As part of its performing arts center in Tysons, Capital One is preparing to open The Perch, a rooftop park with a beer garden, performance stage, public art, park space, and pop-up food vendors. Recently, the company reached out to Fairfax County officials to request a proffer interpretation for Capital One Center related to the possibility of using part of The Perch for a miniature golf course.
An interpretation might be requested during the land development process in the case when the property owner wants to make a change that differs from the approved development plan, but is allowed under the proffers. The county Zoning Evaluation Division determines whether the change is permitted or not. In November 2020, Capital One asked to use a portion of the rooftop park for miniature golf.
Capital One Hall was designed to be topped by three towers. One tower, already developed as a hotel, is set to open this fall. The 18-hole minigolf course, given the conceptual name “Perch Putt,” would occupy an empty area of the roof that will eventually house the other two towers, to be built sometime in the future. A section of these empty foundations has already been planned for an outdoor eating area, with food to be served from refurbished vintage vehicles, such as a double-decker bus.
In December 2020, the Zoning Evaluation Division determined that the miniature golf course on the roof of the building is a permitted use for the property. Since that decision, Capital One Center has not yet made any announcement as to whether the miniature golf course will make the cut for the amenity-filled rooftop park. Although there are currently no other minigolf courses in Tysons, there are other public courses nearby in Seven Corners and Merrifield. With Capital One Hall and The Perch set to open before the end of the year, Capital One may be holding back an announcement until it ramps up its marketing efforts closer to that time.
Capital One Center is already shaping up to be the most active part of Tysons East so far, and has come a long way from the single office building that was built twenty years ago. An urban-format Wegmans supermarket opened last fall, and construction continues on the 31-story office tower across the street from 2018’s iconic headquarters skyscraper. Most recently, building permits were pulled for both a salon and restaurant in the headquarters building. Over by the nearby McLean Metro station, a boutique hotel is scheduled to open late this summer.