Tag: land use
Supervisors ease repurposing of vacant stores
The Annandale Kmart will close later this month. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a policy plan amendment Oct. 30 to make it easier to convert empty retail buildings for other uses. The policy applies to commercial buildings, such as stores, gas stations, auto service centers, daycare centers, and low-rise banks. Babies R Us … Continued
Alexandria launches new planning process for Landmark Mall
Landmark Mall seen from a Ferris wheel. The City of Alexandria is officially launching a “Landmark Mall Re-Planning Process” with a community meeting Nov. 14, 7-9 p.m., in the Cameron Station Great Room, 200 Cameron Station Blvd. The redevelopment of the mall property has been identified as a priority in the Fiscal Year 2019 Long-Range Planning … Continued
Lincolnia task force considers office building conversion proposal
Halifax Office Park Now that the Lincolnia Planning District Study Task Force has endorsed a plan for creating a community business center (CBC) in the area around the Little River Turnpike/N. Beauregard intersection, it is looking at redevelopment projects in the broader Lincolnia area. The main project under consideration at the task force’s Oct. 22 … Continued
Work resumes on renovation of long-vacant Annandale office building
The old sign remains at least four years after the tenants moved out. Construction on Hanna Plaza, the office building renovation project at 7409 Little River Turnpike in Annandale, has finally resumed after another two-year delay. The project was initiated in 2014, but work didn’t start until for two years as several challenges were worked … Continued
Supervisors approve large self-storage facility for Mason District
An illustration of the self-storage facility planned for the Shell Oil Industrial Park in Mason District. The Board of Supervisors cleared the way for the construction of a four-story self-storage facility on a vacant lot in an industrial area of Mason District. Northpoint Realty Partners had sought in increase in density and modifications of proffers … Continued
Planning Commission to consider redevelopment on training center property
The NVTC site. The Fairfax County Planning Commission is holding a hearing on Oct. 18 to consider an amendment to the county’s Comprehensive Plan that would facilitate redevelopment on the 91-acre site of the former Northern Virginia Training Center and state police facility. The 91-acre property is at 9901 Braddock Road in Fairfax. The NVTC … Continued
Daycare center proposed for Lincolnia church
Flor Brea, a former teacher in the Alexandria City Public Schools, is seeking a zoning special exception to open a bilingual daycare center in Lincolnia United Methodist Church. The proposal, presented to the Mason District Land Use Committee earlier this week, calls for a total of 25 children, ranging from 16 and-a-half-months old to age … Continued
Residents come out in force against 55+ housing development on Gallows Road
Residents of Holmes Run Acres and nearby communities oppose a housing development on Gallows Road. Residents of Holmes Run Acres and nearby communities packed a meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee Sept. 25 to oppose a plan for a 72-unit housing development on Gallows Road. The biggest concern is traffic, but neighbors also … Continued
Park Authority proposes land swap to resolve park encroachment by homeowner
A map showing the location of the land swap. [FCPA] The Fairfax County Park Authority is proposing a land swap of about 1,000 square feet in Mason District with homeowners Bruce and Patricia Kasold of 5914 Skyline Heights Court, Alexandria. Under this proposal, the Park Authority would transfer approximately 1,000 square feet of “disturbed property” … Continued
Zoning board will decide whether Annandale resident can keep his chickens
The Kim family’s pet chickens. When a friend of Annandale resident Young Gee Kim gave him five chickens last spring, which he keeps in a coop at the side of his house, he didn’t know he was violating Fairfax County zoning regulations. Under the zoning ordinance, a homeowner must have a two-acre property in order … Continued
Planning committee approves adult daycare center in Annandale church
Calvary Church on Little River Turnpike. The Fairfax County Planning Commission approved a special exception zoning application Sept. 13 to allow the Calvary Church of the Nazarene to open an adult daycare center. The church is at 8220 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, next to the Camelot and Mill Creek neighborhoods. There was virtually no discussion, … Continued
Office building conversion proposed for Lincolnia
One of the building in the Halifax Office Park. Two potential housing projects in the works for Mason District were presented to the Lincolnia Planning District Study Task Force Sept. 6. One proposal calls for the increasingly obsolete Halifax Office Park on Cherokee Avenue to be transformed into a high-end multifamily housing complex with on-site … Continued
A shopping center construction project is causing problems for a next-door neighbor
Water runoff from a shopping center under construction on Leesburg Pike toward Washington Drive during last week’s rainstorm. [Irene Xenos] Abdul Bunyas, a resident of 3412 Washington Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads for the past 19 years, says construction of a shopping center next door has caused flooding in his yard and a wall at the … Continued
Public input sought for urban design guidelines
An example of a pleasant streetscape from the OCR Urban Design Guidelines. [Rhodeside & Harwell] What kind of paving should be used on sidewalks in redevelopment areas? How can streets be designed to promote walkability? Should large, open parking lots be discouraged? These are the kinds of questions addressed in the Urban Design Guidelines that … Continued
Town center on Landmark Mall site could include Inova Alexandria Hospital
Landmark Mall The City of Alexandria expects to start a community engagement process in October or November on a revised plan for transforming the Landmark Mall site into a mixed-used town center. Th Howard Hughes Corp. is once again redoing its redevelopment plans for the site, as the company is in negotiations for acquiring the … Continued