A planned mixed-use development in Vienna could provide new homes for residents as well as its builder.
Sekas Homes intends to revitalize the former Truist bank building at 515 Maple Avenue East by refreshing the commercial space on its ground floor and adding residential condominiums on its upper levels.
About half to two-thirds of the 9,071 square feet of commercial space would be devoted to a new office for Sekas Homes, which currently operates out of the Vienna Square office park at 407-L Church Street NE. The home builder hopes to relocate in the spring of 2027, owner John Sekas says.
The remaining commercial space would be available for “professional” retail.
According to a site plan set to be discussed by the Vienna Board of Architectural Review on Thursday (July 31), there will be 44 multifamily residential units in the three-story building, which will be just shy of 35 feet tall.
“There’s a big need for one-level living in the Town of Vienna,” Sekas told FFXnow. “There [are] no luxury condominiums for people that want to stay in the town and not have as much space.”
Though Sekas Homes primarily focuses on single-family detached houses, it has also worked on townhomes, including the ones near the traffic circle on Park Street and the Cadence on Center development.
Earlier this year, the company proposed replacing a single-family home on Nutley Street with townhouses, but Sekas confirms they’re not pursuing that plan anymore after the Vienna Planning Commission and neighboring residents expressed skepticism.
Located in the Avenue East Gateway District, which is intended to promote a “vibrant commercial use area,” the 1.6-acre property at 515 Maple Avenue is already zoned for both commercial and upper-story residential development, so Sekas Homes’ project doesn’t need the Vienna Town Council or planning commission’s approval.
The existing building has been empty since Truist relocated its Vienna branch across the street to 440 Maple Avenue East in mid-June 2024.
With the redevelopment, parking will be mostly shifted to an interior garage with 107 total spaces, including three accessible spots for people with disabilities. Another 28 surface parking spaces will be provided in front of the building along Maple Avenue.
The existing curb cut from Maple Avenue would remain, but vehicles would enter and exit the garage via Berry Street, where the entrance to the residential lobby would also be located, according to the site plan.
“There will be more than enough parking for the residents and the commercial space,” Sekas said.
The builder will add brick paving for the sidewalk on Berry Street, and the landscaping plan shows a mix of trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and perennial flowers.
However, Sekas Homes is seeking an exception from the town’s tree preservation requirements, stating that the trees currently on the site are in poor to fair condition and several have roots too close to the building’s foundation to survive its demolition. Two trees in fair condition “are invasive and have several dead limbs,” a project manager for Land Design Consultants said in a July 8 letter to Vienna Director of Planning and Zoning David Levy.
The architectural, landscaping and lighting plans need to be approved by the BAR before construction can begin, though no vote is expected at this week’s meeting, which is only an initial work session.
“We’re excited to bring a beautiful building to the Town of Vienna, and I think it’s going to fill a big need,” Sekas said.
