Affordable housing proposed for county-owned property on Columbia Pike
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 6 passed a motion by Mason Supervisor Penny Gross to consider the development of affordable housing on the site of the Crossroads Interim Park in Bailey’s Crossroads.
The property, known as the “East County Part B Site,” is on Columbia Pike between Radley Acura and the forthcoming Alta Crossroads apartment project.
Gross asked the Board of Supervisors to consider transferring ownership of the property to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) for the co-location of affordable housing to include support services, underground parking, and possibly a childcare facility.
Related story: Construction underway on apartment project in Bailey’s Crossroads
“The location is ideal,” Gross said. “It’s within walking distance of public transportation, retail, and healthcare and is accessible to vital services, including schools, libraries, and parks, as well as other recreational and commercial amenities.”
“The inclusion of affordable housing within this amenity-rich community is consistent with the board’s equity goal as described in the One Fairfax policy,” she said.
The motion calls for the BoS to direct staff to initiate steps to formally authorize and schedule a public hearing to consider conveying the East County Part B Site to the FCRHA with two stipulations: (1) If the FCRHA doesn’t want to pursue the project, the property would be transferred back to the board; and (2) The county will retain access to the site until the project begins.
Related story: Crossroads Interim Park officially opens
Redevelopment of that site also requires the extension of Seminary Road, which has long been part of the county’s plan.
Gross noted that discussions about redevelopment in that area of Bailey’s Crossroads, known as the Southeast Quadrant, have been going on for 20 years. In the mid-2000s, a proposal was floated to build a county office building next to Radley Acura but that never went anywhere.
Meanwhile, the county carried out a land swap with a private owner in 2017. An office building next to Radley was torn down in 2018, the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter on Moncure Avenue was demolished, and a new bigger shelter with supportive housing opened nearby on Seminary Road in 2019.
The Crossroads Interim Park opened in 2019 with the idea that it would be temporary until the site could be redeveloped and Seminary Road could be extended to Columbia Pike.
The Board of Supervisors also on June 6 approved a motion by Gross to transfer a BoS-owned half-acre parcel on Annandale Road next to the James Lee Community Center to the FCRHA to develop an affordable homeownership facility.
Prior to building apartments of any kind on this space can the road plans be completed to make the community more accessible. It seems Columbia pike is slowly improving and the next jump for the remolding is the other side of which leads into Baileys. The connector for Seminary Road should be finished and then look into building dwellings. Is there even any space in the public schools to serve this increase?
Your question is a key one. Do we need more affordable housing? Yes. Do we need more public schools built to accommodate current and future enrollment? Definitely yes. The elementary schools serving Bailey’s and Glasgow middle all need relief. The best option is acknowledging that plain fact and building more capacity.
Pouring gasoline on a dumpster fire. There is plenty of affordable housing in Fairfax. There are just too many people and way too many people inviting their entire extended family to come here and pack into a 2 bedroom townhouse or single story rambler. This causes overcrowded roads (Americana Drive), overcrowded schools, excessive trash on streets from unaculterated residents. More housing is NOT the answer. Enforcing existing labor laws, residency requirements, housing codes, and parking enforcement would be money better spent. Just adding more people never helped —- and certainly does not justify a BoS pay raise.
I am always at a loss as to what affordable means. Affordable for whom?
Not everyone has a right to live inside the beltway. Just like people in NY don’t have a right to live in Manhattan. They commute from Queens, etc. Maybe a few affordable units but lets let the market decide rents and best use of prime space inside the beltway…and elsewhere for that matter. If Arlington wants to go this route let it!