The developer behind The Ox doesn’t want to just draw visitors to Old Town Fairfax with the proposed mixed-use project. It wants to give visitors and residents a reason to stay.

To turn the development into a destination, Ox Hill Companies has enlisted ASM Global to operate the performing arts center that will anchor the 3.58-acre site at Sager Avenue, Chain Bridge Road and University Drive in the heart of Fairfax City’s historic downtown.

From live concerts and theater to weddings, school graduations and corporate events, the programming at the approximately 2,400-seat concert hall and 100-seat black box theater will be diverse and tailored to the needs and tastes of the local community, ASM Global strategy and development head Jeff Lessard said at a community meeting last Tuesday (Sept. 10).

“Any programming has to be attractive to the community,” he said, adding that it “would be fantastic” to get 100 to 130 events per year for the venue.

Both spaces will be flexible to accommodate a variety of events, with retractable, stadium-style seating in the black box theater and moveable seats on the lower level of the concert hall. Without the floor seats, the concert hall could have a standing-room capacity of up to 4,100 people.

Though Lessard conceded the venue “probably won’t be booking Taylor Swift” due to its size, ASM Global expressed confidence that The Ox will distinguish itself from other arts centers in the area, including George Mason University’s facilities and Capital One Hall in Tysons, which it also operates.

Capital One Center, the owner of the still-relatively-new Capital One Hall, backed ASM Global’s involvement in the Fairfax City project, according to Liam Thornton, ASM Global’s executive vice president of strategy and development.

“The buildings are of different sizes and capacities, so they will attract different artists based on their ability to sell tickets,” Thornton said. “Having two venues of different sizes and configurations is complementary, not competitive. This improves the overall regional entertainment ecosystem.”

In addition to the performing arts venues, The Ox will feature a 169-room hotel, a 26,000-square-foot conference center, a nearly 8,400-square-foot art gallery in the former bank building at 4029 Chain Bridge Road, about 6,000 square feet of office space, and over 27,800 square feet of retail, per a development plan currently being reviewed by Fairfax City.

According to a concept design shared at last week’s meeting, the retail will be centered on the building’s ground floor along an open-air arcade with one 1,493-square-foot space in the southwestern corner.

The hotel will be managed by Hilton and operated by Valor Hospitality, which has experience with entertainment-related hotels, Ox Hill Managing Principal Chris Smith told the community meeting’s 50-plus attendees.

While not ready to announce any deals, Ox Hill officials confirmed they’ve been working with potential retail tenants, including for the building’s five planned restaurant spaces. Some could end up in other parts of what will be a multi-phase development.

“We are working with a combination of local retailers and restaurants,” Ox Hill said in a statement to FFXnow. “Restaurants will include all food types to appeal to diverse audiences as well as the eclectic food and beverage interests of the community. We will be announcing retail and restaurant leases in the coming year following City approval of the development.”

Nancy Herrmann, a city resident, says she has been dreaming about a book cafe with a wine bar opening up in the vacant bank building. She hopes the project will bring a variety of retail beyond restaurants, shops that encourage people to linger and browse instead of just eating and returning home.

“We’re excited about the opportunity that Ox Hill presents. Right now, we regularly walk by those areas, and the parking lots are just a wasteland. There’s nothing over there,” she told FFXnow, adding that she’s glad the proposal includes a cultural venue and hotel, rather than a mall.

“I think it’s something the city needs and doesn’t have,” Hermann said.

According to Ox Hill Vice President of Construction Joe Gonzalez, The Ox aims to boost economic development in Old Town Fairfax, converting the cut-through traffic that passes through the city every day into “destination traffic.”

The 454-space, four-story underground garage will fall short of the 615 spaces needed at peak demand, but surface parking will be also available, and the developer anticipates many people will utilize other public parking lots available in the downtown area.

The developer has committed to pedestrian upgrades, including 10-foot-wide sidewalks and street trees around most of the site. There have been “preliminary discussions” with the city about improving a CUE bus stop on Chain Bridge Road, but plans “have not yet been solidified at this time,” an Ox Hill spokesperson said.

Other attractions in The Ox will include a 3,000-square-foot “green gallery” with living plants and a cafe. The space will be modeled after conservatories like the U.S. Botanical Gardens in D.C. or Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, said Deirdre Smith, Ox Hill’s associate director of landscaping and sustainability.

In addition, the concert hall will have an approximately 7,000-square-foot “green roof” with grass and other low-growing ground cover designed to help with stormwater management and energy efficiency.

“The green roof offers significant environmental benefits including providing a habitat for birds and pollinators, helping manage stormwater, and contributing to the reduction of the development’s overall energy and environmental footprint by insulating the building and reducing heat absorption,” Ox Hill said. “Solar panel installation is currently being discussed as an additional sustainability effort.”

Fairfax City hasn’t scheduled any additional meetings or public hearings on the project yet, but Chris Smith said he hopes to see a city council vote within the next quarter.

“I think we’re getting to the end of the process,” he said.

Once on-site work starts, construction is expected to take about three years.