(PCC) Program on Chinese Cities – Thoughts on Overseas Travels Series

Authors:  Wang Yu,

Director of Planning and Urban Design at Beijing IRENM Design Consulting Co., Ltd. ichbinwangyu@yahoo.com

---

Keywords: rezoning, planning adjustments, land use change, FAR modification, sustainable development, infrastructure reuse, office-to-residential conversion, community engagement

 

 

In recent years, with the spread of remote work and changes in the economic environment, many industrial and office parks in the United States have faced large-scale vacancy issues. Against this backdrop, urban regeneration has become a central focus for local governments, developers, and urban planners.

In March 2025, I attended an online lecture given by Will Lemenstoll from Washington, which provided an in-depth understanding of EYA and its urban renewal projects. The lecture shed light on an alternative possibility for the future of industrial parks. This article takes EYA’s redevelopment of the Lake Fairfax Industrial Park as an example to analyze how rezoning, land use optimization, and other strategies can enable the transformation and sustainable development of such parks.

I. Project Background: The Crisis of Industrial Parks in the Washington Region

Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, office building usage in Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas has continued to decline. By the end of 2023, the office vacancy rate in Fairfax County had reached 17.2%. Between 2023 and 2024, the Washington region experienced unprecedented levels of office vacancies.

In 2025, due to federal budget cuts and policy adjustments, the U.S. federal government eliminated a large number of office positions, leading to a sharp decline in demand for government office space and surrounding commercial real estate. Data show that the commercial real estate vacancy rate in Washington, D.C., rose to a historic high, with some industrial parks experiencing vacancy rates exceeding 60%.

This shift not only affected the city of Washington itself but also extended across the Greater Washington metropolitan area, including many industrial parks in Virginia and Maryland. Numerous once-thriving office parks now face problems of outdated functionality, inconvenient transportation, and declining commercial value. At the same time, rising market demand for housing and mixed-use communities has prompted developers and urban planners to explore new development models.

 

II. Will Lemenstoll’s Professional Background and Project Experience

Will Lemenstoll is a real estate development expert trained in City and Regional Planning (DCRP). He currently serves as Development Director at EYA LLC. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2013, and in 2020 he completed a dual master’s degree in City and Regional Planning (MCRP) and Business Administration (MBA) at UNC.

Since entering the real estate industry, Will has been dedicated to promoting the transformation of traditional suburban office parks toward more sustainable and livable directions through urban regeneration and mixed-use development.

Will has played a key role in numerous urban renewal projects across Washington, D.C., and its surrounding metropolitan area, as well as in Charlotte, North Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; and major U.S. cities such as Atlanta and Chicago. These projects typically involved redeveloping aging office parks or industrial areas into mixed-use communities that integrate housing, offices, retail, and public space.

For example, in the Greater Washington area, he has helped advance EYA’s conversion of traditional office parks into high-density, multifunctional residential communities. In Charlotte and Baltimore, he has participated in projects that repurposed commercial and industrial zones into hubs for technology firms and entrepreneurial platforms.

A common thread among these projects is their focus on redefining the function of existing parks, improving land use efficiency, and strengthening connections to public transit and pedestrian networks. The overarching goal has been to create more vibrant and sustainable urban living environments.

 

III. The EYA Project: Transformation of the Lake Fairfax Industrial Park

 

The redevelopment of the Lake Fairfax Industrial Park, led by EYA, is one of the key cases highlighted by Will. The project is located along Business Center Drive in Reston, Virginia, within the Greater Washington metropolitan area. Originally dominated by office buildings and data centers, this suburban location is among the most dynamic and livable in the United States, offering favorable conditions and mature surrounding amenities that provide a strong foundation for its transformation into a mixed-use community.

From a transportation perspective, the site is adjacent to the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267), providing quick access to Washington, D.C., and Dulles International Airport. It is also close to a Metro line, with pedestrian and cycling connections, embodying typical characteristics of transit-oriented development (TOD). Located only about 15 minutes from Dulles International Airport, the site benefits from excellent accessibility and development potential.

In addition, the project is adjacent to the ecologically rich Lake Fairfax Park, which enhances its suitability for becoming a green, livable community. However, due to declining office demand and the park’s single-use function, the site has suffered from high vacancy rates. EYA’s objective is therefore to redevelop it into a walkable, mixed-use community that integrates residential, commercial, and educational facilities.

 

In the redevelopment plan, some major existing facilities will be preserved, including the SkateQuest indoor ice rink (currently the training site of world figure skating champion Ilia Malinin), the Lifetime Fitness center, the Homewood Suites hotel, the Reston Montessori School, and a data center building.

