Inova development would worsen Gallows Road traffic

A Providence District task force considers major development proposals.

Traffic is already horrible on Gallows Road and will become much worse if there’s a lot of new development on the Inova campus on the site of the former ExxonMobil headquarters.

That’s the consensus of members of the Merrifield Suburban Center Study Task Force who shared their thoughts at a Dec. 11 task force meeting.

Additional concerns were raised about traffic if more development is also approved for the Fairview Park area in Merrifield.

The task force was formed to advise county planners on proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments for the Inova Center for Personalized Health and for additional mixed-use development along Fairview Park Drive.

The Inova project calls for 1.75 million square feet of development – including healthcare facilities, medical research facilities, 1,500 housing units, retail, and a 1.8-million square foot campus of the University of Virginia – on the western area of the 117-acre property across Gallows Road from Inova Fairfax Hospital.

One of the existing buildings on that site will house neuroscience clinics, cardiology clinics and diagnostics, inpatient rehab, a pharmacy, and retail. The other existing building will be the Schar Cancer Institute.

Inova is proposing an additional access point on Gallows aligned with Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, said Inova’s land use attorney Tim Sampson. Inova would provide 31 acres of tree preservation area – the county only requires six acres – and would include several small parks within the property.

The proposal for Fairview Park, put forth by Fairview Property Investments LLC, calls for an additional 2.4 million square feet of mixed-use development to include multifamily housing, offices, retail, a hotel, and civic facilities.

The task force and county planners are still in the review of existing conditions phase. County planners will eventually submit recommendations to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors would then hold public hearings and consider adopting plan amendments for both areas.

At the meeting, task force members and people in the audience spoke about concerns and opportunities related to the two proposals.

By far, the most-often mentioned concern had to do with traffic and related issues, such as cut-through traffic to avoid tolls on I-66, pedestrian safety, and increased response times for emergency vehicles.

Other concerns raised about the Inova project at the meeting include the following:

• Inova’s failure to protect the watershed from sediment during construction raises a red flag about Inova’s ability to be a responsible steward of the environment. 
• The threat to wildlife as their habitat shrinks. 
• Water runoff on nearby roads already subject to flooding, such as Prosperity Avenue and Woodburn Road.  
• Rising land values would lead to higher taxes for small businesses, potentially forcing them to leave the area. 
• More residents would strain school capacity.

The Inova project also presents the following opportunities, according to task force members:

• With housing and medical offices on the site, people could live and work there, thus reducing commuter traffic.
• People should be encouraged telecommute.
• More parks and recreational facilities should be included, along with pedestrian and bicycle trails.
• Housing should serve people with modest means as well as more affluent households. 
• More education and more medical research in the area would benefit the community. 
• A bridge or tunnel could link the new Inova campus with the old one. 

Regarding the Fairview Park proposal, a resident of the New Providence Village Condos said the community will be ruined by high-density development.

“The office park formula is not working. Why build more? There is no need for more retail and restaurants,” said another resident. “Preserve the green space. This is not construction. This is pure destruction. It will destroy everything that is great about this place.”