5c04f25c78366c709642ff00005f0421.png?sfvrsn=db329e0d_0 "From the Ground Up")
A look at economic development, rezoning, and residential and commercial projects happening in Northern Virginia.
ARLINGTON COUNTY
When Amazon announced it would be bringing its second headquarters to Arlington, local officials wasted no time pitching it as a chance to build something much bigger: This corner of Northern Virginia, they said, could transform into a dense, urban technology hub — a kind of eastern outpost for Silicon Valley. More than three years later, that vision seems like it’s no longer just an idea.
While denser than exclusively single-family-zoned neighborhoods, they are roomier, greener and lower to the ground than mid- to high-rise developments along Arlington’s Metro corridors. That is, they fit the definition of “Missing Middle” housing stock that Arlington County is looking to increase. Today, Arlington is once again facing a housing crunch, one that is expected to tighten as Amazon hires more workers and companies spring up in its orbit. Garden apartments were once a solution to Arlington’s housing problems 80 years ago. But as Arlington County considers a plan for allowing “Missing Middle” housing in all residential area of the county, the “Missing Middle” of 80 years ago — these low-rise, gentle density developments — are worth a look.
Atlanta-based multifamily real estate investment and development company Cortland is acquiring four residential properties in Virginia’s Arlington County for a total of $1 billion, including one of the newest additions to Rosslyn’s skyline.
ALEXANDRIA
On June 23 the Alexandria Planning Commission will here public comment on Master Plan and Zoning Amendments related to the proposed redevelopment of the former GenOn power plant. The plans show around 2.1 million square feet of new development at the site with a mix of residential, retails, arts spaces and more.
The City of Alexandria held a virtual community meeting on May 19 to discuss a proposed zoning text amendment that would allow developers to build taller buildings with more units in exchange for more affordable housing.
Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, a juggernaut in the city's grand economic scheme, had made earlier rumblings about departing its massive campus, or cutting the space it occupies.
FAIRFAX COUNTY
At the May 18 Meeting of the Fairfax County Planning Commission, the Commission recommended Board approval of rezoning applications to develop a community up to 144 "2 over 2" units to frame a key entrance to Westfields while contributing to the overall mixed-use vision. The Property contains a little over 11.3 acres of land area and is bounded by Old Lee Road to the north, Stonecroft Boulevard to the east, and Northridge Drive to the south.
Construction has begun on the Heming, a new 28-story mixed-used building at 1800 Chain Bridge Rd. in Tysons that will include 410 apartments. Heming is part of the Scotts Run mixed-used development, a 6.5 million-square-foot development across from the McLean Metro station and between the Capital One and Mitre headquarters.
The request for proposals for a potential affordable housing development at the Franconia Governmental Center was announced earlier in 2022. Now that the request for proposals deadline has passed, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority is reviewing proposals, according to the Office of Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk.
Fairfax County has approved an expansion of the Boro mixed-use development to add new residential, retail and park space. The approved final development plan includes about 610,000 square feet of development in three buildings across Blocks I and K. There are 543 planned market rate and workforce residential units planned with amenities such as club rooms, fitness centers and outdoor spaces.
Tysons Corner continues to grow as an economic development hub and Clark Construction Group just announced its expanding there. That’s the same group serving as the general contractor for the first phase of new development at Amazon’s new Arlington headquarters.
Fairfax County announced a new tourism branding initiative for the southern part of the county on May 18 at a news conference held on George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The new brand, Potomac Banks: Explore Fairfax South, is the first destination-focused branding strategy in the county and intends to encourage visitors to explore the area’s historically significant attractions, as well as businesses and cultural venues.
FAIRFAX CITY
The Hy-Way Motel on Fairfax Blvd. will be torn down, and a new 54-unit supportive housing complex will go up.
Capital City Real Estate is scheduled to present a concept proposal at the Fairfax City Council's Tuesday night meeting that seeks to replace two surface parking lots in the WillowWood Plaza office center with a total of 346 residential units.
FALLS CHURCH
Mark your calendars now! September 2024, just over two years from now, the Grand Opening of the biggest development, by far, in the City of Falls Church, will be held. The massive West Falls mixed use project promises to be bigger and more prosperous than the recently-completed Merrifield-based Mosaic a couple miles down the road.
LOUDOUN COUNTY
ZMAP‐2020‐0004, ZMOD‐2020‐0008, ZMOD‐2020‐0009 & ZMOD‐2020‐0010, Fleetwood South (Blue Ridge) would rezone approximately 86.97 acres to develop 246 single-family detached residences. The applicant has requested Zoning Modifications (ZMOD) that modify lot size and setback standards for single-family home lots. The site is located on the west side of Fleetwood Road and south of Sleeping Woods Court in the Blue Ridge Election District. The Planning Commission first held a Public Hearing on December 13, 2021. There were three members of the public who spoke in support of the applications citing need for the proposed affordable housing. The Commission forwarded (5-4: Combs, Frank, Miller, and Salmon opposed) the applications to the Board with a recommendation of denial. The Board held a Public Hearing on April 13, 2022. There were six members of the public who spoke in support of the applications citing need for for-sale affordable housing and the complimentary design of the neighborhood and proposed amenities. The Board discussed the application’s consistency with the TPA phasing policy; proposed density increase; adequacy of infrastructure, public facilities, and services in the vicinity of the subject property; affordable housing; and status of public school facilities that will serve the development.
The Loudoun County Planning Commission will consider a Zoning Map Amendment (ZMAP) request to convert low density residential use to the PD-TC (Planned Development – Town Center) zoning district in order to develop 415 attached multifamily (MF) units on 4.8 acres. The applicant is also requesting Zoning Modifications (ZMODs) to permit modifications to twelve of the PD-TC zoning requirements, a parking reduction, a tree canopy reduction, and a reduction in building and parking setbacks. The Commission held a public hearing on April 26, 2022. There were no public speakers. The Commission inquired about the transportation commitments and discussed the proposal’s conformance with the 2019 GP. The Commission forwarded the applications to a future Work Session for discussion.
