Comstock Companies is making progress on plans to shift from independent living services to age-restricted housing for seniors in a future Reston residential building.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission on July 9 recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve the proposed option, which could affect 127 units in Reston Station’s Midline district.
The revision would give Comstock more flexibility to respond to rapidly evolving trends in senior living, where there has been a “significant shift away” from the independent living model, said Jill Parks, a land-use attorney with Ballard Spahr, representing Comstock at the public hearing.
Independent living units provide residents with a host of services bundled in a single monthly fee. The alternative being proposed for the Midline project would see residents pay less but receive fewer amenities.
“Seniors are realizing there is no need to pay the premium” charged by independent living facilities, Parks told the planning commission.
That view resonated with Braddock District Planning Commissioner Mary Cortina.
“In terms of costs, you’re absolutely right,” she said. “These days, people with modern technology can be independent and get the services they need without that huge overhead. This does make a lot of sense.”
The partial proffer amendment sought by Comstock must be ratified by supervisors. Approval would not require Comstock to move away from the independent living model, but would provide the option to do so on the 4.22-acre site at 1831 Wiehle Avenue.
The number of proposed units in both cases is the same, as are plans for 33 assisted-living facilities and up to 25,000 square feet of retail space in the building.
All units would have kitchens in either case, but if the developer opts not to pursue the independent living model, there would be no communal on-site dining facilities. A planned shuttle service from the building to the Metro station would be nixed as well.
“We would assume [residents] would call Uber, Lyft or a car service,” Parks said.
In lieu of shuttle service, Comstock has agreed to provide a crosswalk to ease pedestrian access to the nearby Wiehle Metro station.
The planning commission hearing drew no speakers for or against the proposal. Outside of Dranesville District Commissioner Alyssa Batchelor-Causey, who abstained, and Providence District’s Jeremy Hancock, who was absent, the vote in support of the request was unanimous.
The overall Midline development plan, originally a collaborative effort of JBG Smith and EYA spanning 17 acres, was approved by supervisors in December 2018. Comstock purchased two parcels — 1831 and 1861 Wiehle Avenue — from JBG Smith in 2022.
Existing development being removed from the Midline site includes four low-rise office buildings constructed from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s, plus surface parking. Comstock’s Reston Station Promenade is located just to the west, across Wiehle Avenue.
During the planning commission discussion, Cortina asked whether future development plans for senior housing should provide the automatic flexibility for developers to go with independent living facilities or purely independent units as desired.
County planner Sunny Yang said that’s one option to be considered moving forward, given evolving trends.
The planning commission also gave its support at the July 9 meeting to Comstock’s proposal for a pedestrian bridge that would link two office buildings in the nearby Reston Row neighborhood.
