History and Organization

MRC accepts million dollar check at
Palladium Sales Center

The MRC was formed in 1998 to implement a revitalization plan developed through a collaborative process involving citizens, the business community, and the county government.

Funding

Funding for MRC and its projects comes from a number of public and private sources. An important function of MRC is to access state and federal grant funds.

For example, Federal HUD funds enabled the purchase of new bus shelters for the McLean CBC, Transportation Enhancement Grant funds have been used for streetscape improvements, and a 1988 Fairfax County bond is being tapped to help fund undergrounding of utilities. In addition, in 2004, the MRC received a $1 million proffer contribution from Waterford of McLean LLC. This money is being held in escrow to support the Main Street Development concept, which is part of the Revitalization Plan, and is expected to provide further financing for the undergrounding of utilities in the CBC. An additional source for the undergrounding project are funds proffered by ExxonMobil in connection with its special exception development conditions.

The Community Business Center (CBC) is the geographic and commercial heart of McLean, but, by and large, it is an aging area. Even as McLean grew rich in amenities during the last half-century, much of the CBC remained static. Above-ground utilities and concrete streetscapes reflected a bygone era, even as McLean became a sought-after address.

The MRC grew out of a series of community actions, beginning in 1996 with a County-funded study that resulted in an updated McLean Revitalization Plan, and part of McLean was designated as a Commercial Revitalization District (CRD). That Plan won community support in 1997, and has since been incorporated into the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan for the McLean Planning District. As part of this effort, Open Space Design Standards for the McLean CBC were developed by the McLean Planning Committee (MPC) Those Design Standards were approved by both the Fairfax County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors in 1998.

The MRC was incorporated on April 24, 1998, as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization for the purpose of encouraging the revitalization of the Community Business Center in accordance with the guidelines of the Revitalization Plan, and to foster the development of McLean as a cohesive business and residential location with offices, retail shops, residences and parks that contribute to a pleasing and economically stable environment.