The project proposes approximately 900 new housing units, including 500 townhomes and 400 multifamily units. The multifamily component consists of about 300 rental apartments and 70–100 for-sale condominiums. Some townhomes and condos will be designated as affordable dwelling units (ADUs).

In addition, around 8,000 square feet (approximately 743 square meters) of retail commercial space will be added, along with about four acres of land reserved as a potential elementary school site. This parcel, currently a parking lot, is located near Lake Fairfax Park and the Lifetime Fitness center.

 

In terms of public space, EYA plans to add about three acres of green parkland, including a one-acre central green, while improving pedestrian connectivity to Lake Fairfax Park.

For infrastructure, Business Center Drive will be extended to Michael Faraday Court to optimize traffic flow. All streets within the community will include sidewalks and street landscaping to create a more urban atmosphere. Business Center Drive will serve as the main pedestrian and cycling corridor, linking directly to the Wiehle Metro station, with potential for future dedicated bike lanes.

 

Faced with the macro trend of declining office demand, EYA proposed in 2022 to amend Fairfax County’s Comprehensive Plan in order to introduce residential and retail uses to the 76-acre site. At the same time, according to the latest planning for Reston, three additional elementary schools will be needed in the area to accommodate projected population growth.

On August 6, 2024, EYA presented its planning scheme to the public, with a formal development application scheduled for submission in fall 2024. Further community meetings and hearings were planned for winter and spring of 2025 to solicit public feedback.

According to the developer’s traffic impact analysis, the project is expected to generate about 5,774 trips per week—lower than the volume that would be produced if the office park were fully leased in its current form. If an elementary school is eventually built, the Fairfax County Public Schools system will assume responsibility for its construction, while EYA will only be responsible for land dedication.

In this redevelopment project, the EYA team is advancing functional restructuring of the former office park through rezoning and land-use optimization. Previously, the site primarily consisted of high-vacancy office buildings, data centers, and retail uses. The new plan introduces diverse housing types—including townhouses, apartments, and duplexes—to increase residential density and meet varied housing needs.

Commercial space is being reconfigured to support walkability and enhance community accessibility and vitality. The plan also includes public facilities such as schools, parks, and community centers, which will improve service provision.

In terms of floor area ratio (FAR), rezoning will increase density in areas closer to the Metro station, raising FAR to 1.65 to encourage higher-density development. In contrast, parcels adjacent to existing low-density residential neighborhoods will retain a FAR of 1.0, reducing potential pressure on surrounding communities and achieving a balance between function and scale.

In EYA’s preliminary plan, the school site was originally located near the commercial area. However, during subsequent community consultations and environmental assessments, several issues emerged.

• First, the site was adjacent to a major arterial road with heavy traffic, creating potential safety risks for students.

• Second, land in the commercial area carries high value and is more appropriate for high-density development, whereas schools require large tracts of land, leading to inefficient land use.

• Third, community residents expressed a preference for locating the school closer to the park to foster a child-friendly environment.

Based on these considerations, EYA adjusted the plan, relocating the school site into the community interior, closer to the new park and residential areas. This change not only improved student safety and walkability but also reinforced the community’s overall functionality and quality of life by linking educational, residential, and recreational spaces. At the same time, it avoided conflict with commercial development, aligning with contemporary planning principles that prioritize rational land use and human-centered design.

 

 

 

Timeline of the Lake Fairfax Redevelopment Project

• 2021: Project initiated with the signing of a letter of intent to purchase the first parcel.

• 2022: EYA, together with other landowners, submitted a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) application covering the entire industrial park.

• October 2024: EYA secured investor approval, completed due diligence, and finalized a budget to advance the rezoning application.

• December 2024: Purchase agreements reached for five parcels, with negotiations ongoing for one additional parcel.

• January 2025: First rezoning application formally submitted.

• Summer 2025: Approval of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment anticipated.

• Winter 2025: Rezoning approval expected.

• Winter 2026: Construction permits anticipated; construction to commence following land transactions.

• Winter 2027: First residents expected to move in.

• 2033: Completion of all residential units across the redevelopment.

  

  IV. Insights from the Transformation of the Lake Fairfax Industrial Park

  The Lake Fairfax redevelopment project, led by EYA, provides a representative model for renewing traditional industrial parks, demonstrating a feasible path for transforming single-use office parks into diverse, sustainable communities. This practice not only aligns with Reston’s long-term development goals but also offers valuable lessons for other parks in the Greater Washington area facing similar pressures. Of course, the project still requires extensive planning reviews and broad community consultation.

