Reston’s “Ghost Town” Office Park Could Become 1,017 Homes: Inside the Massive Lake Fairfax Business Park Transformation
One of Reston's aging suburban office parks could eventually look almost nothing like it does today.
On August 25, 2026, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted a Comprehensive Plan amendment allowing mixed-use redevelopment at Lake Fairfax Business Center, an 88-acre commercial property off the Dulles Access Road near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. The county says the long-term goal is a more integrated, connected and walkable environment with residential uses and supporting retail. (Fairfax County)
But the proposal currently attracting the most attention is even more specific: developer EYA wants to redevelop roughly 49 acres into a new neighborhood containing 1,017 homes and approximately 27,900 square feet of retail and amenity space. (FFXnow)
And there's a reason developers are looking at housing here: six of the seven office buildings targeted for redevelopment are completely vacant, while the seventh is reportedly about 40% vacant. (FFXnow)
Above: Lake Fairfax Business Center and the existing suburban office environment. Much of the proposed redevelopment area is currently occupied by aging and largely vacant office buildings.
From Empty Offices to an Entire New Neighborhood
The before-and-after story is what makes this project particularly interesting.
Today, much of Lake Fairfax Business Center represents the suburban office-development model that expanded throughout Northern Virginia decades ago: standalone office buildings, surface parking lots and relatively little activity after workers leave for the day.
That model isn't working particularly well here anymore.
At a July presentation, a representative for EYA reportedly described the business park as “kind of a ghost town.” Fannie Mae was previously a significant tenant but relocated to consolidated space at Reston Town Center, closer to Metro. (FFXnow)
EYA's proposal would replace much of that underused commercial landscape with housing, neighborhood amenities, parks and a new street network.
And we're not talking about a few dozen townhouses.
We're talking about 1,017 proposed homes.
Here's What EYA Wants to Build
The proposed two-phase redevelopment includes several different housing types rather than one enormous apartment complex.
The current plan calls for 385 multifamily apartments in one building, 132 condominium units across three buildings, 289 traditional townhouses and 211 stacked townhouses. Together, that's 1,017 residential units. Approximately 27,900 square feet of retail and amenity space is also proposed. (FFXnow)
That mixture could give the future neighborhood a very different feel from the existing office park.
Above: Development imagery associated with the proposed Lake Fairfax Business Center redevelopment. The project remains proposed, so final architecture and site design can change during the approval process.
Rather than driving into an office campus and leaving at 5 p.m., the vision is for a residential neighborhood where people live throughout the day, walk through public spaces and have access to nearby amenities.
500 Townhomes Could Be Part of the Transformation
One of the biggest components is the combination of traditional and stacked townhouses.
EYA currently proposes 289 traditional townhouses plus 211 stacked townhouses, for a total of 500 townhouse-style homes. (FFXnow)
That could be particularly significant for Reston's housing market.
Sample imagery above illustrates the townhouse-oriented character envisioned for portions of the project. Final homes and architecture remain subject to the approval and design process.
Instead of concentrating all 1,017 residences inside large apartment buildings, the proposal would create several housing formats at different densities.
Traditional townhouses could appeal to buyers seeking more conventional homeownership, while stacked townhouses and condominiums could create potentially lower-entry-price ownership opportunities compared with larger new-construction townhomes.
However, pricing has not been announced, so it would be premature to speculate about what any of these homes might cost.
Apartments and Condos Would Add More Density
The proposal also includes a substantial multifamily component.
A single multifamily building would contain approximately 385 residences, while three condominium buildings would contain another 132 units. (FFXnow)
Above: Conceptual apartment imagery associated with the redevelopment proposal.
Locating the denser residential buildings alongside townhouses could allow the project to accommodate more housing while still creating transitions between different parts of the community.
It also reflects a broader development trend we're seeing across Northern Virginia: developers are increasingly looking at underperforming office properties as potential housing sites.
Look at the Scale of the Proposed Neighborhood
The site plan shows just how dramatic the transformation could be.
Above: Conceptual site-plan imagery for the Lake Fairfax Business Center redevelopment.
Instead of isolated office buildings surrounded by parking, the proposed layout introduces residential blocks, internal streets, open spaces and different housing types across the property.
Fairfax County says its recently adopted Comprehensive Plan amendment is intended to guide long-term redevelopment toward a more integrated, connected and walkable environment while remaining compatible with surrounding land uses. (Fairfax County)
That walkability piece could ultimately become one of the project's most important features.
More Than 4 Acres of Parks and Open Space
The redevelopment isn't envisioned as wall-to-wall housing.
Fairfax County's Hunter Mill District says EYA's proposal includes 4.59 acres of parks, along with open space. (Fairfax County)
These are representative images showing how parks and pedestrian-oriented open spaces can be incorporated into residential communities. They should not be interpreted as final Lake Fairfax designs.
Those spaces could help turn what is currently a workplace-oriented property into something that actually functions as a neighborhood.
And It's Near Metro 🚇
Location may be one of the biggest advantages.
Lake Fairfax Business Center sits near Wiehle-Reston East Metro, along the Silver Line corridor. Fairfax County has been planning significant growth and redevelopment throughout the Reston Transit Station Area for years.
The county's planning work in the surrounding area also emphasizes improving connectivity toward the Metro station and the W&OD Trail. (Fairfax County)
That doesn't mean every future resident would walk directly to Metro every morning. The actual pedestrian experience, street connections and distance matter.
But transforming vacant offices near a major transit corridor into housing aligns with the broader strategy Fairfax County has pursued around Reston's Silver Line stations.
Why Are So Many Offices Empty?
This project also tells a much bigger Northern Virginia real-estate story.
