The Byron Expands Its Commerical Component, Gets Final Site Plan OK

The Falls Church Planning Commission gave final site plan approval to The Byron Monday, the mixed-use project slated for construction on the site of the old Red Lobster restaurant in the 500 block of West Broad Street.

Demolition of the old Red Lobster is now slated for the next two or three weeks, and an official ground breaking for the new building is slated for August or September. Completion of the 90 condominium units and 22,527 square feet of commercial space, a $55 million project, is slated for the spring of 2006.

Ed Novak of Nova Habitat, the developer of the project, and Margaret Handley of M.C. Handley, Ltd., which will market the space, were delighted with Monday's outcome. The Planning Commission moved from an initial proposal for only a preliminary approval, pending clarification of some marginal issues, to full and final approval during the course of its debate.

Novak noted the project increased the square footage dedicated to commercial from 18,422 in the first plan that received approval from the City Council earlier this year to 22,527 in its latest version. The 22% increase in commercial, while the number of 90 total condo units remains unchanged, shifts the percentage of commercial to residential in the project significantly.

The increase is achieved by enlarging the size of the sidewalk cafe from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet, and an additional 3,000 square feet of second floor office space.

Novak told the News-Press following the unanimous vote Monday that a sales office for The Byron will open soon at the Panera Building at 450 W. Broad St., and that binding contracts on sales will begin to be signed by July.

Already, a list of over 700 names exists for prospective buyers of the condos, he said, while "numerous interested purchasers or tenants" have already expressed interest in the commercial space, which will be split between ground-floor retail and a cafe on the ground floor, and office space on the second floor.

"The Planning Commission gave a thorough and fair review, as did the City staff," Novak said. "The outcome was very positive."

The Byron follows the now-near-completion of The Broadway in the 700 block of West Broad, and will be followed by The Spectrum, already approved by the Falls Church City Council for the 400 block of West Broad.

Novak noted that his project will contain three times the commercial square footage of the former Red Lobster restaurant and twice the commercial area of a nearby recently constructed Eckerd drug store, which occupies a site twice the size of The Byron's. In addition, he reiterated that alternatives to The Byron were not feasible, such as a hypothetical office building or hotel, were not feasible on the site. Only a drive-through bank or a fast food restaurant could have worked, he said, at a fraction of the net tax revenues to the City that The Byron will provide.