Revised housing development proposed for Gallows Road
A revised development proposal for Gallows Road and Libeau Lane in Annandale calls for 32 detached single-family homes across from Holmes Run Acres and Woodburn Elementary School.
Madison Homes is proposing a Comprehensive Plan amendment to increase the density on the property from the current level of 1-2 dwellings per acre to 3-4 dwellings per acre.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the plan amendment for July 8. A hearing before the Board of Supervisors is set for Aug. 25. Planning staff recommends approval.
The site currently includes 13 properties that are developed with 11 single-family homes.
In 2023, the Board of Supervisors authorized a site-specific plan amendment for the site. A rezoning application was indefinitely deferred in May 2024 to give staff time to work on the plan amendment, according to a staff report.
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During that period, planning staff identified access concerns that had been raised in previous redevelopment proposals. In response, Madison Homes added five additional parcels and proposed a new access point on Gallows Road opposite Hemlock Drive that could either be open to all traffic or restricted to emergency vehicles.
The owners of three properties along Gallows Road did not want to be considered in the Plan Amendment, so the new development would be wrapped around those existing single-family homes.
The proposal includes an underground stormwater facility next to Wheatwheel Lane, private roads and sidewalks within the development, and an updated shared-use path along Gallows Road.
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A traffic analysis determined the proposed development would add 167 daily trips compared to the existing Comprehensive Plan. If completed, the additional 32 homes are expected to add 17 K-12 students.
Previous higher-density redevelopment proposals for this area were met with strong opposition from nearby residents.
A 2017 plan for 66 townhomes was opposed by the Planning Commission and rescinded by the Board of Supervisors at the applicant’s request. A plan proposed the following year for an independent living facility for residents over age 55 was withdrawn by the developer.