Rt. 50 McDonald’s proposes major upgrade

The second-oldest McDonald’s in Virginia – at 6729 Arlington Blvd. – is slated for a major upgrade to include a drive-through.

When it was built in 1958, it had large golden arches on either side and an outdoor food-ordering counter. It’s currently a simple brick building that needs to be modernized.

Following a public hearing on Sept. 28, the Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a decision on a zoning special exception until Oct. 12 to address concerns about the circulation pattern and parking.

The Mason District Land Use Committee endorsed the plan Sept. 27. The Board of Supervisors hasn’t yet scheduled a public hearing.

The exterior of the new building will be wood with metal trim. The size of the building would be increased by just 63 square feet, mostly in the freezer area.

The large iconic golden arches sign dating from the 1960s would remain. If there is an additional sidewalk project at some later date it would be relocated.

The restaurant is located on a busy stretch of Route 50 between Bill Page Honda, Tripps Run, and the Westlawn neighborhood.

Land use attorney Evan Pritchard told the Planning Commission the two access points from Arlington Boulevard would be consolidated. Customers would enter from the service road, circle the building to place their order and pick up their food, and exit at the same access point.

Pritchard said VDOT agreed to add a diagonal median in Arlington Boulevard to improve safety. That would prevent drivers exiting the restaurant from turning left onto Arlington Boulevard. Drivers heading west would either have to turn right and make a U-turn or turn left onto the service road.

VDOT would also add a bump-out median to decrease collisions as cars exit the restaurant heading east on Arlington Boulevard.

According to VDOT, there have been 14 recorded crashes within the immediate vicinity of the site’s access to Arlington Boulevard since 2015.

Under the current proposal, the parking lot would be resurfaced and restriped to provide sufficient space for 11 vehicles to wait in line at the drive-through and 29 parking spaces, a reduction from 57 in the current lot. The Planning Commission calls for eliminating two spaces to provide more landscaping.

McDonald’s agreed to add a 10-foot-wide sidewalk along Arlington Boulevard, plant 31 native trees and 164 shrubs around the perimeter, remove invasives around Tripps Run, add stormwater controls to curb runoff, and install a fence at the rear of the property.

The franchise owner, Rajesh Sainani, owns 18 McDonald’s in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. He acquired this one, the only one he manages in Mason District, in 2008.