Members of the City of Fairfax Planning Commission reacted generally favorably to a conceptual plan that would massively redevelop a key stretch of Main Street (Route 236).
“I like the concept, I like the responsiveness,” commission chair James Feather said Monday night (June 14) after a briefing on the proposal by Van Metre Companies plan to redevelop the Fairfax Square Professional Center, an office and retail park at 9840-9946 Main Street.
The 10.5-acre site is currently home to 12 commercial buildings that date back to the 1970s. Occupants include Sandy Spring Bank (9910 Main Street), a variety of medical and educational services, Sage Bridal, and an office building at 9900 Main Street where Van Metre has its corporate headquarters.
In its early development concept plan, which has not been formally delivered to city officials, Van Metre proposes:
- Retaining the existing five-story Van Metre office and Sandy Spring Bank buildings
- Replacing the remaining 10 commercial buildings with four new ones, totaling 61,000 square feet of space
- Adding four multifamily residential buildings with approximately 293 total units, including a building for 44 affordable-dwelling units
“I think it’s an improvement on the use of the site,” commissioner Paul Cunningham said of the package. “It is greater density [than currently] but I think on this site it is warranted.”
Cunningham called the current site “a maze” that’s challenging for pedestrians to navigate.
The redevelopment proposal presents “a much simplified design for how you access the buildings,” he said.
During the presentation, the planning commissioners praised the amount of offered open space, but they raised questions on other issues, including exterior lighting, parking and the ability of emergency vehicles to access the site.
There also was concern about Van Metre’s proposal to incorporate all of the affordable housing in a standalone building instead of integrating them throughout the property.
“I don’t quite understand the logic,” Feather said. “We need to hear more — a lot more — to support that justification.”
Commissioners also asked how the developer will provide easy access to the shopping center immediately to the west, which hosts a Goodwill and 7-Eleven as well as several eateries like Curry Mantra, Vivi Bubble Tea and Dunkin’ Donuts.
That may prove an engineering problem, said Jason Sutphin, chief of the city’s Community Development Division.
He pointed to the unusual topography of the land.
“It’s a perplexing site. There’s a huge grade shift,” said Sutphin, equating the overall site to the shape of a bowl.
Other issues raised included the project’s timing, as Van Metre plans to build the new development in three distinct phases:
- Phase 1: demolish three buildings west of Sandy Spring Break to accommodate the first new commercial building
- Phase 2: demolish two commercial buildings to the north to allow two residential buildings and additional interim parking
- Phase 3: add commercial Building A to the east side of the site
- Phase 4: remove the remaining one-story commercial buildings to pave the way for the two other planned residential buildings
- Phase 5: add two more commercial buildings along Main Street
According to a statement from the developer, one reason for the phasing is to retain existing commercial tenants during construction, allowing them to move from current buildings to new ones seamlessly as construction progresses.
“The phasing of construction is driven by the timing of the leases, as well as the need for space for staging the new construction,” the June 26 statement says.
Representatives of the developer were on hand to hear the comments, but did not address the commission. A similar presentation before the Fairfax City Council is slated for Sept. 2.
To make the development happen, Van Metre will require a Comprehensive Plan amendment, rezoning and approval of a master-plan development, as well as a number of other changes to existing requirements on the sites.
Though the adjacent Fairfax Square Apartments are not part of the redevelopment plan, a question was asked whether the large community pool facility would be made accessible to residents of the new housing, but no decision has been made.