  Key lessons include:

  1. Functional Reassessment: Inefficient office parks should be re-evaluated, and redevelopment should incorporate housing, retail, and public facilities to create multifunctional communities.

  2. Gradual Density Adjustment: FAR allocations should be optimized to improve land-use efficiency while balancing community acceptance, ensuring that development intensity remains compatible with surrounding neighborhoods.

  3. Walkability and Transit Orientation: Emphasizing pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented design reduces dependence on private cars and enhances overall accessibility and livability.

  4. Public Facilities Integration: Schools, parks, and community green spaces should be strategically located to connect organically with surrounding housing, improving residents’ quality of life.

  5. Community Engagement: Active communication with residents and a robust consultation mechanism help reduce resistance and facilitate smoother project implementation.

  From a broader perspective, under the evolving global economic landscape and changing urban spatial structures, the Lake Fairfax project demonstrates that traditional industrial parks can, through scientific planning and effective governance, successfully transition into modern, livable communities, thereby unlocking greater land value and social benefits.

  The project responds to urgent needs for functional urban transformation by reducing surplus office space, increasing housing supply, enhancing community services, and providing new opportunities for infrastructure upgrades.

  To realize this vision, the redevelopment must undergo multiple phases of planning approval, including Comprehensive Plan Amendments (SSPA), rezoning, a Conceptual Development Plan (CDP), and a Final Development Plan (FDP). As a large-scale project with an approval cycle exceeding 12 months, EYA must continue to prioritize community participation, transparency, and information sharing throughout the planning and implementation process to ensure progress toward its sustainable development goals.

  

   

  

   

  In-Depth Q&A Analysis on the Lake Fairfax Redevelopment Project

  During Will’s presentation on the Lake Fairfax redevelopment project, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on key issues, covering topics such as FAR adjustments, rezoning challenges, sustainability, infrastructure adaptation, and the feasibility of office-to-residential conversion. Below is a selection of core questions raised by attendees, along with the speaker’s responses and extended analysis.

  1. FAR Changes and Rezoning Challenges

  My Question: “Has the FAR changed after rezoning? How does it compare with the previous plan? Would this complicate the rezoning process?”

  Will’s Response: The FAR did change after rezoning. The original FAR was about 0.8, and in the new plan, different areas saw increases—for example, parcels near the Metro station were raised to 1.65. The main challenge is how to increase FAR while ensuring community acceptance, especially at the interface with low-density residential areas. The rezoning process involves multiple government approvals, requiring a balance of traffic, environmental impacts, and community concerns. FAR adjustments directly affect land-use efficiency and development returns, but they can also trigger community opposition.EYA addressed this by reducing density along the edges, optimizing public spaces, and making adjustments to minimize resistance.

  

   

  2. Renovating Old Buildings vs. New Construction

  Paul’s Question: “Did you consider reusing materials from demolished buildings, or is it cheaper to use new materials?”

  Will’s Response: EYA tries to reuse materials whenever possible to reduce carbon emissions. However, many older buildings do not meet modern residential or commercial standards, so partial demolition and reconstruction are often necessary. Economic factors also play a role—in some cases, new construction is more cost-effective.

  This question relates to sustainability and cost control. While reusing existing structures can reduce construction waste, meeting modern standards often favors new construction. EYA adopted a mixed approach—partial reuse combined with selective demolition and rebuilding.

  3. Integration of Rail Transit and Commercial Centers

  Kamruzzaman’s Question: “I’ve seen developments where commercial centers are integrated with Metro stations. Could this project adopt a similar model?”

  Will’s Response: The Lake Fairfax Business Center is about a 15-minute walk from the nearest Metro station, and pedestrian connectivity is already planned. However, given the physical distance, direct integration with the Metro station is not realistic. Instead, the focus is on improving walkability and transit connections to enhance commuter convenience.

  For urban renewal projects seeking better public transit access, integrating commercial uses with transit hubs is an ideal model. But in this case, due to geographic constraints, EYA prioritized improved pedestrian pathways and transit connections rather than direct station integration.

  4. Suitability of Existing Infrastructure

  Sophie’s Question: “When converting the office park into a walkable community, did EYA need to rebuild the water, electricity, sewage, and gas infrastructure? Were sustainability measures included?”

  Will’s Response: EYA aims to reuse existing water, electricity, and sewage systems to reduce costs. The project is planned as a 100% electric-powered community, reducing reliance on natural gas and promoting sustainability. Added green spaces, improved stormwater management, and the application of renewable energy technologies are also important elements.

  This strategy lowers infrastructure replacement costs while advancing sustainability goals. Transitioning away from natural gas toward electricity aligns with global low-carbon development trends.

