Changes to B.F. Saul's Concept Plan, Westfield Looks to the Future

Two of the largest companies involved in Wheaton's future development showed up at the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee Wednesday evening to present concepts - some with more immediate impact than others.

Bob Wulff of B.F. Saul, true to his word, let the Advisory Committee know that the concept planning for the WMATA and Parking Lot 13 sites had already changed. Wulff described an early idea of what Saul would be building in , but warned that multiple changes were likely.

“We don’t think the private sector will be the first mover," Wulff said, restating that Saul was already starting to work with representatives from the Government Services Administration to bring a major federal tenant to Wheaton.

The good news: the GSA's Commissioner of Public Buildings, in charge of government office buildings nationwide, was born and raised in Wheaton. Bob Peck, the commissioner, is also a graduate of Wheaton High.

But that doesn't mean Wheaton will automatically get the federal tenant Saul wants. Wulff said in order to make the WMATA site (the triangle south of Reedie) as competitive as possible, the office portion of the site needed to be moved right on top of the Metro. Saul has now decided to block office space closest to the corner of Georgia and Reedie, with a hotel site closer to the point of the triangle.

The parking that B.F. Saul wants for the project has also changed the composition of the main site. Because the bus bays have to stay where they currently are, the new construction will be built on top of a concrete platform. Any parking, therefore, would have to go over above the concrete platform or below the bus bays.

But in order to put in all the parking, Wulff estimated it would take 11 stories of parking lots above the concrete platform. Building below the bus bays would be too expensive. In response, Saul has decided to remove the residential use from the WMATA site.

Asked if the parking needed for all three was required by the Planning Board, Wulff responded it was not, but that he "didn't trust the market" to sustain residential parking for less than one space per unit. 

Instead, residential development will be part of the Parking Lot 13 site. Wulff described the lot as divided into one third of a town square (closest to the Metro) and two thirds a mixed use development, with retail and restaurants on the bottom floor and four to five stories of "luxury rental apartments," around 200 to 220 units. 

The town square hasn't been designed yet, Wulff said, “We’re going to take some time and care with that design.” 

As the company expects the most feedback on the town square design, they are planning to create ad-hoc advisory group, likely with representatives from Parks, WRAC, Green Wheaton, LEDC, the Chamber of Commerce and other groups.

Also at the meeting was Jim Agilata, senior vice president of development with Westfield. 

"We thought it would be prudent for Westfield to look at what could happen in next 20 years," Agilata said.

Basing their "vision" on the sector plans, and Westfield's long-term leases, Agilata focused on a general idea of increasing the connection between the mall and the downtown business district. In addition, while the existing mall would stay likely as is, Westfield could add retail, additional storefronts and possibly a movie theatre at different heights along Veirs Mill. Right now, though, there are no immediate plans for development along that strip.

Committee member Jonathan Fink asked Agilata if there was "any lower hanging fruit" that Westfield could or would want to change in the near future. 

"The ramp does nothing for us," Agilata said, referring to the connection to the WMATA parking garage across the Reedie Drive entrance. Removing it, he said, "would allow for flexibility and would open up the entrance."