seven planned buildings has been constructed so far: the Kingston luxury apartment high rise, which was completed in 2018.

The plan called for buildings ranging from six to 22 stories tall with 2,571 residential units, along with retail and two blocks devoted to parks.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the project on June 4, 2013, provided that the developer create a proposed athletic field by Dec. 31, 2035 near the McLean Metro station, which opened in 2014.

At that time, the field was a primary point of contention between LCOR and the county, with Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust calling the anticipated timing of its delivery bad.

The McLean Citizens Association gave its support to the proposed redevelopment, but with the condition that the athletic field be built by the end of 2025 and that more retail space be provided. Mark Zetts, then the MCA planning committee co-chair, was the only speaker at the public hearing.

“We were very reluctant to agree to the 2035 date,” G. Evan Pritchard, an attorney for the developer, told the board, citing market conditions and other factors, from building demolitions to street grid additions.

Now, the developer says it believes the previous plan should be revised. A new concept plan could end up before the county next year, according to the WBJ.

“As Kingston, LCOR’s first residential development at McLean Crossing, was delivering, LCOR reevaluated Tysons/McLean market conditions, examined other successful mixed-use projects within the region and ultimately concluded it was necessary to revise the 2013 master plan in order to create a sense of place,” White wrote.

LCOR is also bringing a new business partner onboard, “Monarch Communities, which will built a 210-unit senior housing tower in the development,” the Washington Business Journal reported.

Per the article:

About 120 of the senior units will be independent living apartments, about with another 60 assisted living and 30 memory care units, which all vary greatly in size from studios to one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

“McLean Crossing will not only create a neighborhood center for Tysons East, but also a new downtown for McLean, given its proximity and accessibility,” White said. “The retail within McLean Crossing will be neighborhood serving and is envisioned to be a thoughtful mix of food and beverage, soft goods, etc.”