A new housing subdivision is taking shape in McLean.
Knolewood will bring 24 single-family houses to a 25-acre expanse near the corner of Lewinsville Road and Lancia Drive that represent the last remaining undeveloped parcels in McLean, TTR Sotheby’s International Realty announced last Thursday (Nov. 13).
Sotheby’s and fellow real estate firm Corcoran McEnearney are both overseeing the development and managing sales on behalf of the property owner, who has been working on the project “for years,” according to Sotheby’s Senior Vice President Mona Banes and Corcoran realtor Lisa Joy.
“We are excited to bring this unique opportunity to the McLean market,” Banes and Joy told FFXnow by email.
The land north of Lewinsville Road had belonged for over 60 years to the Jewett family, whose patriarch Freeborn Garrettson died at the home in October 2022 at the age of 94. A general counsel for the Inter-American Development Bank, he was a passionate advocate for the environment and, along with his wife Joan, rallied with other community members to preserve the historic Pleasant Grove Church, his obituary says.
Following Freeborn Garrettson’s death, the family opted to put the estate up for sale in 2023. In addition to a manor house originally built in 1875, the property included a second residential structure, stables, a swimming pool and a tennis court, according to CBRE, which represented the family in the sale.
The parcels were ultimately acquired on Oct. 1, 2024 for $27 million by an apparent affiliate of Petroleum Marketing Group, per Fairfax County property records.
A site plan for a 24-lot residential subdivision at 8700 Lewinsville Road was submitted in December 2023 to Fairfax County, whose staff completed a review this past September.
All of the preexisting structures on the land have now been cleared, according to Joy. The demolitions made way for the future neighborhood, which will feature “wide tree-lined streets with sidewalks,” ending in two cul-de-sacs.
“The project is progressing beautifully and we are expecting the first section to be … paved in December with the second section completed in February of 2026,” said Joy and Banes.
Each of the homes will be custom-built on lots ranging in size from 0.82 to 1.2 acres, according to Joy. Homeowners can collaborate with one of three approved local builders — Artisan Builders, Galileo Signature and Winthrop Builders — on their new residence.
A site map on the Knolewood website indicates that three of the available lots have already been snapped up.
“What makes Knolewood extraordinary is the shared commitment to excellence,” Banes said in a press release. “This collaboration between the region’s most accomplished builders delivers a level of artistry and customization rarely seen in today’s market.”
The sellers didn’t provide any details on the sales price for each lot, but McLean remains a hotbed for the D.C. region’s luxury housing market. The median sales price surpassed $2 million in October, even as the number of homes sold declined year-over-year and the number of days they’re spending on the market has increased, according to the real estate brokerage firm Redfin.
