SAIC asks Fairfax, Va., to lift building densities

Defense contractor Science Applications International Corp. is urging Fairfax County officials to increase density guidelines in Tysons Corner so the company can move forward with a $25 million plan to expand its headquarters there.

SAIC, the region's fourth-largest private employer, plans to redevelop its 18-acre campus off Leesburg Pike, a few blocks from one of four future Silver Line Metro stations. But SAIC officials said there is too much disparity between densities proposed for different areas of the property.

The southern portion of the property is within an eighth of a mile of the station entrance, and the northern portion is between an eighth and a quarter of a mile from the station. The county's draft blueprint for redeveloping Tysons Corner recommends densities for buildings based on their distance from the station.

Frederick R. Hazard, chief executive of SAIC subsidiary Campus Point Realty Corp., expressed his concern about the recommended densities in a letter last month to Walter L. Alcorn, chairman of the Fairfax Planning Commission's Tysons Committee.

Hazard wrote that the disparity between the proposed densities "is very significant, particularly for a property such as ours . . . that has the opportunity to redevelop as a high-quality, cohesive mixed-use development."

The county is proposing to allot the highest density to properties (mostly offices) within an eighth of a mile of Metro stations, with a reduction in density proposed for buildings (mostly residential) farther from the stations.

Fairfax officials said that approach would balance the overall development of office, retail and residential buildings throughout Tysons, which is expected to grow to include 200,000 workers and 100,000 residents by 2050.

"The effort was to allocate the most intensity that we could at the Metro stations and also to have intensities in other areas of Tysons that would be sufficient enough to encourage redevelopment," said James P. Zook, the county's planning and zoning director.

Company officials said that part of SAIC's $25 million investment would go toward redeveloping its campus, which is on land zoned for mixed-use commercial development.

Arnold Punaro, SAIC executive vice president, said the future campus design would integrate the Metro station to create an urban setting that could blend residential, retail and office uses. He said a bridge would connect the station to the SAIC campus.

Punaro said the county's ultimate decision on density guidelines around Metro stations will dictate how SAIC redevelops its property.

"If you want us to have a modern Tysons, we can't do it with the densities that are being allocated," he said. "For any of this to happen, you've got to get the proper zoning and the proper density."

SAIC moved its headquarters from San Diego in September. At the time, company officials said the move would create more than 1,000 jobs, mostly in the science, engineering and technology divisions, over the next three years. About 100 existing jobs will move from San Diego, and SAIC said it expects to hire 1,100 new employees in the Washington area. SAIC has about 17,500 employees in the region.