Developer proposes building two dozen homes on Gallows Road in Annandale

Nearly two dozen single-family homes could be on the horizon for Gallows Road in Annandale.

MS-Gallows, which appears to be an affiliate of the builder Madison Homes is seeking to build 22 single-family homes at 3400 Gallows Road near I-495 and Woodburn Elementary School.

The proposal would require Fairfax County to rezone the property to increase the density of the maximum number of permitted dwellings.

Currently occupied by single-family houses originally built in the 1930s to 1950s, the nearly 5.6-acre property is surrounded by residential uses, including single-family neighborhoods to the north, south and east of the area. The Raintree townhouses are located to the west of the property.

Roughly 31% of the property is set aside as open space, including five tree preservation areas.

The homes would be up to 35 feet in height, creating an “appropriate transition” between the higher-density townhouses to the west and the larger, established communities on the other sides of the property, according to the application.

“The proposed development is designed to complement the adjacent neighborhoods and integrate the proposed community into the fabric of the existing area,” Walsh Colucci land use attorney Lynne Strobel wrote in a statement of justification for the application.

The developer plans to eliminate seven existing curb cuts along Gallows Road and create a single-access point to Gallows Road for the new community. That entryway to the site will be as far east as possible in order to avoid conflicting with the existing townhouse community, the application says.

Each home will have a two-car garage and room for two additional cars in each driveway, resulting in 88 parking spaces.

Though neighbors have rejected the possibility of an inter-parcel connection, the developer has offered to build a 10-foot-wide shared-use trail in front of the site along Gallows Road. Five-foot-wide sidewalks are also planned on both sides of a new internal private street through the planned subdivision.

The southwestern portion of the site will have a residential amenity area with a terraced lawn, seating areas, a “meandering” mown path and spaces for lawn games and play equipment, according to the application.

“The proposed development has been thoughtfully designed and is characterized by the consolidation of eight distinct parcels, the implement of new stormwater management facilities to protect on-site environmental features; and the installation of high-quality landscaping in combination with the preservation of existing mature trees,” the application states.

Submitted on March 13, the proposal has not yet been accepted for formal review by the county.

Image via Google Maps