JW Marriott Lands in Reston
Iconic Brand’s Announcement Welcome News For Dulles Corridor
The economic future of the Dulles Corridor—from Tysons to Reston, through Herndon, across the Route 28/Innovation area and into eastern Loudoun County—got a gigantic show of faith in early February.
Reston-based Comstock Holdings Inc. announced that a landmark JW Marriott is coming to Wiehle-Reston East Station as part of Comstock’s development.
The announcement comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has some questioning whether the corridor would regain all of its luster, and, if so, when that would happen.
The hotel will be the signature property at the Reston Row Project, according to Chris Clemente, CEO of Comstock Holdings.
The announcement put smiles on the faces of busy leaders and landowners from Tysons to Ashburn, who are aware of JW Marriott properties’ reputation for its world-class luxury facilities. The site, midway between Tysons and Washington Dulles International Airport, will be the first JW Marriott property in Virginia and will be centerpiece of Comstock’s Reston Station development at the Wiehle-Reston East Station, which opened in 2014.
The $250 million 26-story glass and structure will have easy access to the metrorail station. The hotel will include 250 guestrooms, 90 luxury residences, two restaurants, an executive lounge, a swimming pool, spa and fitness center. Comstock subsidiary CRC Hotel LC partnered with Marriott for the design and operation.
According to Clemente, he expects the project will attract business and social functions from the DC area and “meet the needs of our corporate office clients, including Google, Rolls Royce, Neustar, ICF Global.” Google notably has taken residence in and placed its logo atop Comstock’s iconic 1900 Reston Metro Plaza building.
Clemente’s developments have anchored the Wiehle-Reston East Station area since Phase 1 of the Silver Line opened, as well as Ashburn Station, where its Loudoun Station mixed-used development opened several years ago.
Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects is designing the JW Marriott project, adding even more drama to the ever-expanding Dulles Corridor skyline.
Rail Update
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), leaders of the Silver Line Phase 2 construction project, are preparing for additional testing of the complex systems necessary for opening of the extension from the Wiehle-Reston East Station westward through Dulles Airport and ending in Ashburn.
In addition, the tie-in of the second phase to the first phase at the Wiehle-Reston East must be completed before turning the project over to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). This will require another temporary shutdown of existing rail service at Wiehle-Reston East as well as major coordination between contractors and the WMATA.
Additional dynamic and other final testings will follow before the project is ready to turnover to WMATA. After turnover happens WMATA then will conduct its own pre-revenue testing, which is expected to take about five months.
The rail team first must resolve some issues that WMATA outlined during a public meeting in February. Those issues include negative cross bond spacing, direct fixation fasteners, water-related platform issues, car hoists in the rail yard and establishment of escrow.
Issues related to ballast in the rail yard, and cracks in panels in stations are resolved and the screenwall at the Dulles Airport Station is complete.
The Phase 2 opening date for the public also depends on budget issues facing WMATA as COVID-19 impacts continue to slam revenues, which are dramatically below previous years’ revenues. An infusion of federal dollars has allowed WMATA to anticipate opening this year.
COVID-19 has not slowed construction. All workers are following safety procedures including wearing masks and maintaining social distances. Tours and public presentations have been replaced by virtual sessions.
The Moon Shines Bright on Success
The lights are on along both sides of the platform at the Silver Line’s Dulles Airport Station, marking passage of a major milestone for Phase 2 of the Silver Line construction.
On a cold winter night in February, the moon could be seen overlooking the windscreens that help the station resemble the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed main airport terminal.
Besides lending to the architecture, the windscreens provide protection from the elements for passengers waiting on the platform for future trains, according to the Airports Authority’s Stephen Barna, who directed that aspect element of the project among many others.
Maryland-based W.M. Schlosser Co. Inc. constructed the windscreens, while Capital Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Clark Construction and Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., built the station itself as part of the main project contract.
Pictured at top: JW Marriott announced plans in February for a $250 million luxury hotel at Wiehle-Reston East Station as part of Comstock Holdings Companies Inc.’s development there.
