A rezoning request for a proposed office tower near the McLean Metro station will be considered by the Board of Supervisors later this month.

Akridge and the Ronald D. Paul Companies are looking to develop 1690 Old Meadow Road, a triangular spot between Dolley Madison Blvd and the Old Meadow Road, into a 15-story tower with Class A offices.

Called One Tysons East, the project would include a 8,300-square-foot restaurant and cafe on the main level, along with retail space and a bike room, according to the website.

The project plans for five levels of parking with 500 spaces — two levels of parking would be underground, while three would be above the lobby. Above the parking, the tower would have 11 floors of office space totaling 24,500 square feet.

The tower also plans to have a landscaped outdoor terrace with a bocce court on the fifth floor, which would also include a client-only cafe, coffee bar, conference room, fitness center and yoga space.

The developers are looking to increase the floor area ratio and receive approval for their plans.

The Planning Commission recommended approval for the rezoning last April after discussion on how the distinctive curved-glass tower could potentially kill birds.

Now, county documents indicate that the Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on March 24.

Images via One Tysons East

Cranes and crews are busy working on a new office tower near the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons.

Tysons Biergarten’s former site will soon become a 383,000-square-foot office tower with 20 floors and a penthouse, according to the project’s website.

Named Tysons Central, the tower is set to open in the first quarter of 2022, according to signs along Leesburg Pike.

The building will include 365,000 square feet of office space and 19,000 square feet of retail space, the signs say.

The plans show that the office space will be atop parking decks, which will be above the retail and plaza area, according to the project’s website.

The building will also have a sky lobby with an outdoor terrace on the eighth floor and a private terrace on the 12th floor.

“Additionally, the exclusive 6,362 sf Penthouse floor offers a unique opportunity to create a private C-Suite, conference center or tenant lounge for a lead tenant,” according to the website.

At full build-out, the office tower will be a part of a mixed-use development that was approved in 2014 with 1,100 residential units, 200 hotel rooms and 135,000 square feet of retail, according to the website.

Here are renderings of what Tysons Central plans to look like when it’s finished:

Renderings and map via Tysons Central 

Work is gearing up on a new office tower that is part of the redevelopment of the sites once home to Tysons Biergarten and Clyde’s in Tysons.

Named Tysons Central, the new office tower is coming to 8332 Leesburg Pike — the former spot of Clyde’s — next to the Greensboro Metro station in the Tysons Central 7 neighborhood.

The building, which plans to have a private roof terrace and parking garage, is a part of a development that was approved in 2014.

More from Foulger-Pratt:

Tysons Central is the first step in the massive redevelopment of Tysons, made possible by the Metro’s Silver Line extension. This signature office tower will reside adjacent to approximately 1,100 residential units, 200 hotel rooms, and 135,000 sf retail at full build out.

Right next door you’ll find The Boro — a 4.2 million sf development featuring a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options, including a Whole Foods and Showplace Icon multiplex.

Developer Foulger-Pratt is ready to start construction to get the project done by early 2021, the Washington Business Journal reported.

Almost every Wednesday morning, dozens of entrepreneurs and tech gurus gather to network and share their ideas at an office in Tysons.

1 Million Cups Fairfax is part of a 160-chapter initiative that invites upcoming entrepreneurs from around the country to pitch their venture and receive feedback from other local stakeholders and innovators.

On Nov. 20, Tysons Reporter attended the weekly event and listened to Malaika Simmons of Momentology Media pitch her brand.

Following Simmon’s pitch, which focused on her plans to help women and kids though life coaching and development of a personal brand, attendees offered to connect her with other people in the field, gave advice and asked questions about her mission.

One person said that her model might be good for couples working through difficult times, while another suggested she should consider partnerships with corporate companies.

“My number one goal is to get corporate sponsors,” Simmons said, adding that she has already worked with the federal government and Fortune 500 companies in the past.

Simmons said that corporate sponsors are the best way to scale her business, but her true passion is working with women and children.

Event organizers told Tysons Reporter that feedback like this is typical and people can feel free to be honest with one another.

1 Million Cups began under the Kauffman Foundation, which aims to help businesses owners from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential, according to the website.

1 Million Cups Fairfax, which is Tysons’s local chapter, began about a year and a half ago on Valentine’s Day 2018, John Yu, a spokesperson for Office Evolution, said. Yu said that the program has become increasing in popularity, with presentation spots filling up quickly.

To ensure that the presentations will be productive for everyone, organizers ensure that each entrepreneur has a sense of direction and a business model.

“We very rarely turn anyone away,” Yu said. “We just postpone.”

Anyone is welcome to listen and join in the group discussion.

Several attendees said there is typically a dynamic turnout for these events. Tysons Reporter met a variety of people, including several “serial entrepreneurs,” representatives from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and one man who simply wanted to know more about local business.

The weekly event is held at Office Evolution (609 Westwood Center Drive) from 8:30-10 a.m. and the next session will take place after Thanksgiving, on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

“We try to give a voice to startups around the area,” Yu said.

