Board approves medical center to replace retail strip

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a zoning special exception Oct. 8 to replace an aging retail center on Arlington Boulevard with a medical building.

The project would be developed by Virginia Hospital Center Arlington Health System (VHC Health) in partnership with Intuitive Health.

The medical center would consist of a single 40-foot high, 24,250-square-foot structure to include an emergency room, an urgent care center, and four medical office suites.

The shopping center, built in 1953, is at the Graham Road intersection. It is anchored by the long-closed Harvest Moon restaurant and Skyline Nail Supply. Other tenants include Bien Hoa Oriental Supermarket, Pho Golden Cow, Carina’s Fashion, Pupuseria Mana, a dental office, and drycleaners.

VHC Health operates a hospital in Arlington along with 13 healthcare facilities in Northern Virginia, including Annandale. Part of its mission is to bring healthcare close to communities where people live and work, said VHC Health’s representative, Kathy Taylor.

She told the board the concept of combining a free-standing emergency room and an urgent care facility would be the first of its kind in Virginia, although that model has been implemented in 10 other states.

According to Taylor, “This model eliminates the guesswork of whether you go to an emergency room or to an urgent care center.” For example, a person with chest pains doesn’t know if they’re having a heart attack or heartburn. “If you go to an emergency room and it turns out to be heartburn, you are still paying emergency room prices.”

“If you came to this facility, you would initially be evaluated by a board-certified emergency physician, who determines that it is just heartburn and would direct you to appropriate care,” she said. This would reduce the cost, as the patient would be charged for urgent care, rather than emergency services.  

The facility would be open 24/7 year-round. Appointments aren’t necessary. Everyone is eligible for care; no one will be turned away. VHC promises wait times of less than 60 minutes for urgent care and 120 minutes for emergency care. No patients would stay overnight.

The facility will not offer emergency ambulance services with sirens and flashing lights, although there would be medical transport vehicles.

Supervisor Dalia Palchik (Providence) praised the project for making pedestrian safety improvements while also bringing needed services to the community.

There have been numerous crashes, including three fatal pedestrian crashes at the Arlington Boulevard/Graham Road intersection since 2018.

The service road along Arlington Boulevard would be removed. A 10-foot-wide shared-use path would be built along Arlington Boulevard and Graham Road.

The number of curb cuts on Graham Road would be reduced. A new expanded median with a pedestrian refuge would be added to Graham Road. Curb ramps and crosswalk connections would be improved throughout the property.