1,080 Homes, a Costco and a New Neighborhood: An Early Look at Viva White Oak's First Phase

• July 14th

by UrbanTurf Staff

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The first residential piece of one of Montgomery County's largest developments is coming into focus.

Early plans for the initial residential phase of Viva White Oak, the 280-acre mixed-use development taking shape next to the FDA's White Oak campus, were recently filed with Montgomery County, detailing 1,080 homes planned across a 119-acre neighborhood on the northern portion of the site. The breakdown includes 782 townhouses and 298 two-over-two units, organized around a new central spine road. At least 12.5% of the residences would be moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs), per the county's requirement, and the plans dedicate 32.5 acres to public use, including a nine-acre school and park site with an adjacent one-acre civic green.

The concept plan, designed by GLW and BCT Design Group for developer MCB Real Estate, also sketches out a substantial amenity package for the new neighborhood, anchored by a nearly 9-acre community recreation area with a pool and clubhouse. The plans also call for a dog park, pickleball and multipurpose courts, playgrounds for both toddlers and older kids, open lawns and pocket parks, and a network of bikeways and natural-surface trails threading through stream valley buffers along the site's wooded western edge. The filing is a concept plan intended to gather feedback from planning staff, a precursor to the formal applications MCB will file for the residential neighborhood.

This is the first piece of a much larger program that will eventually include multifamily buildings, senior housing, a hotel, a medical office building, and a retail district along Cherry Hill Road. That retail district landed its marquee tenant in March, when Costco signed on to anchor the project's commercial component.

The filing comes as Viva White Oak picks up steam after more than a decade of fits and starts. The Planning Board approved a preliminary plan for up to 12.2 million square feet on the former WSSC and Percontee Sand and Gravel land back in 2019, and in February, the County Council unanimously approved the county's first-ever tax increment financing district for the $2.8 billion project, making up to $420 million in county bonds available to fund roads, sewers, and other public infrastructure.

Road construction is expected to get underway this year, with the first residential and commercial phases to follow and the retail component targeted to open between 2027 and 2028. Full buildout of the development — ultimately envisioned to deliver close to 5,000 residences and up to 12.1 million square feet of development — is expected by 2043.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/1080_homes_a_costco_and_a_new_neighborhood_the_latest_plans_for_viva_white_/24810.