In December 1987, Loudoun County officials approved the jurisdiction's first regional shopping mall. The mall was originally planned to be named the "Windmill Regional Shopping Center" but was later renamed to "Dulles Town Center" in 1988. The original expected opening was set for 1993. Dulles Town Center's developer was Lerner Enterprises.[3]
The mall was put on hold until 1994 due to the downturn in the local economy. In March of that year the mall announced it would start construction that spring with plans to be open 1996.[4] With further delays, it wasn't until the summer of 1996 that Dulles Town Center broke ground. The mall opened its first two anchor stores (Hecht's and Lord & Taylor) on November 18, 1998. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dulles Town Center took place on August 12, 1999.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.3 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.06 km2), or 0.94%, are water.[1] The community drains westward to Broad Run, a north-flowing tributary of the Potomac River.