Property Owner to End Topgolf Lease in Kingstowne

PHOTO: Topgolf in Kingstowne; Topgolf photo

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The property owner for Topgolf, the restaurant and bar golf range in Kingstowne, says they plan to end their lease with the company, according to Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay.

McKay noted that the owner of the property at 6625 S Van Dorn St. in Kingstowne, has decided to end their lease with Topgolf, a recreational facility with a high-tech driving range and supporting eating establishment.

There is no word on the timeframe, although Topgolf tells the Washington Business Journal Topgolf in Kingstowne will likely close no earlier than late 2017, and it will be a mutual decision between the landowner and the company.

The TopGolf Kingstowne location is closed this week until Friday, while the company replaces the turf, according to a message on its Web site.The company is headquartered in Dallas. The company recently opened a new facility in Ashburn.

“Topgolf has been very successful, however, this success has not come without a price to the community,” McKay said in a statement for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. “For the last few years, due to Topgolf’s growth, I have received complaint after complaint about the noise, parking problems, and the negative impact on the adjacent Kingstowne neighborhoods. With the addition of live music on weekends, Topgolf has grown beyond a driving range and can sometimes look more like a nightclub.”

As a result, McKay said that “Topgolf needs a bigger facility but cannot expand on the heavily constrained current site. This decision creates an opportunity to re-plan the property with uses that are compatible to the established communities to the east of the property and a strengthened connection to the Kingstowne Towne Center.”

The property is split-zoned R-1 and PDH-4 and is planned for 3-4 dwelling units per acre, as detailed in the Lehigh Community Planning Sector within the Rose Hill Planning District of the Comprehensive Plan, McKay said.

“Clearly, this 17-acre property has substantial redevelopment potential and its future use is critical to the success of the surrounding community,” McKay said. “I am concerned that by-right, the site could be permitted for automobile-oriented uses, dry cleaners, drive-through pharmacies and banks, or repair service establishments,” he noted.

In order to provide the community with a lever of control in the planning process, it is a good idea to review the Comprehensive Plan’s recommendation for the site, McKay said.

‘Consider mix of residential uses’

McKay noted that to facilitate the re-planning effort of this approximately 17.4-acre property, and in recognition of the opportunity to contribute to the success of Kingstowne, he is suggesting that the Board of Supervisors authorize an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan for tax map parcels 91-2 ((1)) 35A and 35B to consider a mix of residential uses, up to approximately 275 residential units, and up to 20,000 gross square feet of retail uses.

Staff should also consider that the retail development may be increased up to 70,000 gross square feet to accommodate an appropriate retail anchor, such as a grocery store, he said. The plan analysis should also provide for attention to transportation, schools, parks, and other impacts while planning for a high-quality design and ensuring compatible transitions for this property, he said.