Board sets hearing on Bailey’s Crossroads land transfer for affordable housing
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 27 agreed to hold a public hearing on a proposal to convey a board-owned property in Bailey’s Crossroads to the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The hearing is scheduled for July 25
The 2.9-acre property, at 5827 Columbia Pike, is located between Radley Acura and the 361-unit Alta Crossing apartment project under construction.
Fairfax County wants to build affordable housing there with support services, underground parking, and a childcare center.
Related story: Affordable housing proposed for county-owned property on Columbia Pike
According to the BoS meeting agenda, “The FCRHA is evaluating measures to partner with a private developer pursuant to the terms of the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002, or through other development means, to build a multi-unit structure on the property.”
The development of new housing for people with low to moderate incomes and a childcare center might require an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan and a rezoning.
Related story: Construction underway on apartment project in Bailey’s Crossroads
The property will also have a dedicated right-of-way for the future extension of Seminary Road.
The Crossroads Interim Park and a parking lot are currently located on the property. The park opened in 2019 on a temporary basis until the land is redeveloped.
What is the county doing about overcrowded schools? Apparently, planning on adding more “affordable” housing units to the area since the multiple buses that show up now at the various apartment complexes to pick up kids and transport them to the overcrowded schools isn’t enough. Let’s add even more stress on the school system.
We don’t need more apartment buildings in Bailey’s. I second the comment above about how schools are overcrowded as is.
Has anyone thought about the impact of the additional traffic is going to affect the response time for the fire department??? Bailey’s fire station was the busiest station in Fairfax County in 2022. They service not only Bailey’s, but assist in Alexandria and Arlington. The Alta Development is already going to bring too many people as is.
Focus on fixing Culmore. There is plenty of land to build up for affordable housing and enough roads for traffic to flow through. That should be the priority, especially now that the crime is getting out of control.
Penny Gros really wants to leave us in an even bigger mess before she leaves. *smh*
It just keeps getting worse. Why would anyone even suggest this? The area is already fragile, good mass transit does not exist, schools are maxed out, the police are nowhere to be found, and low income housing will scare the retailers and customers away at the one shopping center that is able to hold on to their tenants.
No question, we need affordable housing, it should be dispersed amongst multiple new developments using quotas instead of concentrating this type of housing that will cause an imbalance of the dynamics of an already teetering commercial district. Are the shopping carts not enough from the homeless shelter? I get it, the land is owned by the county and was paid for by the taxpayers at an above market rate. It should be returned to the taxpayers by implementing tax generating entities. The comprehensive plan called for retail on the first floor on the Seminary Rd extension with mixed use. There is no mention of this.
This is a bad recipe cooked up by folks that have no experience in this arena and have no idea what they are doing. Where are the economic forecasters, architects, urban planners on this. I’ll tell you, nowhere!
“Good mass transit does not exist,” at Bailey’s Crossroads says vax.
The Columbia Pike (16) and Leesburg Pike (29) lines are the busiest MetroBus lines in Northern Virginia, if I recall correctly, and BRT (bus rapid transit) is foreseen for Leesburg Pike within 20 years.
The 16L express bus has been discontinued. The other bus lines creep down Columbia Pike during rush hour and stop almost every two blocks. I can bike faster to the Pentagon and I do. Without dedicated bus lanes like they have on 16th street in DC during rush hour your commute to the Pentagon could be 45 mins to 1 hour. That is why folks use their cars. There is no incentive to use Metro because it is slow and unreliable. And if one has to transfer your commute time can doule.
Twenty years till BRT, totally irresponsible. The BoS need to put on their smart hats if they can find those and put together an attainable and reasonable mass transit plan before increasing the housing population to an equation that is already strained.
There are 49 bud stops (bus stops, red loggers, blocked intersections) between the pentagon and sleepy hollow road. 20 years for a brt? Let me repeat that 20 yrs for a brt! 45 yrs to improve traffic at 7 corners Yet in Philadelphia a bridge was built in / weeks albeit temporary.
One more example of ineptitude and short-term thinking by our elected representatives. vax2themax4 makes several good points
Please, think!! Current and future residents of this area need a nearby elementary school, mix use shops, additional public transport, and perhaps… why not? A membership-based community pool where to get relief from climate change driven high temp. Simply piling up residences in one spot will do nothing good for the community at large. Again: please, think!!