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.
Related story: Gallows Road study advances
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.
Related story: Growing up in a log cabin – in Annandale Â
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A 2017 plan for 66 townhomes was opposed by the Planning Commission and rescinded by the Board of Supervisors at the applicant’s request. A plan proposed the following year for an independent living facility for residents over age 55 was withdrawn by the developer.
I’m not sure adding additional density to an overstretched school, transportation, power and sewer/water infrastructure makes sense. How much is the developer contributing to the county to meet the additional load?
And the math isn’t mathing regarding the additional students. The existing property has 11 homes. They plan on having 32 homes. So an additional 21 homes. And yet, they expect only 17 additional students from the 21 homes? Yes, there is a continued decrease in number of children per family from the 19th-20th century (when it was closer to 4), but it’s not that low. 21 additional homes should be like 34 additional students based on the last number of family children statistic (1.6)
It looks like it’s actually only 9 additional students when compared to the current projection. They have +17 for the new plan, and +8 for the current plan. The county student yield calculations use a yield of about 0.52 students per single family home.
You can see their document here: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/CBYU6N7A8D30/$file/Presentation%20-%20Student%20Yield%20Ratios%20and%20Proffer%20Updates%202021%20V3.pdf
The traffic in this location is enormous during rush hours and bust the rest of the time. All the additional traffic will have to exit onto Gsllows Rd creating a further mess. Do we really want to add density across from an elementary school that itself generates major traffic at start and end of school days. People can barely cross Gslliws Rd safely as it is
Will the county be providing sewer for these new residences. Are the planners planning for additional traffic on Gallows? It is DEAD STOP during rush hour!
Infill still makes more sense than more sprawl out in Loudon and Fauquier There’s room here, and if plans go ahead for a light at Hemlock, that should alleviate a lot of the pressure.
What “plans for a light at Hemlock” are you talking about? A traffic light at Hemlock isn’t going to happen, despite the wishful thinking of the directly-affected neighborhoods and the Woodburn constituency. VDOT’s traffic studies have informed this outcome.
But there’s always divine intervention, I suppose.
Hey look, it’s my least favorite snarky fed neighbor. Get your knee off my neck, cop.