Vehicle Storage Approval Allows On-Site Vehicle Sales At Tysons Corner Center

TYSONS, VA — After Board of Supervisors approval of vehicle storage at Tysons Corner Center Tuesday, manufacturers can sell vehicles on site to customers.

The applicant sought to add vehicle sales as a permitted use. There are already two electric vehicle showrooms inside Tysons Corner Center — Tesla and Lucid Motors where customers could order a vehicle and put down a deposit. There have been a few vehicles allowed in the parking decks for test driving.

Now with vehicle storage allowed, customers can purchase a vehicle at the mall. Under the approval, up to eight different vehicle manufacturers are permitted, and each is limited to 30 vehicles stored on site. That means up to 240 spaces of about 11,000 at Tysons Corner Center parking areas could be used for vehicle sales, according to a county staff presentation. Vehicle manufacturers would be allowed to use garages specified in the application but not surface parking lots at the mall. Loading of vehicles would only happen outside mall hours, and no outdoor display is permitted beyond the vehicle storage in the parking decks.

Brian Clifford, a planner with DLA Piper and representative for Tysons Corner Center, noted the mall has been innovative in projects like its outdoor plaza.

"In that same spirit, we are excited to be at the forefront of the vehicle sales industry," Clifford told the board.

Clifford noted Lucid has a different business model allowing customers to custom build their vehicle on a device in the retail location, and the vehicle would be delivered in six to eight months at a location of their choice. But the approval does open up the possibility of other vehicle manufacturers to open sales at Tysons Corner Center.

"So at the moment we only have two [manufacturers] but we asked for eight total just for the sake of flexibility, and there's nothing that could limit another manufacturer from coming," said Clifford. "If you see what you like out there in the parking lot you can drive away with it."