Murals planned for Graham Park Plaza

The ongoing upgrade of Graham Park Plaza on Arlington Boulevard will include several large murals.

Representatives of Federal Realty Investment Trust gave a presentation on the shopping center improvements at a Jan. 25 meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee.

The makeover also includes new signage, outdoor seating by the Celebrity Delly and other areas, and modernized facades.

The new murals and signage will be coordinated with the color scheme of the 172-unit townhouse community being developed by EYA on the part of the shopping center that had been demolished.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission will consider the mural proposals on March 30. Murals that include a business name and address, like the ones proposed for Graham Park Plaza, need to have a sign permit approved. Murals that are not related to a business are considered art and don’t need a permit.

The proposed murals have a flight theme – there’s a graphic of a biplane and a tree with leaves that transform into butterflies, for example – which reflects the location’s past life as an airfield and also tie into EYA’s aviation theme for the townhouse community.

Related story: Ground broken for Townhomes at Graham Park

The Falls Church Airpark operated on the site from 1945 to 1961. There was a dirt runway running parallel to Route 50 and room for about a couple dozen planes. A second runway was eventually added.

The EYA model homes are named for private planes: the Cessna, the Bellair, and the Douglas.

The street names in the community also follow the aviation theme. There’s Old Airfield Way, Blade Drive, Ascent Drive, and Camber Street.

According to the EYA website, 38 homes have been sold. Prices start in the mid-$600,000s. Twenty units are included in Fairfax County’s affordable housing program.

The first group of townhomes is expected to be ready for occupancy in late 2022.

However, EYA warns homebuyers in general that construction could be delayed due to supply chain challenges, labor shortages, rising costs of materials, and soaring demand for new homes.