The right side of Shaw Road from Dulles Electric at South Sterling Boulevard to Cedar Green Road remained untouched by development for decades. But bulldozers have dug up the grassy landscape, and are turning it into a commercial site, much like the few remaining virgin lots in Sterling Park.
Lerner Enterprises Inc., a key developer in the region with its headquarters in North Bethesda, Md., is planning to build the third phase of its 72-acre Sterling Park Business Center, an 81,000-square-foot building for "flexible industrial" use, Building and Development records show.
MALCOLM VAN De Riet of Lerner Enterprises confirmed that the Sterling Park Technology Center consists of a build-to-suit, office/tech building situated on 12.2 acres with 245 parking spaces. The building has been leased to the U.S. General Services Administration. Completion is planned for the spring of 2006.
Lerner has finished two other buildings. The tenants in the first are Astron Wireless Technologies, Engineering and Technical Consultants, H & H Custom Cabinets, West and Associates, and Wittman Mechanical Contractors. In the second building, the tenants are Data Systems Hardware Inc., GSA - Federal Highway Commissions, and Mactec Engineering and Consulting Inc.
Lerner Enterprises developed the Dulles Town Center off routes 7 and 28.
IN THE LAST THREE years, developers have begun to pluck the remaining lots in eastern Loudoun, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Houses have been built on Church Road, and Sterling Plaza II is under construction on Enterprise Road next to Food Lion. Some long-time residents lament the rapid development.
A. Murphy, who has lived in Sterling Park for nearly 35 years, is among them. "I hate to see them do it," she said Saturday. "I hate to see it keep growing. It was nothing when we came here."
Eric Davis, a Sterling Park resident for 27 years, said he remembers looking for deer on Shaw Road. "It used to be like Purcellville around here."
Purcellville is a rural town in the western region of the county. "Like the bumper sticker says, "Don't Fairfax Loudoun County," he said. "Don't make it look like Tysons Corner."
Murphy said one good aspect about the growth is the value of her house has risen significantly. Davis said a friend just sold his townhouse for more than $400,000.
The downside, however, is that the price of homes is prohibitive, he said. "You would not believe how many people that have left our church just because they can't afford to live around here.
"I suppose it's good if you are building or you are a land developer. But the small guys, like you and me, we don't stand a chance."
THE BOON has the owners of Dulles Electric, at the corner of Shaw Road and South Sterling Boulevard, planning to double the business' size. John Hughes II of Hughes and Smith said he plans to add 80,000 square feet to the electric and supply company as soon as the county grants a permit.
The expansion will generate an increase in inventory, but he would not elaborate.
The owners recently completed construction of a temporary warehouse adjacent to Dulles Electric's back parking lot. Hughes and Smith also plans to lease 11 build-to-suit acres, Hughes said.
Plans for Shaw Road
* Three buildings to comprise the Sterling Park Business Center.
* Dulles Electric to double in size.
* 11 acres for lease between the business center and Dulles Electric.