Some say it will breathe new life into the Flint Hill area of Oakton. Others fear it will add to an existing traffic nightmare.
After hearing from both sides, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (March 18) unanimously approved a Comprehensive Plan amendment to allow mixed-use development on the 33-acre former AT&T site at the intersection of Chain Bridge Road (Route 123) and Jermantown Road.
The comprehensive plan change is a key step toward the parcel’s redevelopment, but a rezoning application still needs the county’s approval.
The proposal calls for the early-1980s office building at 3033 Chain Bridge Road to be razed and replaced by 854 housing units and 110,850 square feet of space for retail and service uses. The site is among a number of contiguous plots expected to be redeveloped in coming years as part of the 110-acre Flint Hill Suburban Center planning district.
The board’s vote on Tuesday was a win for developer EYA, which has been shepherding the project through what has been a sometimes contentious public process for more than two years now.
However, the comprehensive plan amendment’s approval came with some limits attached.
Supervisors approved a recommendation from the Fairfax County Planning Commission, which gave its support to the amendment last week, to reduce the project’s maximum overall floor-area ratio (FAR) from 1.0 to 0.88 — a 12% cut in development potential. Floor-area ratio measures the interior square footage of development divided by the square footage of the parcel.
To address ongoing concerns about traffic, the board appropriated $425,000 for a traffic study that will look at short-term and long-term options for improvements along a 1-mile stretch of Chain Bridge Road near Jermantown Road.
Supervisor Dalia Palchik, who represents Providence District where the parcel is located, said the allocation has been cleared by County Executive Bryan Hill and county attorneys.
According to Palchik’s office, details of the study, including the exact scope, where the funding will come from and how much money is needed, are still being worked out.
Acknowledging that “transportation improvements need to be made,” Board Chairman Jeff McKay said the overall development proposal represents “a rare opportunity” to deliver substantial new housing in an area of the county that needs it.
That was the view of some of the two dozen people who delivered testimony at the public hearing preceding the vote.
“This is an investment in our future, a space we can all be proud of,” said Michel Kotoff-Rizzo, who lives nearby.
He said the development will bring more economic and cultural diversity, and represent “a new public and vibrant core for the Oakton community.”
But a majority of speakers voiced discontent, many over a lack of details on how the extra transportation congestion would be managed.
Nearby resident Rachel Hammes predicted the proposal will bring “crippling traffic and a degraded quality of life” in its wake.
“Have you walked in our shoes?” she asked the supervisors. “Driving this route during rush hour is already a big mess.”
To date, Hammes said, all that have been offered have been “half-baked” proposals to address the extra traffic.
“Many Oakton residents remain deeply concerned,” Robert Means, a member of the community advocacy group Options for Oakton, said. He urged supervisors to do what they ultimately did — fund a traffic study — and also advocated for a reduction in the retail component of the proposal and guarantees about park space in and around the project.
Another speaker, Jennifer Pradas, acknowledged that valid concerns remain, but the developer “has made a good-faith effort” to address the various, sometimes competing, interests of itself, the county government and broader community, she said.
In the newly approved plan amendment, county staff recommend that future development of the AT&T site include updated transit shelters, improved crosswalks and the construction of pedestrian and bicycle facilities to close existing gaps, among other improvements.
EYA has also proposed eliminating left turns from Jermantown Road onto Chain Bridge Road, redirecting that traffic instead onto Rosehaven Street. A study of the intersection found that the change would reduce wait times for drivers, while limiting the distance pedestrians and cyclists need to cross.
Palchik said specific concerns of residents and organizations can still be addressed when the actual development plan begins moving through the public review process.
“We’re just at the Comprehensive Plan level,” she said. “A lot of work to follow.”
The supervisors’ vote was unanimous except for Springfield District’s Pat Herrity, who is recovering from health issues and did not attend.
