Plans to redevelop a key parcel straddling the boundary between Fairfax County and Falls Church City are about to get a boost.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission signaled last week that it plans to recommend that the Board of Supervisors authorize staff to study amending the comprehensive plan to allow mixed-use development on a 2.4-acre parcel fronting Route 7 located on the Fairfax side of the border.
Part of what is known as the Gordon Road Triangle, the 22-acre site bounded by Route 7, Shreve Road, Gordon Road and the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Trail is currently home to automotive properties owned by Rep. Don Beyer’s family, a restaurant, retail uses and the Falls Church Animal Hospital.
Given its proximity to the West Falls Church Metro station and mixed-use development occurring nearby, allowing new uses on the parcel would present “an exceptional planning opportunity,” said Andrew Painter, a land-use attorney representing the property owners.
In a letter to Fairfax County staff, Painter urged county and city officials to “jointly re-examine the Triangle’s planning recommendations, encourage reinvestment and help it evolve into a more pedestrian-focused mixed-use community.”
The proposal on the table is still very tentative, but calls for multi-family residential buildings with ground-level retail uses, totaling an overall floor-area ratio (FAR) of around 3.0.
FAR reflects the total interior space of a property divided by the square footage of the ground on which it sits. A 3.0 FAR would be the equivalent of a six-story building with a footprint covering half a lot, or a four-story structure occupying 75% of the parcel.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission considered the proposal on May 15 as part of a site-specific planning amendment (SSPA) process where property owners and developers can propose land-use changes to the county’s comprehensive plan.
With no one signed up to speak at the public hearing and no opposition being noted, the commission tentatively agreed to support the Gordon Triangle request.
Final action to recommend a decision to the Board of Supervisors is set for June 4. The board will then vote on June 10 on which of the 43 pending SSPA proposals to add to county staff’s work program for further study.
Commissioners and staff have proposed designating the Gordon Road project as a “Tier 1” effort, the highest level of priority and one that could put it on a fast track through the staff-analysis phase.
On the Falls Church side of the border, the city government’s 2020 West End Small Area Plan called for a focus on mixed-use development where possible in the Gordon Road Triangle. Under a contract with the city, the Urban Land Institute studied the corridor and delivered recommendations to city officials earlier this year.
The report largely affirms key elements of the 2020 plan and adds some new concepts. It also suggests the city government hire what it calls an implementation manager to serve as a “champion” of the triangle area with the public, property owners, Fairfax County and other entities.
The corridor previously was studied by the Urban Land Institute in 2015, and two universities — Virginia Tech and George Mason — delivered studies to city leaders in 2010 and 2020, respectively.
The proposal submitted to Fairfax County on behalf of owners of the Beyer and animal-hospital properties anticipates a slight adjustment in the Fairfax-Falls Church boundary to prevent housing units from being simultaneously located in both jurisdictions.
