Herndon 2050 Comprehensive Plan

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals from experienced consultants to assist in the development of a new town-wide Comprehensive Plan with a horizon year of 2050 (2050CP) along with a market study and economic development strategy .

This project is funded through a Federal grant; therefore, the selected firm must be eligible and able to provide the necessary documentation to satisfy the Federal grant eligibility requirements.

The Town of Herndon, Virginia has a land area of 4.27 square miles and is home to approximately 24,500 residents. Located in the northwest quadrant of Fairfax County, the town benefits from its location in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. With the opening of the Herndon Silver Line Metro Station in November 2022, and convenient access to the Dulles Toll Road, Fairfax County Parkway, and Route 28, the town enjoys excellent connections to Dulles International Airport (2 miles), Tysons Corner (10 miles), Washington D.C. (24 miles), and to other destinations within the region. A very popular 45-mile regional bicycle and walking trail bisects the town, providing active transportation access to nearby Reston Town Center to the east and Loudoun County to the west.

Herndon is a historic town with a diverse social fabric, a blend of tech office, retail, and residential development. The town benefits from over 120 acres of parkland and a financially successful public 18-hole Audubon-certified golf course. At the physical and psychological center of the town is its small historic downtown. Two residential historic districts add to the town’s small-town ambiance. The ageing 1970s and 80s retail strip development, extending along the town’s primary business route to the south and east of the downtown, reflect suburban reliance on the automobile during the llast half of the 20 ^th Century. Commencing in the 1960s, the town developed a circumferential roadway within the periphery of the town. The 1980s and 90s brought substantial office and office park development.

Today the Town of Herndon is a Minority-Majority community, in which over half of its residents speak a language other than English in the home. The U.S. Department of Transportation has designated approximately 25 percent of the town as a Historically Disadvantaged Community. Approximately 37 percent of residents are Hispanic according to a July 2021 report from the U.S. Census. Sixteen percent of residents are of Asian descent, and a broad spectrum of other countries and cultures – from throughout the world – are represented in the community. This cultural diversity is evident in the town’s businesses as well, with restaurants, shops and other commercial enterprises often owned by first-generation Americans.

Due largely to its location at the heart of the Dulles Technology Corridor, Herndon enjoys a corporate presence that includes Amazon Web Services, Beacon Roofing Supply, Boeing, HawkEye 360, Karsun Solutions, Northwest Federal Credit Union, Peraton, Physician Transport Service, and Serco. For many years, the town benefited from a real estate tax base equally divided between commercial and residential property, providing an economic cushion during real estate cycles. Today, the ratio has slipped to 63% residential and 37% commercial. The erosion experienced in the commercial tax base is due to the weakening office market and increased demand for higher-density housing. With its strategic location and excellent access, the town is committed to remaining a place of employment as well as an inviting residential community, and not becoming a “bedroom community” to other employment and commercial centers along the Silver Line and within the broader region.

Existing housing consists of 3,045 (38%) single family detached units, 2,440 (30%) townhouse units and 2,575 (32%) multifamily units, including both condominium and rental properties. The percentage of multifamily units is anticipated to increase significantly in the coming years, as new construction commences within the Herndon Transit-oriented Core Area, Transit-Oriented Growth Area, South Elden Area as well as the historic downtown. The town has experienced the replacement of existing under-performing offices with multifamily, 2-over-2 and townhouse development, as well as the conversion of a first-generation long-term stay hotel into rental apartments.

The town’s current comprehensive plan has a horizon year of 2030. Since its adoption in 2008, the Plan has been amended several times. Four small area plans have been added to the Comprehensive Plan by reference (Downtown Plan, Herndon Metro Station Area Study, Transit-Related Growth Area Plan) or incorporated in its entirety (South Elden Area Plan). Several additional amendments have also occurred since the Plan’s adoption in 2008, such as but not limited to, a commitment towards a complete street policy and the addition of the Fairbrook Drive Extension roadway to the Transportation Plan.

Several policy documents have been adopted by the town since 2008, which will be relevant to the new comprehensive plan. Those include: the Herndon Bicycle Network Plan, the Herndon Pedestrian Plan, the Urban Design and Architectural Guidelines for the Transit-Oriented Core, the Herndon Streetscape Manual, the Environmental Sustainability Plan, the Downtown Pattern Book, and the Historic District Guidelines. Additionally, the town is currently beginning the process to develop a transportation safety action plan through the Safe Streets 4 All Plan program and is early in the process for pursuing an affordable housing study with the intent of starting a new housing program.