Little City Incumbents Celebrate Reelection — “All four incumbents won handily in Tuesday’s City of Falls Church City Council and School Board elections and their success was touted as a ‘vote of confidence.'” [Falls Church News-Press]

Tysons Building Off The Market — Rubenstein Partners and Griffith Properties “completed the sale of Centerstone at Tysons, a six-story office building located at 1550 Westbranch Drive… The sale follows the announcement earlier in 2019 that Centerstone at Tysons was brought to full occupancy through a single 150,000-square-foot lease at the property.” [Cision]

French Cuisine Coming to Mosaic Soon — “Parc de Ville, a French bistro set to feature classic cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner… is set to open for dinner service on Monday, Nov. 18.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Women-Owned Businesses Booming in Falls Church — “Across the Washington metropolitan area, the highest rates of business ownership for are in Falls Church City, and Prince George’s County, as 12 percent of establishments. In Falls Church City, 12 percent of workers work at business establishments owned by women.” [DC Policy Center]

Vienna IT Firm Working With Defense Department — “Vienna IT consulting firm Rightstar Inc. secured a spot on a $820.45 million blanket purchase agreement (BPA) Friday [Nov. 1] to supply the Department of Defense with commercial-off-the-shelf software.” [Washington Business Journal]

Former Falls Church City Attorney Dies — “Paul Terrence ‘Terry’ O’Grady, age 81, formerly of Falls Church, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Soaking Up The Sun in Vienna — “Vienna’s zip code is the top place for solar energy system installations in Northern Virginia, according to numbers from the Solarize NOVA program.” [Patch]

As coworking becomes the “new normal,” several options have popped up in Tysons for people who want to work in shared office space.

Coworking lets different companies — large and small — rent out portions of a single office space or even allow people to have virtual offices where they can use services at a certain location without owning or leasing traditional office space.

Here’s an updated list of coworking spaces available in Tysons’ neighborhoods.

Tysons Central 123

• WeWork (1775 Tysons Blvd)
• Carr Workplaces (1750 Tysons Blvd, Suite 1500)
• Regus (8000 Towers Crescent Drive, 13th floor)

Old Courthouse 

• Regus (8300 Boone Blvd, Suite 500)
• Intelligent Office (1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350)

Tysons Central 7

• MakeOffices (1751 Pinnacle Drive, 6th floor)
• Chisel (1751 Pinnacle Drive, 10th floor)
• Metro Offices (1765 Greensboro Station)
• Industrious (1660 International Drive)
• Spaces (1640 Boro Place — opening on Nov. 11)

Tysons West

• Office Evolution (8609 Westwood Center Drive, Suite 110)
• Source Office Suites (1420 Spring Hill Road, Suite 600)

Play, Work or Dash, a coworking space that offered childcare, closed last November at 8214 Old Courthouse Road, according to a Facebook post.

A janitors’ union has tentatively reached a contract agreement with commercial cleaning companies in the D.C.-area — avoiding a strike that could have affected Tysons offices.

Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ struck an agreement with the Washington Service Contractors Association today (Tuesday, Oct. 15), according to a press release from 32BJ SEIU.

The janitors’ union was planning two strikes later this afternoon ahead of the approaching deadline for the new contract agreement. 

The strike was meant to demand wage increases and full-time hours — some janitors currently earn $12.60 per hour for part-time work in Northern Virginia, according to the union.

In total, the strike would have hit more than 1,200 office buildings in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, according to the press release.

Union spokeswoman Julie Karant told Tysons Reporter that more than 4,000 janitors and 500 buildings in Northern Virginia would have been affected by a strike.

Some of the Tysons office buildings were the janitors work include:

• Capital One Tower (1600 and 1680 Capital One Drive)
• Freddie Mac building (8250 Jones Branch Drive)
• Northrop Grumman (7575 Colshire Drive)
• MITRE Corp. (7525 Colshire Drive)

The deal, which covers more than 10,500 jobs, is pending approval by union members, and the union plans to release more details on Monday, Oct. 20, “pending a ratification vote by union members,” the press release said.

“Associated Building Maintenance Co., Inc. remains the only employer out of 58 companies that has not signed the agreement,” according to 32BJ SEIU.

To better fit in with nearby urbanization, the owners of Valo Park want to open the office complex to the public — and add restaurants, a 9/11 memorial and a bocce court.

The roughly 785,000 square-foot office park is currently home to the headquarters of the newspaper giant Gannett and cloud computing company Appian. The building currently has a fitness center, conference facilities, a 300-seat auditorium and lots of open space.

London-based Tamares acquired 7950 Jones Branch Drive for $270 million four years ago.

The private investment group is now looking to redesign roughly 19,000 square feet of the ground floor space and some areas of the garage to accommodate new retail and restaurants, according to the applications submitted to Fairfax County.

The developers are considering repurposing two corner areas of the building into restaurants — one would take 7,000 square feet of front corner space and the second would occupy 12,000 square feet of rear corner space. Meanwhile, 5,000 square feet of the garage’s rooftop would get converted into a craft beverage production establishment or restaurant.

The plans also include an outdoor gaming area with a bocce court, horseshoes, cornhole and a fire pit. The public would be able to use a 20,000-square-foot health club, along with a possible rock climbing facility.

“A 9/11 memorial is currently under construction on the property for further activation of open space,” according to the application.

The office park is located in the North Central neighborhood of Tysons, which has a luxurious four-building residential project at Park Crest, office space at Tysons Overlook and the residential Highgate. A massive mixed-use development called The Mile was approved earlier this year for the area.

“The underlying objectives for the proposed applications is to better incorporate Valo Park into the surrounding neighborhood fabric and better align the site with the goals of the Tysons Plan,” according to the application.

More from Tamares about how the changes fit the comprehensive plan for Tysons:

The proposed applications would render the site more compatible with the Comprehensive Plan’s goals for the North Central District to redevelop as a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with local-serving retail. The proposed restaurants and site modifications would create a more outward facing development that is more accessible to the surrounding community.

A public hearing for the Planning Commission has not been announced yet.

Photo via Valo Park