Is McLean Really That Desirable?

[Anonymous]

The simple answer to OP’s question is: yes. Yes, McLean really IS that desirable. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

I couldn't careless about DT McLean. I live in the Hamptons of McLean, and I am a few minutes walk to Balducci, Giants, Starbucks, Lidl, Bagel place, CVS, and so many restaurants. I am also a few minutes from I-495, I-66, GW Parkway, and 15 minutes from Great Falls Park. The people are highly educated from all over the world, so I love McLean. It is very desirable, unlike places like Culmore in Falls Church or Annandale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that locals didn't want the train station to go to the DT Mclean commercial area or any further than Tysons? Mclean is not really metro accessible as a result and it's sort of stupid to name this station "Mclean", it should be renamed IMHO, agree with you there.

That really is not even close to correct.

1. Fairfax County wanted "Tysons" in all stations near Tysons. This was not allowed by the WMATA board. Thus, Fairfax County renamed 3 stations (McLean, Greensboro and Spring Hill). McLean residents did not demand any of this.

2. The plan for MetroRail towards Dulles Airport *always* had been to follow the Dulles Access Highway for almost all of the route, indeed the road had been designed with space for MetroRail in the center. Metro added the 123/7 detour at Tysons because it would increase ridership. This also had nothing to do with either central McLean or McLean residents. McLean residents were not even asked.

3. The only real issue with the Silver Line route was whether the Airport station - and more of the Tysons detour - would be underground. It was much lower cost to build as they did build it.

Commuters paying tolls on 267 demanded the lowest cost approach, which meant using stilts at Tysons -- and at the airport a more distant station on stilts (instead of original plan to be closer to main terminal and underground).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

I couldn't care less about DT McLean. I live in the Hamptons of McLean, and I am a few minutes walk to Balducci, Giants, Starbucks, Lidl, Bagel place, CVS, and so many restaurants. I am also a few minutes from I-495, I-66, GW Parkway, and 15 minutes from Great Falls Park. The people are highly educated from all over the world, so I love McLean. It is very desirable, unlike places like Culmore in Falls Church or Annandale.

For someone new to the area, where is the Hamptons of McLean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The simple answer to OP’s question is: yes. Yes, McLean really IS that desirable. End of story.

Yes. And I lived there for 35 years. Happily. End of story. . Everything else you read here is sour grapes from those who can't afford it. Imagine a kind thread about Beverly Hills in DCUrbanmomsLos Angeles. Same thing. People would be dumping on what they can't have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The simple answer to OP’s question is: yes. Yes, McLean really IS that desirable. End of story.

Yes. And I lived there for 35 years. Happily. End of story. . Everything else you read here is sour grapes from those who can't afford it. Imagine a kind thread about Beverly Hills in DCUrbanmomsLos Angeles. Same thing. People would be dumping on what they can't have.

It’s cute that you think McLean compares in any way to Beverly Hills. You probably think a Rehobeth beach house is the same as having a beach house in Easthampton. Bless your heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The simple answer to OP’s question is: yes. Yes, McLean really IS that desirable. End of story.

Yes. And I lived there for 35 years. Happily. End of story. . Everything else you read here is sour grapes from those who can't afford it. Imagine a kind thread about Beverly Hills in DCUrbanmomsLos Angeles. Same thing. People would be dumping on what they can't have.

The estates in Beverly Hills (and also Bel Air and Malibu) sell for $50MM+...and now $100MM+. I suppose the one tiny area of Mclean that overlooks the Potomac river is somewhat equivalent, but really it's Mass Heights, Kalorama and some other parts of DC that are even remotely similar (news flash...nothing around here is equivalent, but let's go with the BH analogy).

You can't for a second compare East Coast cities to places in the West, because the absolute highest priced real estate of East Coast cities are actually within the city limits...hence, why the highest priced real estate in New York City is in fact located in the city limits of NYC...same for Boston...etc.

[Anonymous]

I think the PP is just saying everyone in LA knows Beverly Hills is desirable just like everyone here knows McLean is.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

I couldn't care less about DT McLean. I live in the Hamptons of McLean, and I am a few minutes walk to Balducci, Giants, Starbucks, Lidl, Bagel place, CVS, and so many restaurants. I am also a few minutes from I-495, I-66, GW Parkway, and 15 minutes from Great Falls Park. The people are highly educated from all over the world, so I love McLean. It is very desirable, unlike places like Culmore in Falls Church or Annandale.

For someone new to the area, where is the Hamptons of McLean?

Langley near hickory hill.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We lived in North Arlington just off of the Chesterbrook neighborhood for many years and it served its purpose then. As young empty nesters, though, we fled to the city the minute we could and haven’t looked back. I cannot imagine anyone without children wanting to live in a place like that. It is boring as hell.

We like McLean but I’m sorry you found North Arlington so boring. There are probably more amenities in both areas than when you lived there.

No they’re aren’t. Just fewer older homes and more McMansions. The fundamentals haven’t changed one bit.

