Progress continues at 555 Herndon Parkway, the Town of Herndon’s first mixed-use development. Situated along the Silver Line, it will be the first transit-oriented development serving the Town’s vision for the corridor which was first established in 2012. The 4.3-acre property includes two residential towers, a 23+ story office building, ground-floor retail and pedestrian focused open space. Town officials approved the new development on April 9, 2019.
delivering innovative pedestrian solutions
The development team comprised of Penzance, DCS Design, Wire Gill, Gorove Slade and christopher’s Planning and Landscape Architecture Division were engaged to provide a site design that would inform drivers and bikers that upon entering the space, pedestrians are priority. Creating the new hub of urban development for the Town presented unique challenges in order to provide adequate circulation routes for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians alike. The site, which is trapezoidal in shape, pushed the designers to create a space in which surface sharing is paramount and would set a standard for future developments within the Town of Herndon’s Transit Oriented Core (HTOC).
adaptable to community needs
The team designed a multifaceted public accessible space anchored by a centralized plaza that can be programmed in a variety of ways, making the space active and adaptable for events, as well as everyday life for residents and transient users. The plaza generally provides a turf lawn area bound by seat walls. Directly adjacent to the lawn space is a parklet with potential moveable furniture and shade trees.
small town charm
Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel and other Town officials are in full support of the new development. 555 Herndon Parkway will bring a modernization to the transit-oriented core while leaving the downtown area “little and cute”, says Councilmember Signe Friedrichs. While final details and logistics still need to be decided, the Town of Herndon is looking forward with excitement to their first mixed-use community.
