Passing of John “Til” Hazel Jr., Tysons Corner developer

John “Til” Hazel Jr., who lived on a farm in nearby Fauquier County and was “a major force behind the development of Tysons Corner and several planned communities in Fairfax County in the late 20th century,” according to Virginia Business, died March 16, 2022. He was 91.

Hazel was also an attorney and attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps office. As a private-sector attorney in Arlington, Hazel specialized in real estate and property law. In the 1950s, he began promoting commercial and residential growth in Fairfax County, especially in McLean, where his family owned a farm.

In 1962, working with developer Gerald T. Halpin, Hazel got county supervisors to allow rezoning on more than 100 acres in Tysons. According to Virginia Business, Hazel himself was involved in acquiring land for the future Capital Beltway in the area, providing an impetus for growth. He also was instrumental in bringing in Tysons Corner Center and the Tysons II mixed-use development.

In the 1970s, Hazel formed the Hazel/Peterson Cos. with Fairfax developer Milton V. Peterson, who died in 2021 at age 85. The two developed several planned communities, including Burke Centre, Franklin Farm, Fairfax Station and Fair Lakes. In addition, Hazel worked closely with his late brother, William A. Hazel, who owned the Chantilly-based construction firm William A. Hazel Inc. William Hazel died in 2012 at the age of 77.

Hazel was a strong supporter of George Mason beginning in the 1950s, when the university was a branch of the University of Virginia. He was instrumental in purchasing land for its main campus in Fairfax and was on GMU’s Board of Visitors from 1972 to 1983, serving as rector for different periods in that time. He also was on the GMU Foundation’s board for 32 years and a force behind the university’s establishment of a law school in 1979. He also is a founder of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.