Planning Commission endorses a revised redevelopment plan for western Annandale

The site of a proposed redevelopment project on Little River Turnpike in Annandale.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission agreed that a major redevelopment project in Annandale’s west end should be included in the county’s Comprehensive Plan work program for 2021 – with two major changes. 

That project calls for 575 multifamily residential units, 156,000 square feet of offices, and 100,000 square feet of retail between Little River Turnpike and Hummer Road. 

The commissioners made two major changes in the plan nomination:

• The study area should be expanded to include all of the commercial properties along Hummer Road between Yechon and the 7-Eleven and along Little River Turnpike between the 7-Eleven and McDonald’s. 

• The five properties at the rear of the project site on Woodland Road and Horseshoe Drive should remain residential and should serve as a transition to the adjacent neighborhood of single-family homes. The developer, Nicholas Development, had already purchased most of those lots. 

That is just one of six Comprehensive Plan amendments for Mason District considered for inclusion in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan work program. The Planning Commission recommended all the other projects go forward except for a proposed assisted living facility on Arlington Boulevard in Seven Corners. 

The Annandale mixed-use project, however, drew the most objections from community members. Dozens of residents spoke out against the proposal at a hearing on Nov. 18, and the commission received over 100 letters opposing the project after the hearing. 

Related story: Community members speak out against redevelopment proposals in Annandale and Seven Corners

The changes would address some of the main concerns of residents and county planning staff. Many residents had complained that the project would bring multi-story housing close to their homes without an adequate transition. They also complained the project would lead to more traffic in an already-congested area. 

Planning staff had opposed including the project in the work program, while a citizen task force voted in favor of it moving forward. A key objection of the planning staff was the exclusion of the low-rise commercial projects along Hummer Road and Little River Turnpike. 

The Planning Commission’s decision to move forward is just the beginning of the process, said Julie Strandlie, who represents Mason District on the Planning Commission.  

The task force will reconvene to discuss the nominations endorsed by the Planning Commission, and the Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on whether they should be included in the work program. The proposals would then go through a rezoning process, and there would be additional studies on traffic, stormwater, the environment, and other issues. 

Related story: Annandale residents say a large mixed-use development would destroy their neighborhood

Here’s what the Planning Commission decided on the other five nominations for Mason District: 

• The proposal for 113 units of affordable housing for seniors proposed by First Christian Church, at 6165 Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners, should go forward. That project also includes 5.000 square feet of ground-floor retail or office space and an expansion of the church.  

However, in response to residents’ concerns, the Planning Commission recommended additional analyses on the project’s impact on the transportation network, stormwater management, tree preservation, and building height. 

• The Planning Commission recommended the Public Storage proposal at 4312 Ravensworth Road in central Annandale should go forward, but the project site should be expanded to include the gas station property next door. The commissioners also revised the project to include a grid of streets within the block. 

Those changes would respond to the planning staff’s opposition. The staff was concerned that the original proposal lacked an active street frontage and didn’t have a pedestrian-oriented design. The revised proposal would also facilitate future conversion to commercial uses. 

• The Planning Commission recommended that the other two projects on Leesburg Pike – a community center proposed by the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center and a proposal for five to eight single-family homes for seniors or the disabled at 6152 Leesburg Pike – be considered together as the properties are adjacent to one another. 

The commissioners agreed those proposals should include studies on the impact on the transportation network, stormwater management, tree preservation, opportunities for new green space, transitions in building height, parking, and the Cameron Run and Four Mile Run watersheds and opportunities for green space.

Related story: Fairfax County staff oppose plan amendments for two projects in Annandale, one in Seven Corners

• The Planning Commission rejected the assisted living/nursing care/memory care facility proposed for 6429 Arlington Boulevard in Seven Corners because the existing Comprehensive Plan discourages commercial development in that area.  

Residents of the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood campaigned against that project, saying it would destroy the character of their single-family community. Both the task force and planning staff opposed that project.