WTF are you talking about? Chesterbrook shopping plaza was completely revamped and 'downtown' Mclean got a new grocery store and a dozen restaurants.

Lol yea I’ve seen the new Chesterbrook and sure it’s nicer than it was but it’s not exactly National Harbor or Navy Yard. No one is moving to Chesterbrook for the shopping plaza.

Nobody would say it's a destination place. It's just a convenient suburban shopping plaza for people's daily needs , it has limited amenities, it's also not DT Mclean, it's a short drive away.

As far as National Harbor, Navy Yard and the Wharf why would you even compare? These are not real towns either, they are dining/entertainment/promenade weekend destinations, and which is why they are also not desirable for everyday living IMHO. Very few everyday routine living amenities, they feel disconnected and bubble-like and poorly served by Metro (incomparable to central parts of DC where you can walk from one line to another). They are essentially weekend promenades off the HWy with atrociously priced parking. Mclean DT has more of a town feel than any of these and serves communities nearby.

So what is DT Mclean? What are the cross streets?

Not sure about that poster but to me it’s Chain Bridge and Old Dominion.

Google Maps shows three gas stations and a crappy strip mall that includes a Tobacco Hut (just what every high end DT needs and wants)...that's DT Mclean?

Are you being purposefully obtuse? Downtown anything does not consist of a single intersection. I swear sometimes I can’t tell if people on this board are genuine idiots or just pretending to be one.

Well…where does it start and end…if that is one end, what’s the other end? Why can’t anyone tell me where the f**k downtown McLean is?

I don’t know of any high end downtowns that have 3 gas stations and a tobacco hut anchoring any part of their downtown.

What's "high end" downtown? There is no luxury retail unless you go to Tysons 2 mall or into DC city center. NOt sure what you are looking for. DT Mclean has some gas stations, but it's most definitely not all that's around It has some higher end food shopping places like Balducci, Organic Butchers, some small ethnic food markets, bakeries (not cheap), and consignment boutiques where you could find some labels. Dining is mostly casual. It's not your Channel, LV, 5 star dining type of place, if that's what you mean There is a G. Gilbert's steakhouse around there, but I've never been.

DP. I think that when PP means downtown they means kind of the traditional city center type area where everything is reasonably walkable to each other. I love organic butcher but you’re not walking anywhere from there unless you’re planning on running across a very busy street.

There are pedestrian crosswalk everywhere, including Old Dominion and Chain bridge (which is where you'd have to walk to cross). Or you could go the other direction and cross near Balducci pedestrian crosswalk.

Look It's not a pleasant urban promenade, nobody is trying to argue this point here. If you need this, you should look into Bethesda, it has what you have in mind in terms of true urban grid of a small town and the charm factor. But arguing that Mclean DT doesn't exist or is just a bunch of disconnected strip malls that you cannot walk between and it doesn't have a cohesive town feel (having multiple intersections and streets and many types of businesses to serve everyday needs, plus commercial offices) is really stupid at this point. It just shows ignorance and laziness to even look at the googlemaps.

People here who still think Mclean is some exurban sprawl with zero walkability sound completely ignorant and obviously haven't been around for a while if ever. There is nothing in DC metro area at this point inside the beltway that's not trying to actively add density and urban amenities where possible near commercial centers of any kind. Mclean DT is no exception.

You keep describing what sounds like a bunch of shitty strip malls and calling it a downtown. Downtown is Old Town Alexandria, it’s Del Ray, it’s Leesburg…heck even Reston Town Square feels more like a downtown.

McLean is close to Tysons and Vienna and has essentials…it doesn’t have a DT.

You are arguing semantics and your own definition of what a town is Look it up. It's absolutely a town by all definitions, in a way that it provides every essential amenity, multifamily housing and commercial offices WITHOUT having to go to Tysons. It's more dense than nearby residential areas and has a boundary and a "grid". People from nearby areas drive there for errands instead of traffic choked Tysons, people who live near and in the multifamily walk around there, HS kids walk from school and walk around there every day.

You don't like it because it's not quaint, and that's fair. It's not pretty. I don't like the appearance of it, but you have to be incredibly obtuse or weirdly stubborn or ignorant to not acknowledge that it's indeed a town by all definitions. It's not a bunch of disconnected strip malls you cannot walk between. It's all connected by pedestrian sidewalks and multiple pedestrian intersections, it has residential multifamily housing and offices.

It fact it's more of a town than any of the "weekend promenade" new developments around DC waterfronts lacking basic amenities.

Nobody mentioned DC waterfronts (which by your definition actually do qualify strangely enough though they have like 5x the number of restaurants and other shops people want in a downtown area).

It’s fine…there is no downtown McLean much like there is no downtown Potomac.

DP. Whether you call it a downtown or a center, there's general agreement it lies at the intersection of Chain Bridge and Dolley Madison.