ZMAP-2020-0012 & SPEX-2021-0020, Mountain View Residential (Dulles) would rezone approximately 6.33 acres in order to develop 41 Single Family Attached (SFA) residential units. The applicant is also requesting a Special Exception (SPEX) to permit the modification of the minimum yard requirements. The Planning Commission (Commission) held a public hearing on February 22, 2022. There were 41 public speakers, 28 in support of the application and 13 opposed to the application. Speakers in support of the applications primarily cited the need for affordable housing in the area while those opposed to the applications cited traffic, incompatibility with the neighborhood, flooding issues, and opposition to affordable dwellings in the neighborhood. The Commission discussed the proposed density, affordability, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, water drainage issues, timing and provision of pedestrian infrastructure, and the provision of parking. The Commission forwarded (8-0-1: Merrithew absent) the applications to the Board of Supervisors (Board) with a recommendation of approval. The critical action date is July 19, 2022.
ZMAP-2021-0004 & SPEX-2021-0007, Colonnade (Broad Run) would rezone a 4.15- acre property to permit development of up to 61 single-family attached dwelling units. The applicant also requests a Special Exception to reduce the minimum required front yard from 15 to 10 feet for rear-loaded units. The subject property is located south of Route 7 in the northeast corner of the intersection of City Center Boulevard, Stephanie Drive, and Mirage Way in the Broad Run Election District. The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing on February 22, 2022. There were no public speakers. The Commission forwarded the applications (7-1-1: Kirchner opposed; Merrithew absent) to the Board of Supervisors (Board) with a recommendation of approval. The critical action date is July 11, 2022.
ZMAP-2019-0016, JK Technology Park #3 (Blue Ridge) would rezone 21.23 acres in order to develop by-right uses such as office, warehousing, and data centers. The Planning Commission (Commission) held a public hearing on April 26, 2022. There was no public comment. The Commission discussed building design standards, development phasing, impacts to natural and historic resources on site, and transportation improvements. The applicant verbally committed to proffering out additional incompatible uses and to provide enhanced architectural standards on the northeast-facing building façades. The Commission forwarded (4-3-2: Combs, Frank, and Kirchner opposed; Salmon and Miller absent) the application to the Board of Supervisors (Board) with a recommendation of approval, subject to the Proffers. The critical action date is November 28, 2022.
Members of the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation and Land Use Committee are holding a months-long discussion on where data centers should—and should not—go in Loudoun, as the industry looks to push into new territory.
The developers of Rivana at Innovation Station, a massive new development at the Rt. 28/Dulles Toll Road interchange by Metro’s Innovation Station, hope to clear Loudoun County zoning approvals by the end of the year. The project was first announced—with county supervisors already voicing their support before the first application was filed—in April 2021, originally with plans to break ground early this year.
The Washington Commanders have drawn up plans for a second potential stadium site, this one in Virginia's Loudoun County, according to renderings obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The site would be the current location of a rock quarry run by Chantilly Crushed Stone, and would sit northeast of Dulles Airport, next to Metro's new Silver Line service.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY
REZ2021-00009, Lake Pointe Residential would rezone ±15.52 acres to allow up to 355 multifamily dwellings. The subject property is located northeast of the Caton Hill Rd and Killarney Dr intersection, and ±375 feet northwest of the intersection of Caton Hill Rd and Telegraph Rd. The site is designated TC, Town Center, and POSP, Parks and Open Space Passive, in the Comprehensive Plan; and is located within The Landing at Prince William Small Area Plan special planning area and within the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District. Occoquan Magisterial District
Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
FedEx Ground (NYSE: FDX) is considering leasing space for a distribution center in northern-central Prince William County as the pandemic continues to fuel online retail, spurring a broader expansion for the company in the region. The shipping titan is “in discussions for the potential leasing of a package distribution center in Manassas,” spokesperson Allie Addoms confirmed to the Washington Business Journal, declining to comment on specifics "until all aspects have been finalized."
The company behind the expanded Belmont Bay development has submitted a revised application to Prince William County, but residents say the changes don’t address their concerns. Belmont Bay LC, an affiliate of The Caruthers Cos, is planning to hold a town hall in June to discuss revisions to the application, but a date hasn’t been finalized.
Virginia lawmakers called a time out this week on a bill that would offer the Washington Commanders a $300 million incentive to build a new stadium in Virginia – possibly in Woodbridge. The bill did not come to the floor when the General Assembly returned to special session Wednesday to vote on the state budget. The news comes as some local state legislators are expressing cold feet about the 200-acre site in Prince William County that the team is eyeing for its new home. News about the team securing an option to buy land near Potomac Mills – bordered by Interstate 95, Summit School, Caton Hill and Telegraph roads – is raising concerns about traffic and the lack of better mass transportation options, such as Metro, among other things.
A proposed mixed-use complex in Independent Hill is on shaky ground. During its May meeting the Prince William County Planning Commission recommended denial of a request to rezone 69 acres between Dumfries and Bristow roads from agricultural to planned mixed residential. Elm Street Development of McLean submitted the proposal in 2018 and wants to construct 210 residential units with 219,000 square feet of commercial and office development. The property is sandwiched between Dumfries and Bristow roads east of Independent Hill Drive.
As debate rages over a plan to open 2,100 acres of rural land in the northern end of Prince William to a huge new data center industrial park called the Prince William Digital Gateway, much of it hinges on the claim that the county is running out of land for data center use. Much of that conclusion hinges on how much land has been or can be developed inside the county’s “Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District.”