The region has an enormous amount of older suburban office space built for a workplace model that has changed dramatically.
Some companies have consolidated into newer buildings. Others have reduced their office footprints. Remote and hybrid work have changed how much space employers need.
In Reston specifically, newer office districts around Metro and Reston Town Center can be more attractive to employers than isolated older office campuses.
Lake Fairfax Business Center is an extreme example.
Six of the seven buildings EYA wants to replace are 100% vacant, while the remaining building is approximately 40% vacant, according to information presented during the planning process. (FFXnow)
So Fairfax County faces a choice increasingly familiar across the DMV:
Keep trying to fill obsolete offices—or allow the land to become something people actually need?
This Isn't the Only Office-to-Housing Story in Northern Virginia
That's what makes Lake Fairfax especially important.
It isn't happening in isolation.
Across Northern Virginia, developers and local governments are evaluating aging office parks for residential redevelopment. Fairfax County's own Reston planning program includes multiple properties where changes in land use and density are being studied. (Fairfax County)
Lake Fairfax could therefore be part of a much larger transformation.
Yesterday's Northern Virginia suburbs were built around office parks.
Tomorrow's may increasingly replace some of those office campuses with townhouses, apartments, parks, restaurants and mixed-use neighborhoods.
What Happens to the Existing Businesses?
Not everything at Lake Fairfax Business Center would disappear under EYA's current rezoning proposal.
The existing fitness center, hotel, Montessori school and data center are not included in the approximately 49-acre rezoning application. The broader Comprehensive Plan amendment covers the entire business park, but the current EYA redevelopment application covers only part of it. (Fairfax County)
That's an important distinction.
This isn't currently a proposal to bulldoze all 88 acres and start over.
It's a phased transformation of a substantial portion of the business center.
What About Affordable Housing?
The proposal also includes an affordable and workforce housing component.
According to information presented during the review process, EYA has proposed providing 12.5% of the for-sale units as affordable housing, including a portion designated as workforce housing for households earning between 60% and 80% of the area's median income. (FFXnow)
The exact affordability mix and final commitments could evolve as the rezoning proceeds, but it's another element worth following as the project moves through county review.
What Could This Mean for Reston Real Estate?
For homeowners and prospective buyers, 1,017 additional residences is substantial—but the housing mix matters.
Five hundred townhouse-style homes plus condominiums could create significant new homeownership inventory in an area where developable land is increasingly scarce.
At the same time, more than 500 apartment and condo units would add density to the neighborhood.
New housing can bring additional customers for nearby restaurants and businesses. New parks and better pedestrian connections can improve neighborhood amenities. Redevelopment can also remove deteriorating or vacant commercial properties that may otherwise sit unused for years.
But there's another side to the equation.
Traffic.
More than 1,000 homes inevitably generate trips, even when they're located near transit.
And if you've ever driven through Reston during rush hour, you already know exactly where the comment section is going with this one. 😂
Fairfax County Has Approved the Land-Use Change — But NOT the 1,017 Homes Yet
This distinction is extremely important.
On August 25, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Comprehensive Plan amendment for Lake Fairfax Business Center. The amendment allows the county's long-range planning document to support mixed-use redevelopment, including residential uses. (Fairfax County)
That does not mean EYA has received final approval to begin constructing 1,017 homes.
The separate rezoning application remains pending.
As currently scheduled, the rezoning is expected to go before the Fairfax County Planning Commission on September 23, followed by the Board of Supervisors on November 17. (FFXnow)
So the accurate headline is:
Fairfax County has opened the door for redevelopment. EYA's specific 1,017-home project still needs additional approval.
That's an important distinction as renderings of the project begin circulating online.
From “Ghost Town” to Neighborhood?
The transformation could ultimately be dramatic.
TODAY: aging office buildings, extensive surface parking and extremely high vacancy.
PROPOSED: 1,017 residences, 500 townhouse-style homes, apartments, condominiums, retail and amenity space, more than four acres of parks and a more connected street network.
That's why Lake Fairfax Business Center may become one of the most interesting redevelopment projects to watch in Reston.
It's not simply about building another thousand homes.
It's about what Northern Virginia does with office parks that no longer work.
The Bottom Line
Fairfax County's August 25 decision represents a major step toward transforming Lake Fairfax Business Center from a largely vacant suburban employment center into a residential mixed-use neighborhood.
EYA's current proposal would redevelop approximately 49 acres with 1,017 residences: 385 multifamily units, 132 condominiums, 289 traditional townhouses and 211 stacked townhouses, along with approximately 27,900 square feet of retail and amenity space. (FFXnow)
The proposal still has to clear the rezoning process, so the renderings you're seeing today represent a proposed future, not a construction announcement.
But if it ultimately moves forward, one of Reston's struggling office parks could become home to thousands of people.
And that raises a much bigger DMV question:
Would you rather keep largely empty office buildings and parking lots—or replace them with 1,000+ homes, parks and a new neighborhood?
Interested in the Lake Fairfax / Reston Development?
If the Lake Fairfax redevelopment moves forward, its mix of townhouses, stacked townhouses and condominiums could eventually create significant new-construction opportunities in Reston.
Individual homebuilders, floor plans, sales dates and pricing have not been announced, and the rezoning remains pending. DMV Homes will continue tracking the project as it moves through the Fairfax County approval process.
If you'd like updates when new information about builders, homes, floor plans, pricing or sales opportunities becomes available—or you're considering buying or selling elsewhere in Reston—contact:
Igin Ismat | REALTOR®
DMV Homes Real Estate Advisory
Licensed in DC • Maryland • Virginia
U.S. Navy Veteran
📱 703-439-4971
When reaching out, simply mention “Lake Fairfax” so we know which development you're interested in.
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