And that center is dowdy with a bunch of gas stations, banks, and nail salons at the core, but you can walk a short distance from the center in any direction and be at a nice Lebanese cafe, a good Indian restaurant, a strip mall with a Santini's, a Cava and a Chopt, and soon a neighborhood bistro.

It's not sparkly for two main reasons. First, when the CIA moved to Langley it demanded that the county limit the commercial development along Route 123 (Dolley Madison). So the retail in McLean is set back from the primary commuter route and doesn't get as much traffic (and eyeballs) as Route 123 further west. Second, a few landlords own much of the commercial real estate and are largely content to collect rents from existing tenants, with no obvious rush to redevelop.

Even so, it's convenient and efficient, and the local merchants are more likely to know you than if you were in a more built-up area with more outside visitors. McLean doesn't need shiny to manifest its wealth; it's obvious to anyone who's paying attention to the real estate prices or the achievements of the students attending the local schools.

There is no rush to redevelop because anyone wanting quaint can drive to Gtown in 15 min, and anyone wanting traditional shopping mall can drive to Tysons. Mclean DT serves its purpose of a central business district of that suburb, and since it's a suburb, it's been developed to be car/parking friendly, since this is what people shopping there are going to do. With that said, teenage kids definitely walk around, and it's nice to have a place where your kid can meet friends without having to drive them. It's nice to have an option to walk somewhere and to run errands on foot if you do not want to drive or cannot.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

I couldn't care less about DT McLean. I live in the Hamptons of McLean, and I am a few minutes walk to Balducci, Giants, Starbucks, Lidl, Bagel place, CVS, and so many restaurants. I am also a few minutes from I-495, I-66, GW Parkway, and 15 minutes from Great Falls Park. The people are highly educated from all over the world, so I love McLean. It is very desirable, unlike places like Culmore in Falls Church or Annandale.

For someone new to the area, where is the Hamptons of McLean?

Langley near hickory hill.

The Hamptons of McLean is 1M+ townhouses right across from Balducci on Old Dominion Dr.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

It's not "new" or "trendy". Someone bullying everyone to admit that there is "no downtown in Mclean" and "we all agree" means absolutely nothing. It's simply a central business district of Mclean (CBD) which is what the definition of "downtown" is, nothing more. When you drive on Chain Bridge there are signs "downtown Mclean" , I guess somehow it weirdly bothers people :roll:

If we are talking about suburbia then its "downtown" or business district will have car oriented nature, there is nothing more to it. It's going to be different from the downtown of an older pre-car, pre-suburbia town. As demand for pedestrian lifestyle rises with more multifamily going up and more local people preferring to walk if nicer businesses open up then area starts getting gradually redeveloped. Clarendon wasn't always what it is now either. I remember very well when a lot of it was strip malls.. We used to go out to restaurants with parking lots up front and drink in some of the "strip mall bars" :lol:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

It's not "new" or "trendy". Someone bullying everyone to admit that there is "no downtown in Mclean" and "we all agree" means absolutely nothing. It's simply a central business district of Mclean (CBD) which is what the definition of "downtown" is, nothing more. When you drive on Chain Bridge there are signs "downtown Mclean" , I guess somehow it weirdly bothers people :roll:

If we are talking about suburbia then its "downtown" or business district will have car oriented nature, there is nothing more to it. It's going to be different from the downtown of an older pre-car, pre-suburbia town. As demand for pedestrian lifestyle rises with more multifamily going up and more local people preferring to walk if nicer businesses open up then area starts getting gradually redeveloped. Clarendon wasn't always what it is now either. I remember very well when a lot of it was strip malls.. We used to go out to restaurants with parking lots up front and drink in some of the "strip mall bars" :lol:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The simple answer to OP’s question is: yes. Yes, McLean really IS that desirable. End of story.

Yes. And I lived there for 35 years. Happily. End of story. . Everything else you read here is sour grapes from those who can't afford it. Imagine a kind thread about Beverly Hills in DCUrbanmomsLos Angeles. Same thing. People would be dumping on what they can't have.

Not to pile on, but that comparison is ludicrous.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Agree that McLean doesn't have a downtown feel to it, even though there is a concentration of businesses near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive & Chain Bridge. The trendy new "Downtown," if you want to call it that, is now "The Boro": one Metro stop beyond Tysons Corner. The Fairfax counterpart to Pike & Rose in MoCo.

I couldn't care less about DT McLean. I live in the Hamptons of McLean, and I am a few minutes walk to Balducci, Giants, Starbucks, Lidl, Bagel place, CVS, and so many restaurants. I am also a few minutes from I-495, I-66, GW Parkway, and 15 minutes from Great Falls Park. The people are highly educated from all over the world, so I love McLean. It is very desirable, unlike places like Culmore in Falls Church or Annandale.

For someone new to the area, where is the Hamptons of McLean?

Langley near hickory hill.

The Hamptons of McLean is 1M+ townhouses right across from Balducci on Old Dominion Dr.

Ugly, densely populated housing.