Construction underway on apartment project in Bailey’s Crossroads
Construction is underway on a five-story apartment building on Columbia Pike between Moncure Avenue and Radley Acura in Bailey’s Crossroads.
The Alta Crossroads project, developed by Wood Partners, will have 361 apartments and three townhouses.
Construction is expected to take two years, with completion expected in 2025, said Ben Lazarus, managing director at Wood Partners, at a groundbreaking on March 29.
Alta Crossroads will be “a catalyst for additional development in Bailey’s Crossroads,” said Mike Van Atta, president of the Bailey’s Crossroads/7 Corners Revitalization Corporation. The project includes an activated streetscape and public park spaces, as well as housing.
Twelve percent of the units at Alta Crossing will be affordable dwelling units (ADUs) affordable to households with incomes ranging between 70 and 120 percent of the area median income.
“Our county’s future is in areas like Bailey’s,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Jeffrey McKay. Major redevelopment projects are underway in Tysons and Reston, but “we have a chance to do so much more in revitalization communities. A project like this can change the lives of the residents who live in the area.”
Mason Supervisor Penny Gross said the project was “two decades in the making.”
The Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning for Alta Crossroads in 2017 and a final development plan in October 2021.
The road to that point involved a land swap with the Weissberg Corp., the relocation of the Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter, and the demolition of an aging office building next to Radley Acura.
County officials spent years working with another developer, AvalonBay. When that company withdrew, Wood Partners stepped in. An aging water and sewer infrastructure on the site presented a more recent challenge.
County Executive Bryan Hill praised Gross’ tenacity in getting the project built.
In the mid-2000s, when Fairfax County officials were considering improvements in that area, known as the Southeast Quadrant, there was talk of building a county office building for human services next to Radley. The county office building idea for that space is dead, although Gross says it’s still needed.
Instead, the Fairfax County Housing and Redevelopment Authority is considering plans for affordable housing and a childcare center on that spot, she said.
That’s about 10 years away, if it ever happens, and would likely coincide with the planned extension of Seminary Road to Columbia Pike. Meanwhile, the Crossroads Interim Park was built on that space.
A screen covering the fence separating the Alta Crossroads construction site from the park features artwork by students at Bailey’s Upper Elementary School.
15 responses to “Construction underway on apartment project in Bailey’s Crossroads”
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Good to see some movement on revitalization
Well Done – Progress is needed in that area and until more housing is available the overcrowded and very old apartment buildings may never get the full attention that is desperately needed.
So excited about this development! What a breath of fresh air to see modern, dense, mixed use projects break forth in Mason! The tide of progress is spilling over from Arlington via Columbia Pike, and this will be the catalyst for many more!
Finally progress to that horribly blighted strip of Columbia Pike. Let’s hope that it will push out those adjacent crap venues and that fake Seven Eleven.
Interesting that this took twenty years for the first shovel, and the BoS raise happened practically overnight. You gotta love it!
Forgot to mention, I love the scrim!
Finally. I really thought this location was cursed for a while.
…the project was “two decades in the making.”… That’s not an exaggeration.
…Alta Crossroads will be “a catalyst for additional development in Bailey’s Crossroads,” said Mike Van Atta,…Hopefully this project, one with food star and Skyline getting a makeover are start of quality, long overdue development.
This is great. Glad that Penny did not get to build her county office building on this prime piece of land, and that the homeless shelter was able to be relocated nearby to still serve the community.
This will be a major improvement to the area!
As long as there’s affordable housing included I am fine with improvement. Hate that metro is not coming that would have been amazing.
At times, the traffic at Bailey’s Columbia Pike is horrible. How will this construction help the traffic flow?
I have lived in the Bailey’s Crossroads area since 1994, and have seen it go downhill, while I constantly hear about “improvements” to this area and Seven Corners. This new building will be the FIRST honest effort I have seen during these almost 30 years. Why do projects like this take so long??
PS I cringe every time I have to drive through Seven Corners. I’m not an engineer, so have no idea how to improve the mess that Seven Corners is, but the county has to get someone to fix the area before we have to wait another 30 years (I will be dead by then!).
What a racist comment. We should embrace ALL people from ALL lands. Tear down all borders. The world should have no nations.
Not quite sure what is racist about his comment. Are you reading things with personal deep seated bias?
Wow you are super-triggered by imaginary things. The author said nothing about race, and made a 100% accurate statement about 7-Corners being possibly the worst crossing in the area. What’s “racist” about that.
Why call it Alta Crossroads when it is south of Bailey’s Crossroads? My worry is with congestion in an area that was poorly planned to begin with. The planners didn’t realize how much of a speed zone has become due to the limited access to 395 and the lack of access to Seminary road from Columbia Pike. This forces drivers who are looking no more than to transit through here to speed through residential areas, including endangering pedestrians. Why is there no plan to deal with that?