New houses planned for Campbell & Ferrara site
Plans to build houses and commercial facilities on the site of the Campbell & Ferrera Outdoor Living plant nursery at 6651 Little River Turnpike are moving forward. The Mason District APR (Area Plans Review) Task Force voted March 3 to approve an APR nomination for the property. The Fairfax County Planning Commission will begin hearing APR nominations in June.
The proposal put forth by Jim and Donna Campbell, owners of the nursery, call for 23 3,500-square-foot single-family detached houses on the property. There would be a combination of offices, commercial, and retail facilities on the part of the property closest to Little River Turnpike, including Cambell & Ferrera’s home improvement business. The company would continue to such services as decks, patios, landscaping, outdoor fireplaces, and ponds, but would no longer sell trees and plants.The new businesses would be accessible to the adjacent Willow Run community via trails, and possibly by providing a cut-through on Randolph Drive. Part of the property would be reserved for a potential storm water facility and resource protection area.
The APR process allows property owners to submit nominations for consideration as amendments to the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. The plan is a guide for making land use decisions. The Mason District APR Task Force reviews nominations involving property in the Mason District. Staff from the Department of Planning and Zoning also make recommendations, and the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will hold hearings on the nominations. The board is expected to make a final decision in July.
Campbell & Ferrera was established in 1948. The Campbells have contributed to many local schools and charities and were awarded the 2008 Citizens of the Year Award by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce.
So C&F isn't going to sell plants anymore? That's a shame, they were always my first choice.
great blog
This is so sickening. Why would they sell a successful business enterprise that has existed there over 60 years? Now, at a time when so many small businesses are in CRISIS and so many long-term/original residents are moving away. What could be more sustainable than a plant nursery in today's eco-friendly, green-revolution world. I hope the owners realize what their decision signifies, taking the money and relocating to some dingy and crime-ridden area on Richmond Highway. Are they trying to hasten the suicide of the Annandale community… or does it make more sense just to add to the purposeless mishmash of concrete jungle that exists just up the road? In any event this is a complete and total betrayal of the community that they were supposed to symbolize and protect. What a completely disgusting and regrettable decision. Does the planning commission care what residents think at ALL?