Board of Supervisors approve townhouses behind Heritage Mall

Residential development approved for this site.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 21 unanimously approved a Comprehensive Plan amendment to pave the way for a 68-unit townhouse project behind a shopping center on Heritage Drive in Annandale. No one from the community spoke at the public hearing.

The homes would be built on an 11-acre site bordered by Commons Drive, Rectory Lane, and the rear of Heritage Mall. The site is currently occupied by an undeveloped vacant lot, an underutilized parking lot, and a 7-Eleven, which would be torn down. The Planning Commission approved the amendment last month.

Years ago, Webb Cos., the owner of the retail center, had proposed building 200 multifamily units on the site, but that project is “no longer economically feasible,” said Braddock Supervisor John Cook.

The current project, a joint venture of Webb Cos. and Madison Homes, also includes enhancements to the shopping center plaza and front parking lot areas, a community center within the shopping center, and improved connectivity to facilitate safe pedestrian access to Ossian Hall Park on the other side of Heritage Drive. Cook said the community center could include space for a Korean senior center.

A transportation analysis found the new housing units would add an average of 322 vehicle trips a day, said Mike Van Atta, a planner with the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning.

The community center, storm water facilities, and pedestrian crossings would be financed by the developer as proffers – but only because the project was approved before July 1. A new state law takes effect on that date that severely restricts the ability of local governments to secure proffers from developers.