Community meeting scheduled for Heritage Mall housing project
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| An illustration of the planned redevelopment at Heritage Mall. The existing shopping/office area is pink; the new houses are yellow. |
The public is invited to learn more about a plan to build townhouses at Heritage Mall in Annandale. Braddock Supervisor John Cook is hosting a community
information meeting on the project March 2, 7:30 p.m., at Braddock Elementary School.
The 10.9-acre Heritage Mall property, on Heritage Drive between Commons Drive and Rectory Lane, includes an office
building and retail center with an H-Mart grocery store. The shopping area
was renovated in 2014 and will remain in place.
“The landowner is now proposing to develop the western
portion of the site with 68 townhouses and associated residential amenities,” states
a letter from Cook. “The proposal would also include improved pedestrian
connectivity, a community center, and additional enhancements to the shopping
center parking lot and plaza areas.” The project would be developed by the Web Companies and Madison Homes.
portion of the site with 68 townhouses and associated residential amenities,” states
a letter from Cook. “The proposal would also include improved pedestrian
connectivity, a community center, and additional enhancements to the shopping
center parking lot and plaza areas.” The project would be developed by the Web Companies and Madison Homes.
The townhouses would be built on an area currently occupied by a parking lot, 7-Eleven, the
remains of a Citgo gas station that had closed in 2014, and undeveloped open space.
It is zoned C-6 (community retail district) and will need to be rezoned for
multifamily housing. The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan will also need to be
amended.
If this proposed development was located in Mason District the outcry against sell-out to the developers "Two-Cent Gross" would be deafening; and there would be wailing over the loss of green space and the prospect of more children entering the District's already overcrowded (trailers and all) public schools.
But in this case it's not green space, it's completely paved.
I'm sure there will be people supporting and opposing this development based on perceived impact to the community. People have opinions and they are valid, even if we don't agree with them. It behooves us to try to understand those opinions through conversation rather than attacking the people who hold them.
Perhaps there is no outrage because Braddock district school's aren't trailer parks.
These kids would be going to Braddock ES, Poe MS, and Annandale HS; all of which have trailers/modular buildings. Braddock is so crowded that it is only KG to 5th grade.
Also is area was Mason district up until the last redrawing of the districts. We are not in Mason and almost forgotten by Braddock, our police dept is West Springfield not Mason.
Also if you don't know Fairfax County owns a nearby apartment complex which is entirely section 8 housing. As the school populations grow the school boundaries have gotten smaller and smaller, yet we are still over crowded.
You bet there is outrage.
Braddock Elementary school is already over capacity and classes are held in a modular and in trailers. You are going to add in 68 townhouses. Once again there is no thought about where these kids will go to school. Braddock Elementary needs to be added to the renovation list before you start adding children to the building. How about building a second floor prior to considering building townhouses? I am sick of tired of the county allowing infill with out considering the schools.
http://annandaleva.blogspot.com/2016/01/school-overcrowding-not-problem-any.html
Not only are the schools overcroded, but the roads in this area (I live off of Erie) are extremely busy because of all the housing that has become multi-family as well as the businesses that are run from some of these houses. There is almost no street parking left at the end of the day. It's about to make me head south…..Fairfax needs to enforce residency laws and rebuild the infrastructure first.
Well you better go to the meeting because by looking at the sketches above there does not appear to be enough parking for every unit along with guest parking. There appears to be one outside each unit and a possible garage. If there is a garage we all know that most people do not park in their garage but store stuff in it. The one guest parking lot appears to be small compared to the whole place. My questions is why is the guest lot on the one side? Should they not divide it up it to a few parts through out the community? Guest are not going to park there if there guest are on the other side but in townhouse/ shopping center lot.
Sunday's will be interesting, the back lot is used by the church for overflow parking. Where will the church goers park?
What about the 7-11? It has been a part of the neighborhood for years. Those of us without cars have come to rely on them.