“If you Build it, They will Come” is Proving Successful for Tysons Comprehensive Plan
Tysons, VA – Results of a new Market Study released today by the Tysons Community Alliance reveal a strong post-pandemic recovery in Tysons led largely by an increase in new residents. Tysons’ population has grown by 17% since 2015, reaching over 29,000 residents. Moreover, it is projected that roughly 15,000 more residents will call Tysons home by 2030.
“The market study shows that the vision of the Comprehensive Plan, the County and region’s investment in transit along with the private and public sector commitments to designing place-based communities with access to amenities and services, have all laid the groundwork for a growing and diverse neighborhood,” stated Tysons Community Alliance CEO, Katie Cristol. “There is still a lot of work to do, but the results of this study clearly show a community on the rise.”
Emerging as a regional leader in household growth, Tysons’ household growth rate increased to 4% annually between 2015 and 2021. This is four times the Fairfax County average and two and a half times the regional average. Tysons’ population is also more diverse than Fairfax County as a whole.
“Tysons is no longer just a place to shop and go to work,” said Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik. “The addition of Metro and now the completion of the Silver Line, investment in parks and public amenities, as well as the construction of bike trails, is creating connections within Tysons, to the region and beyond. People recognize Tysons as the type of community that they want to call home.”
The new Market Report also estimates that, in order to meet the projected population growth to nearly 45,000 people, Tysons will need to add an additional 4,400 housing units by 2032 – and an additional 1,900 affordable homes (of which 625 are currently under development).
The urban district has also seen an extraordinary recovery in the retail sector and continues to be a local and regional destination. Retail visitation is at 92 percent of the 2019 average and spending is over $2.4 billion. 68 percent of these sales emanate from people visiting from more than 10 miles away, with 27 percent of visitors coming from over 50 miles away.
“What’s equally impressive is according to the Market Report, Tysons accounts for only one percent of Fairfax County’s landmass but generates eight percent of its tax revenue,” said TCA Board Chair Josh White. “The results of the study make it abundantly clear that Tysons continues to be a major economic driver for Fairfax County.”
Like many office markets across the country, Tysons is still recovering post-pandemic. Office vacancy rates are reporting at 20 percent with 5,600,000 square feet of vacant office space. Despite this high vacancy rate, employment grew 2.8 percent between 2020 and 2023, with office-using employment growth at 3.2 percent. Also, there are indications Tysons may be better positioned than most to adapt to the changing in-office weekly workflow. According to placer.ai data, which tracks activity based on the anonymous movement of cell phones, office visitation activity is at 77 percent of the 2019 average.
Though there is still room for transportation infrastructure improvement, Tysons is making good progress to better its mobility network, moving towards the 2040 goal of an integrated and connected multi-modal urban district. Between 2020 and 2023, Tysons’ overall “Walk Score” increased to 57 from 54, higher than regional comparators like Reston and Bethesda. Similarly, the area’s “Transit Score” increased to 57 from 53, up four points. Tysons also saw a 3% increase in car-free households between 2021 and 2019.
Since the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2010, roughly 34 acres of park space have opened to the public, bringing the total acreage of publicly accessible parkland to approximately 124 acres. In addition to the creation of more parks, development proffers have provided Tysons with landmark destinations like Capital One Hall and The Boro, with future developments set to provide additional parks and community spaces, etc.
The Market Study was conducted by HR&A along with Toole Design and Wells & Associates and is one step in the Tysons Community Alliance’s larger strategic planning efforts currently underway. The process of developing this plan to accelerate and catalyze the transformation of Tysons has included stakeholders from the private and public sector, as well as residents and small business owners, collaborating on issues like the future of the office market and hospitality sector, as well as mobility, retail, public facilities and housing.
The strategic plan is also a springboard for the Tysons Community Alliance’s efforts to engage and elevate the voices of the broader Tysons community. The TCA today launched a public engagement effort asking Tysons residents, businesses and the extended community to participate in taking a series of short but comprehensive community engagement surveys. The surveys encapsulate six focus areas (Transportation, Retail, Residential, Parks, Hospitality, and Work/Office) and are designed to assess the Tysons’ experience. The full Market Study can be found on our website.
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About Tysons Community Alliance
Tysons Community Alliance is a non-profit, community improvement organization founded with a mission to further promote economic and social development in the Tysons area. TCA actively works to foster collaboration and partnerships between members of the local business community, residents, government, and non-profit organizations.
To learn more about TCA visit our website tysonsva.org, or follow us on Twitter / X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. If you are interested in joining our mission to further transform Tysons into a vibrant, dynamic urban center, please contact info@tysonsva.org.
Media Contact:
Karyn Le Blanc
M: (202) 497-4572
