Mixed Use Communities with Housing like Reston Town Center? (Springfield: apartments, rentals)

[macalan]

Are there other mixed use communities in NOVA that have housing (apartments), shops and restaurants like Reston Town Center? (I think it has housing, please correct me if I am wrong).

We're pretty sure VA is where we want to move, and our plan would be to come out and rent for a year, and travel around to get a feel for the area. We like mixed use communities for the amenities and convenience, so would choose to rent in one of those during that year.

I'm still working but I own my own company and work remotely, and my husband is retired so commuting is not an issue.

I came across these but I can't tell if there are just shops and restaurants or also apartments:

Fairfax Corner
Mosaic District, Fairfax
Lake Anne, Reston
One Loudon, Ashburn
Villages of Leesburg, Leesburg
Tysons Corner, Tysons

Any comments as to desirability of location (central, access to a lot of things) as well as proximity to public transit, Inova Fairfax Hospital, grocery store, CVS and vet would be helpful. We would want a place that had newer/modern apartments. Green space/common gathering space as well as events (concerts, farmers markets, etc.) would be a nice bonus.

We're not big shoppers so stores aren't all that important, although a bookstore would be great, as would a variety of restaurants, although we don't dine out all that much.



Thanks.

[novadogs]

Shirlington Village.
https://villageatshirlington.com/

[lchoro]

You can just google Town Center. Lansdowne Town Center is near some retirement communities, a major hospital, and golf courses. It's also near One Loudoun, the Leesburg Outlet Mall, Costco, and downtown Leesburg shopping district. Woodland Park in Herndon is near the new Herndon Metro and a lot of apartments are in the area. Lake Anne would be replaced by Weihle Avenue Metro. There is a lot of development around the Vienna Metro, and it's also close to Fairfax Circle which is being redeveloped.

[kww]

Mosaic has apartments and townhouses a couple streets away from the shops etc (still walking distance)

[Middlin]

Fairfax Corner has apartments right in the town center and some apartments located near the town center. Of these, I don't know which are rentals or condo's. The Town Center is nice, not terribly big and obviously you can see a list of what is located there. Parking is a huge PITA. I work in the area and used to live there and pre COVID would meet friends there for dinner. Restaurants there are actually pretty good. You can also walk to the Wegmans which is close to the Town Center. Located in an area with a lot strip centers, a ton of traffic lights, a hospital and Fair Oaks mall. Reston Town Center is about 10 miles away.

[leighland]

Yes! Town of Herndon will have a new mini-Mosaic mixed development. The new Herndon development will have 273 apartments and approximately 17,000 square feet of retail space; a 16,265-square feet Arts Center; and a 726-space parking garage, right downtown i the Historic Herndon Downtown. There is a cushion in groundbreak due to Covid and "Market Conditions' But they will prob break ground next year.

[url]https://www.restonnow.com/2020/05/04/heres-a-peek-at-the-new-historic-herndon-district-by-comstock/[/url]

[url]https://www.herndon-va.gov/home/showdocument?id=10402[/url]

[ersatz]

I used to visit Mosaic and Tysons regularly. Still do, but now only once a month or so. PreCOVID, I would travel north out of Springfield via public transit. Now I use my car.

I used to travel via Metro to Dunn Loring and then walk to the Mosaic district. That is about two miles, not a bad hike when the weather is pleasant. During bad weather, I used the Fairfax Connector buses that travel back and forth along Gallows Road and up to Tysons.

Mosaic District was built around five or six years ago as an urban planned walkable district. There is a Barnes and Noble bookstore, various groceries (like Moms Organic Market), lots of restaurants, several pharmacies, music and entertainment festivals, and a farmers market. Inova Fairfax Hospital is just over a mile down the street. Merrifield Animal Hospital is less than a mile away. Jefferson District Park and Sally Ormsby park are nearby, if you don't mind walking a mile or two. Northern Virginia Community College is four miles away. NVCC has a special program for people over 60, where you can audit classes without paying any tuition.

