A proposal that will bring more housing to Oakton near the Vienna Metro station has a stamp of approval from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The board voted unanimously on Tuesday (June 10) to approve a development plan that will result in the eventual demolition of two existing 12-story office buildings at 9300 and 9302 Route 29 in the Hunters Branch community.
Formerly home to ICF International, a consulting firm now headquartered in Reston, the buildings will be replaced by a five-story, 472-unit apartment building and 76 four-story stacked townhouses.
The 13.9-acre site is at the northwest corner of Route 29 and Nutley Street, the last office holdout in a neighborhood that has otherwise shifted to residential development.
The property owner — an apparent affiliate of the Arlington-based developer Insight Property Group — has proposed tearing down one of two existing parking garages, then congregating development on the western part of the site near Hunters Glen Way. Most of the eastern portion of the parcel, facing Nutley Street, is in a resource protection area and won’t be developed.
The second garage on the site will be maintained to accommodate those living in the new apartments.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said having a varied mix of housing will represent “a big improvement” over the aging office buildings now on the parcel.
“It really shows what smart infill development can look like,” she said at the board meeting.
Scott Adams, an attorney for the property owner, said consideration had been given to repurposing the 1980s-era office buildings for residential use.
The effort proved unfeasible, Adams said. He previously told the Fairfax County Planning Commission that the possibility of constructing two multifamily buildings with no townhouses was also initially discussed and rejected, citing “economic issues with developing multifamily right now.”
The property owner has agreed to a host of improvements to pedestrian paths, trees and lighting in and around the site.
“It’s going to be a big improvement,” Palchik predicted.
An estimated 37 units in the apartment building will be reserved for workforce housing, accommodating those earning between 60% and 80% of the county’s area median income (AMI). An estimated nine townhouse units will be made available for purchase by those earning 70% to 100% AMI.
In addition to housing, the project will include up to 6,700 square feet of space available for commercial or community use. Dedicated park spaces — some open to the public and others restricted to residents — also are included in the plan.
As part of the conditions for approval, the developer has agreed to pay the Fairfax County Park Authority $893 per each anticipated resident and pay Fairfax Council Public Schools $14,956 per each student generated by the project.
The location is about a quarter-mile from the Metro station and has easy access to the Providence Shopping Center (formerly known as the Pan Am Shopping Center) and Jim Scott Community Center.
No individuals spoke in opposition to the project at the Board of Supervisors public hearing — an absence that Palchik said indicated the property owner had done a good job with community outreach and addressing concerns.
“This one’s been a big project — months, years in the making,” she said.
