Photos: Discovery Square in Reston

Part of the Reston Town Center neighborhood, 12010 and 12012 Sunset Hills Road are two nine-story buildings which comprise Discovery Square. Not to be confused with the recently-built Herndon residential community of the same name, this office development was completed in 2001 during the time when the blocks surrounding the intersection of Virginia Route 267 and Reston Parkway were still rapidly transforming from undisturbed land to semi-suburban office parks.

Like the neighboring Town Center, Discovery Square utilizes above-ground parking garages and limited surface parking. Not uncommon for office parks built at the time, no ground-level public amenities exist, but this lack is mitigated by the short walking distance to Reston Town Center.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a federal contractor and one of Reston’s two Fortune 500 companies, is headquartered at 12010. SAIC was a new addition to the Fortune 500 this year after being spun off from Reston-based Leidos in 2013. Microsoft Corporation leases the majority of the office space in the other building. The software company recently announced it would expand its presence in Reston next year with a whole-building lease at nearby Two Freedom Square.

The two blocks of Discovery Square were included in the recent Reston Gateway development plan amendment which is bringing millions of square feet of mixed use development to the blocks south of the current urban core. Developer Boston Properties plans to ultimately bring more public park space to the property as part of Reston Gateway’s second phase. No other changes to Discovery Square have been proposed, but it is possible that down the road this could change.