I visit Tysons a couple of times a year and have been regularly going there for decades. This area was originally built up around the Tysons Corner shopping center (now Tysons Galleria). It now houses skyscraper office parks mostly dedicated to Beltway Bandits, luxury car dealerships, and a numbing plethora of big box stores. It was never intended for pedestrians, though there have been a few modest efforts to address that in recent years. It is surrounded on all sides by major highways and turns into a choke-point during rush hours and at Christmas shopping time. There is a Tysons Corner metro station that has pedestrian walkway overpasses that allow access to Tysons Corner area. There are a few pedestrian street crossings at some intersections. I use them now and then, that's how I get in my sprinting practice. Don't try it with packages in hand!

[macalan]

Originally Posted by ersatz

I used to visit Mosaic and Tysons regularly. Still do, but now only once a month or so. PreCOVID, I would travel north out of Springfield via public transit. Now I use my car.

I used to travel via Metro to Dunn Loring and then walk to the Mosaic district. That is about two miles, not a bad hike when the weather is pleasant. During bad weather, I used the Fairfax Connector buses that travel back and forth along Gallows Road and up to Tysons.

Mosaic District was built around five or six years ago as an urban planned walkable district. There is a Barnes and Noble bookstore, various groceries (like Moms Organic Market), lots of restaurants, several pharmacies, music and entertainment festivals, and a farmers market. Inova Fairfax Hospital is just over a mile down the street. Merrifield Animal Hospital is less than a mile away. Jefferson District Park and Sally Ormsby park are nearby, if you don't mind walking a mile or two. Northern Virginia Community College is four miles away. NVCC has a special program for people over 60, where you can audit classes without paying any tuition.

I visit Tysons a couple of times a year and have been regularly going there for decades. This area was originally built up around the Tysons Corner shopping center (now Tysons Galleria). It now houses skyscraper office parks mostly dedicated to Beltway Bandits, luxury car dealerships, and a numbing plethora of big box stores. It was never intended for pedestrians, though there have been a few modest efforts to address that in recent years. It is surrounded on all sides by major highways and turns into a choke-point during rush hours and at Christmas shopping time. There is a Tysons Corner metro station that has pedestrian walkway overpasses that allow access to Tysons Corner area. There are a few pedestrian street crossings at some intersections. I use them now and then, that's how I get in my sprinting practice. Don't try it with packages in hand!

Thank you so much!

[macalan]

Originally Posted by Middlin

Fairfax Corner has apartments right in the town center and some apartments located near the town center. Of these, I don't know which are rentals or condo's. The Town Center is nice, not terribly big and obviously you can see a list of what is located there. Parking is a huge PITA. I work in the area and used to live there and pre COVID would meet friends there for dinner. Restaurants there are actually pretty good. You can also walk to the Wegmans which is close to the Town Center. Located in an area with a lot strip centers, a ton of traffic lights, a hospital and Fair Oaks mall. Reston Town Center is about 10 miles away.

Thank you! Didn't know there was a Wegmans nearby. That's a plus.

How's the traffic in the area - is one better than the other - Reston TC, Mosaic, Fairfax Corner?

[Middlin]

Most of NoVA is suburban sprawl with poor design that was not intended for the amount of cars/population.


A lot of how much you will find it irritating depends on your individual factors. Not having a regular daily commute certainly helps, but when it takes 3 times longer to get someplace on a Saturday and wanting to go several places, it can get draining. My MIL lives in Maryland and pre COVID, it could take almost 90 minutes to go 35 miles because of traffic backups/accidents on the beltway.


The Fairfax Corner location is pretty good since you have a Wegmans, Giant and Costco very close by. Oh, and forgot Whole Foods is near as well. I think that area has a lot of the basic day to day needs in 5 square miles. Having said that, there is not much to look at or visit in terms of walking. Reston has a lot of walking trails, lakes, etc and the Fairlakes area is a bunch of shopping centers and apartment buildings.