Planning Commission defers decision on Merrifield development

Merrifield Suburban Center Task Force Chair Charlie Hall speaks at the Planning Commission hearing.

After a lengthy hearing on a proposed plan amendment to allow extensive development at the Inova site on Gallows Road and at Fairview Park, the Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a decision to Sept. 19.

The proposal, agreed to by county planning staff with input from the Merrifield Suburban Center Task Force, calls for 1.9 million square feet of redevelopment at the Inova Center for Personalized Health (ICPH) for healthcare, medical research, academic, residential, hotel, and retail uses concentrated on the western side of the 117-acre property. The eastern section would include 55 acres of parkland.

Renovations underway at the Inova Center for Personalized Health.

That development would occur in two phases. The first phase would bring the property to a density level of 0.7 FAR. The second phase would increase the density to 1.0 FAR.

That proposal includes new turn lanes and other improvements to Gallows Road, an additional lane and a braided ramp on the beltway between the Route 50 and Gallows Road exits, a new trail and pedestrian sidewalk along Gallows, and a pedestrian bridge over the beltway connecting the ICPH site to Fairview Park.

The proposal for Fairview Park would transform the aging office park along Fairview Park Drive by allowing mixed-use development, including housing and some retail, with the densest development concentrated around a new pedestrian plaza next to Fairview Lake.

At the insistence of the task force, the planning staff agreed to recommend the Fairview Park proposal be limited to 840 new housing units, rather than 1,060 as requested by the developer.

During the public hearing, numerous residents raised concerns about the impact of increased development at both sites on traffic, flooding, and the loss of trees and wildlife habitat.

Several people called on the Planning Commission to provide for more transit options on Gallows Road, including bus rapid transit connecting Annandale with Tysons.

Task force chair Charlie Hall told the Planning Commission there was nearly unanimous approval among task force members, but “there was considerable unease over the past year.”

“All of our basic systems are under serious strain,” Hall said, citing the potential for creating more traffic congestion and overcrowded schools. “Merrifield is in danger of choking on its success.”

The only major point of dissent by the task force, he said, was its insistence on reducing the number of additional housing units at Fairview Park. As a result, he said, “we agreed to classify some of the amenities as optional.”

Elizabeth Baker, the attorney for Fairview Property Investments LLC, which owns several properties at Fairview Park, urged the Planning Commission to support the developer’s proposal for 1,060 units.

“We feel 1,060 units are needed to support our overall vision to transform this development,” Baker said, while Hall, argued redevelopment at the 840-unit level would still be economically viable.

The task force also urged the Planning Commission to expedite funding for the transportation improvements, make the bicycle/pedestrian bridge a high priority, prohibit development on the peninsula at the lake in Fairview Park, and install a roundabout or signal at the Yancey/New Providence/Fairview Park Drive intersection.

The Board of Supervisors is holding a hearing on the Merrifield Suburban Center Study Sept. 24.