TD Bank Unveils Plans to Open First Branch In McLean

Get ready to welcome a new neighbor.

Toronto-based TD bank unveiled plans for a bank and a separate drive-through at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center on Old Dominion Drive. The proposed bank will replace the Wachovia and the BP gas station that was demolished in August 2011.

Representatives of the bank appeared before the Planning and Zoning committee of the McLean Citizens Association Tuesday as part of the bank's request for a Special Exception permit. They need a special exception to build a free standing drive-through facility in a business district.

Why do banks flock to McLean. For the same reason Jesse James robbed banks: This is where the money is. The median income for a McLean household is nearly $165,000 a year compared to $105,000 for the county as a whole and $61,000 for the state of Virginia.

Here are 5 things you need to know about the upcoming neighbor:

1. TD Bank is Toronto Dominion Bank in Canada. The bank came to the U.S. when it purchased Commerce Bank. In the Washington area there are 13 TD banks in Washington, DC,  15 in Maryland  and 17 in Northern Virginia, said Lori Murphy, the attorney representing the bank.

 2. Murphy said TD likes to refer to itself as a "store" not a bank because it's open seven days a week, yes that means Saturday and Sunday, and has extended hours.

 3. The new bank would be 3000 sq. feet at 6256 and 6260 Old Dominion Drive
 on two parcels totaling 1.1 acres. The old BP station site will be the bank's parking lot and the location of the new drive thru, Murphy explained.

4. Anticipated opening date is sometime next year.

5. The Planning and Zoning Committee is an advisory body. The McLean Citizens Association is an influential coalition of McLean homeowner associations. The committee took no position on the bank's proposal Tuesday evening.