  5. Challenges of Office-to-Residential Conversion

  Nicole’s Question: “Can you talk about the challenges of converting office buildings into housing? I know this can be very difficult in practice.”

  Will’s Response: The biggest challenges in converting office buildings to residential use are structural standards, fire safety codes, and ventilation/lighting requirements. Many office floors are too low to meet residential standards, so partial demolition and reconstruction are often necessary.

  EYA adopted a hybrid approach—some buildings will be adapted, while others will be rebuilt—to ensure optimal use of the site.

  Office-to-residential conversion has become a hot topic in urban renewal but is difficult to implement. EYA’s approach provides a pragmatic solution.

  

   

  

   

  6. Applicability of the EYA Model to Other Cities

  Wilson’s Question: “Have you seen other developers adopting the same model? Is this model being implemented elsewhere?”

  Will’s Response: EYA’s development model has already been applied to multiple projects in different cities. However, since policies and market demands vary across locations, strategies must be adapted accordingly. The EYA model can be replicated, but its implementation depends heavily on local policy and market conditions.

  7. Resistance to Rezoning

  My Follow-Up Question: “Did you encounter resistance during the rezoning application process?”

  Sandra, a professor from UNC, responded: “I think most challenges may come from the surrounding community.”

  Will acknowledged that community acceptance is indeed the main challenge in rezoning. Residents often worry about traffic congestion and changes to living conditions caused by high-density development. This requires multiple rounds of community engagement and iterative plan adjustments to win support. Environmental reviews, infrastructure compatibility, and policy approvals also add layers of difficulty.

  Rezoning is one of the most challenging aspects of urban renewal projects, typically requiring negotiations among government agencies, developers, and communities to balance competing interests. Development teams often engage in iterative “consultative planning” with local residents, optimizing the plan step by step to build consensus. This collaborative mechanism, as seen in the Fairfax project, reflects a high emphasis on community participation and consensus building.

  Comparisons with Urban Renewal in China

  By contrast, in domestic (Chinese) urban renewal practices, challenges often arise in advancing “planning adjustments” and “land-use changes.”

  On the one hand, projects must coordinate across multiple government departments, making approval processes complex and sometimes inefficient. On the other hand, many sites slated for renewal involve collective-owned land, former industrial parcels, or land held by public institutions, leading to diverse ownership structures and high costs in negotiation and compensation.

  In addition, urban renewal projects in China generally face long timelines, high upfront investments, and slow returns. Policy requirements such as mandates to include affordable housing or public service facilities further squeeze profit margins and reduce private-sector enthusiasm for participation.

  Whether in Fairfax or in Chinese cities, rezoning or planning adjustments and land-use changes are not merely technical exercises in spatial planning, but multi-stakeholder processes involving negotiation and trade-offs.

  In Fairfax, developers must proactively respond to community concerns and foster consensus. In China, the focus is more on aligning institutional frameworks, policy enforcement, and market operations.

  Lessons from the EYA project suggest that strengthening early community engagement, synchronizing infrastructure development, and clarifying public responsibility boundaries can enhance both implementation efficiency and social acceptance of urban renewal initiatives in China.

  At their core, whether called “rezoning” or “planning adjustment,” these processes amount to reorganizing urban space and rebalancing diverse interests. Against the backdrop of urban transformation and the push for high-quality development, successful renewal projects require not only precise and pragmatic planning strategies but also resilient governance mechanisms and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

  EYA’s Fairfax experience provides a strong example of this approach and offers a replicable pathway for similar projects elsewhere.

  

  ---

   

  References

  • Lake Fairfax Industrial Park Redevelopment Project Website: https://www.lakefairfaxbcr.com
    Date accessed by author: March 22, 2025

  • Partial Lake Fairfax Office Park Overhaul to Add Mix of Housing, Possible School Site – FFXnow
    Date of publication: February 3, 2025
    Date accessed by author: March 22, 2025

  • Lake Fairfax Landing Page Slide Show v20240719 vF reduced size
    Date of publication: July 1, 2024
    Date accessed by author: March 22, 2025

  • Reston EYA Lake Fairfax Office Redevelopment – Washington Business Journal
    https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2025/02/03/reston-eya-lake-fairfax-office-redevelopment.html
    Date of publication: February 3, 2025
    Date accessed by author: March 22, 2025

  • Partial Lake Fairfax Office Park Overhaul to Add Mix of Housing, Possible School Site – Fairfax Local News
    https://www.ffxnow.com/2024/08/26/partial-lake-fairfax-office-park-overhaul-to-add-mix-of-housing-possible-school-site/
    Date of publication: August 26, 2024
    Date accessed by author: March 22, 2025