Supervisors add redevelopment proposals to Comprehensive Plan Work Program

The Board of Supervisors approved a motion on June 10 to add 11 Site-Specific Plan Amendments for Mason District to the Comprehensive Plan Work Program.

The list includes a controversial proposal for a multifamily project at 6675 Little River Turnpike adjacent to the Willow Run neighborhood in Annandale. That project, which generated a huge number of complaints from local residents, was approved as a Tier 3 plan amendment, meaning more study is needed.

At a Planning Commission meeting last week, four commissioners voted against including that nomination to the Comprehensive Plan Work Program. Many residents argued the project should not go forward because it is inappropriate to put a large apartment building next to single-family homes and because a less dense-project for that site was rejected two years ago.

Related story: Planning Commission advances multifamily proposal in Willow Run neighborhood

There was no discussion on that proposal or any other Mason District nominations at the Board of Supervisors meeting. The board added a total of 39 plan amendment proposals countywide to the work program, including these projects in Mason District:

Tier 1

• The Jefferson, 6166 Leesburg Pike, Seven Corners – 101 single-family townhomes on the parking lot of an existing apartment building. This project also generated significant complaints from residents of the surrounding single-family neighborhood.

• West Annandale, 7616 Little River Turnpike between Hummer Road and Woodland Road – a multi-phase project to include the conversion of two existing office buildings to housing and the addition of two more residential buildings with retail and a commercial building.

• The Sears site, 6211 Leesburg Pike, Seven Corners – up to 600 multifamily housing units or townhomes plus community-serving retail.  

• Lincolnia Community Business Center – replacement of the New Grand Shopping Center on Little River Turnpike with 835,000 square feet of mixed-use development, including 665 multifamily units, 20,000 square feet of retail, and a hotel or senior housing.

• Food Star site, 5521 Leesburg Pike, Bailey’s Crossroads – A multi-building residential development with up to 1,309 units.  The developer, George Hong, also proposed the development of an apartment building on Little River Turnpike next to Willow Run.

Tier 2

• 6326 Edsall Road, Bren Mar Park – construction of 36 townhouses on a wooded lot.

• 5505 and 5515 Cherokee Ave., Lincolnia – replacement of two office buildings with a Sheetz gas station and convenience store.

• 5300 Shawnee Road, Lincolnia – conversion of an office building to 50 units of multifamily housing.

• 6850 Versar Center in Springfield – replacement of two office buildings with a facility for vehicle sales, rentals, and storage.

Tier 3

• Strawbridge Square, 5100 Lincoln Ave., Lincolnia – add four new buildings with up to 131 affordable housing units at an existing community that has a mix of apartments and townhomes.

• 6675 Little River Turnpike, Annandale as cited above.  

Related story: Planning Commission agrees to consider plan amendment nominations

“A few of the nominations have resulted in community concerns, so I want to reiterate that we are not approving or denying any plan amendments at this stage,” said board Vice Chair Kathy Smith (Sully).  

“Rather, we are advancing these plan amendments to the Work Program for further study by the staff, the community, and the Planning Commission,” Smith said. “Community engagement would continue in the next stage.”

The Board of Supervisors also agreed to move up from Tier 3 to Tier 2 a project on the site of Pistone’s Italian Restaurant approved for the Comprehensive Work Program in 2023. That project calls for replacing the restaurant and Grand Mart on Arlington Boulevard with a 450-unit multifamily building.

“With the completion of the Seven Corners Ring Road study,” Smith said, “it is now appropriate to prioritize that project, which will allow staff to begin review of the plan amendment.”