Expansion proposed by Korean Presbyterian Church on Columbia Pike

Big changes could be in the works for the Columbia Pike/Gallows Road intersection. But don’t expected anything to happen soon. Representatives of the Northern Virginia Korean Presbyterian Church, Rev. Gyeong Mok Kim and Clerk John Park, presented their vision for the property at a meeting of the Annandale Central Business District Planning Committee Tuesday evening.

The church, at 7007 Columbia Pike, is between the United Methodist Church Cemetery and the vacant building that formerly housed a Kwik Mart. The L-shaped property is also accessible from Evergreen Lane, to the right of the Columbia Pike Animal Hospital.

Park told the committee the church would like to develop a new facility with a sanctuary on the top level and meeting and fellowship space on the first floor and add a new façade and steeple to the existing building and expand it to provide more space for classrooms, meeting rooms, youth activities, and services for seniors.

The church currently has about 100 members and the expansion would allow it serve about 150 members. Park told committee members he wanted to get their input—and accommodate community concerns—before proceeding with a design for the project.

Several committee members said they didn’t oppose the project but raised some issues, such as how to fit adequate parking into the site. Noting that the intersection is a gateway to Annandale, committee members suggested that the architect pay close attention to the building’s public presence and its relationship with the historic church on Gallows Road and incorporate amenities, such as landscaping, sidewalks, and lighting

Carrying out a project like this takes a long time and involves many steps, including approval of the plans by the Mason District Land Use Committee, rezoning, site plan approval, and building permits—not to mention the church’s fundraising efforts.

Meanwhile, the owner of the Columbia Pike Animal Hospital, who also owns the former 7-Eleven on Columbia Pike—which was a Kwik Mart for a few months after the 7-Eleven closed—is planning to convert the building, now vacant, to a pet boarding facility.

The committee also reviewed site plans for a Park Regency Hotel on the site of Magill’s Pizza Restaurant and Buffet on Little River Turnpike. Zoning for the project had already been approved five years ago but the financing did not come together, and now it does not appear that this project will be built any time soon.