Supervisors approve huge complex for seniors

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on July 16 approved Erickson Living’s proposal for a huge housing development and continuing care facility for seniors on a 79-acre property on Braddock Road.

The project, located on the site of the former Northern Virginia Training Center, would include 1,050 independent living units and 175 assisted living/skilled nursing units in 12 five-story buildings.

As part of Erickson’s proffer agreement, the company agreed to set aside land for a separate four-story building with 80 units of affordable housing for seniors to be developed by a third party.

Among other proffers, Erickson will provide a pad site for a 35,000-square-foot indoor recreational facility for people of all ages and abilities and a community park to be operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority.

The county is working with the Park Authority to raise the $6-8 million needed to build the recreation center and will undergo a visioning process to ensure it meets the community’s needs, said Supervisor John Cook (Braddock).

The company is also contributing $225,000, which would be half the cost of a new ambulance to meet the needs of future residents.

Cook said the Erickson project is the biggest development in the Braddock District since the Burke Center was built in the 1970s.